Leo Penn, patriarch of a performing family that includes son Sean Penn, died in Los Angeles Sept. 7 of cancer.

Penn, 77, was best known for directing more than 400 hours of prime-time television -- including an Emmy-winning, two-hour episode of Colombo. He also acted with his wife, Eileen Ryan, in the 1995 film Crossing Guard, directed by middle son Sean. The latter also produced a 1997 mounting of the play Remembrance at L.A.'s Odyssey Theatre, starring Leo and Eileen.

"It's like getting married again, renewing your vows," Leo Penn said of his onstage romance with his wife in that play. "It's misleading to say it's a geriatric Romeo and Juliet, but it is."

The couple's other sons are Michael, a singer and songwriter, and Chris, who followed Sean into acting.

In addition to his wife and three sons, the director is survived by three grandchildren. -- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent