Eileen Ryan, actress and mother of Sean Penn, dies at 94

by Addy Bink and Nexstar Media Wire - 10/10/22 6:20 PM ET

Eileen Ryan, mother of “Milk” star Sean Penn, gestures to her son’s image on the poster upon arriving at the premiere of the film at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

(NEXSTAR) – Eileen Ryan, actress and mother to Michael, Sean, and Chris Penn, has died, her son announced Monday. She was 94.

In a Twitter post, her eldest son Michael wrote “We lost mom yesterday.” Ryan died at her home Sunday, one week before her birthday, People and CNN have confirmed. Additional details about her cause of death have not been released.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JANUARY 11: Sean Penn and Eileen Ryan Penn attend the 3rd annual Sean Penn & Friends HELP HAITI HOME Gala benefiting J/P HRO presented by Giorgio Armani at Montage Beverly Hills on January 11, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for J/P Haitian Relief Organization)

Ryan appeared in over 60 movies and TV shows throughout her decades-long career, her IMDb page reads.

She appeared in multiple films, including “Magnolia,” “I Am Sam,” and “Feast,” and had television roles in shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “NYPD Blue,” and “Bonanza.”

Some of the projects she appeared in were directed by and featured son Sean Penn, including “The Indian Runner” and “All the King’s Men.” In the 1986 film “At Close Range,” Ryan played the grandmother of Sean and her youngest son, Chris.

Ryan’s last role was in the 2016 film “Rules Don’t Apply.”

She met her husband, director Leo Penn, in 1957 and the couple was married a few months later, CNN reports. Penn died in 1998 at the age of 77.

Together, Ryan and Penn share three sons: Michael, a singer-songwriter known for his 1989 hit “No Myth;” actor Sean; and actor Chris, who died in 2006.