Britain's answer to the French New Wave, Arthur Penn was the man behind some of the edgiest cinema of the Sixties, including classics like Bonnie And Clyde and Alice's Restaurant. He also made a major impact on the small screen and on Broadway. Now he has passed away just a day after his 88th birthday.
Born in Philadelphia, the young Penn was inspired by the success of his older brother, the photographer Irving Penn. He initially made his name in television, then broke into film with Billy The Kid story The Left Handed Gun, which starred Paul Newman. Though he would never be among the Hollywood elite, he went on to make a number of highly influential films which contributed to the development of a distint philosophical movement within US culture.
Penn enjoyed mainstream success in 1970 with Little Big Man, and over the course of his career he worked with some of the industry's most interesting personalities, including Gene Hackman, Warren Beatty and even the magicians Penn and Teller.
The cause of Penn's death is not yet known. He is survived by his actress wife Peggy Maurer and their two children.
