Eileen Ryan has died aged 94 at her home in Malibu, a representative for the star has confirmed, although no cause of death has been revealed.The actress was just days shy of celebrating her 95th birthday on October 16th.
Eileen was best known for her roles in Little House On The Prairie and At Close Range, and she was also mother to successful actor Sean Penn, 62, musician Michael Penn, 64, and late actor Chris Penn, who died in 2006 at age 40.
She was married to her sons' father, actor and director Leo Penn, from 1957 until he passed away in 1998. She met him in 1957 in New York City at rehearsals for The Iceman Cometh, and the besotted pair married just a few months after their first meeting.
Eileen enjoyed a successful acting career spanning nearly 70 decades after she made her Broadway debut in Sing Till Tomorrow in 1953, before turning her head towards TV and film.
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