Eileen Ryan, known for her role in “Little House on the Prairie,” has died at 94.
Ryan, who was the mother of actors Sean Penn and Christopher Penn and musician Michael Penn, died at her home in Malibu, California, on Sunday, according to family spokesperson Mara Buxbaum. Ryan would have turned 95 on Oct. 16.
“We lost mom yesterday,” Michael tweeted with a broken heart emoji.
Chris passed away in January 2006. The actor was 40 years old at the time.
Eileen Ryan arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere of “Milk” at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Nov. 13, 2008, in Beverly Hills.
(Steve Granitz/WireImage)
SEAN PENN WAS TOLD TO GET THE ‘F—‘ OUT OF UKRAINE WHILE FILMING DOCUMENTARY
Sean Penn and mom Eileen Ryan at the Los Angeles premiere of Paramount Vantage “Into The Wild” on Sept. 18, 2007, in Los Angeles.
(E. Charbonneau/WireImage via Getty Images)
Ryan was married to actor Leo Penn for 41 years after they tied the knot in 1957.
In 1957, Ryan was at rehearsals for “Iceman Cometh” when she met Leo, who had taken over for Jason Robards at the Circle in the Square production. They moved in together within a week of meeting and married a few months later. Leo Penn died in 1998.
“We adored each other,” Ryan once said about her relationship with Leo, according to the New Yorker. “We had a great marriage. We were never bored with each other. We grew together.”
Sean told the outlet that his parents regularly spent evenings together.
Leo Penn and Eileen Ryan attend the premiere of “At Close Range” on April 17, 1986, at Mann Bruin Theater in New York City.
(Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
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“If you sneaked out for a snack or something, they’d just be sitting there, lights out,” he previously told the outlet. “She’d be sound asleep with her head on his lap, and he would be rubbing her hair. And that was very common – nearly every night.”
Ryan led a successful career in television and film and had at least 61 credits, according to IMDB.
She landed roles in “Parenthood,” “Feast,” “Magnolia” and “Eight Legged Freaks.”
Ryan’s television appearances included roles on “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “The Twilight Zone,” “ER,” “Bonanza,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “NYPD Blue.”
Eileen Ryan and son Sean Penn during the 76th Annual Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon in Beverly Hills.
(SGranitz/WireImage via Getty Images)
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
