Biography
Eileen Ryan was an American actress. Born Eileen Annucci in New York City in 1927, she studied at New York University and began her career on stage, appearing on Broadway in Sing Till Tomorrow (1953) and Comes a Day (1958).
She resumed acting more regularly from the mid-1980s and appeared in films including At Close Range (1986), Parenthood (1989) as Marilyn Buckman, Benny & Joon (1993), Magnolia (1999), I Am Sam (2001) and Eight Legged Freaks (2002). Her television credits include episodes of The Twilight Zone (1959), Little House on the Prairie (1974), ER (1994), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) and Grey's Anatomy (2005).
Ryan was married to actor and director Leo Penn from 1957 until his death in 1998. She was the mother of actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn, and musician Michael Penn.
