Bob Penny, a supporting actor in Sweet Home Alabama, has passed away. He was 87.
According to his obituary, Penny passed away on December 25 in Huntsville, Alabama. The reason of death was not disclosed.
The actor spent 21 years teaching poetry and prose as a college lecturer at the University of Alabama. He was honored for his efforts in 1974 when he won the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching.
Penny held more than 40 theatre roles and made appearances in more than 30 movies and television programs.
Rhonda Erbrick, the theater’s board chair, said in a statement that Bob Penny “captivated all of our hearts at Birmingham Festival Theatre and poured his all into his work.” Penny “is and was always an actor and a joy to be around,” Erbrick continued.
Sweet Home Alabama, My Cousin Vinny, Forrest Gump, and Fly Away Home are just a few of Penny’s cinematic credits.
His coworkers and friends have paid tribute to him in the obituary’s comment area. Regarding his role in Forrest Gump, one person remarked, “I am still happy to say I knew Bob, and I will always remember to look for him sitting on that bench watching Tom Hanks race by.”
Another said that he was “always hilarious and very appealing to all of the secretaries that worked there,” and that he was “a superb teacher and even better person.”
Six nieces, one nephew, his sister, brother, and sister-in-law all survived Penny.
»Bob Penny, 87, From ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and ‘Forrest Gump’ dies«