Christopher Shannon Penn is an American actor. He is often cast as a tough character, usually a working class villain or thug, or in a comic book role and is known for his roles in films such as The Wild Life, Reservoir Dogs, The Funeral, Footloose, Rush Hour, Corky Romano, True Romance, Beethoven 2nd, Short Cuts, The Boys Club, All the Right Moves, At Close Range and Pale Rider. He also voiced ruthless cop Edward "Eddie" Pulaski in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Penn was found dead in his apartment on January 24, 2006, at the age of 40. An autopsy revealed that the main cause of his death was "nonspecific cardiomyopathy".

Sean Penn's brother and actor, who died of heart illness at the age of 40. All the Right Moves, The Funeral, and True Romance are among his other significant films.