Chris Penn found dead

Posted Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 5:10 AM Central

by Tim Briscoe

The 43-year-old actor Chris Penn was found dead Tuesday at a residence in Santa Monica, Calif. According to various reports, there were no signs of foul play. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Chris Penn was the younger brother of Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn and brother-in-law to Sean's wife Robin Wright Penn. His other older brother was musician Michael Penn who is married to musician Aimee Mann. His mother was actress Eileen Ryan. His father, TV director Leo Penn, died in 1998.

He appeared in dozens of movies, often in a tough-guy role. Perhaps his most notable performance was in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. He co-starred with his brother Sean in 1986's At Close Range. He also lent his voice to the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.