A post-mortem examination will determine the cause of death.

Chris was a successful character actor, specialising in playing criminals such as Nice Guy Eddie Cabot in the gory 1992 thriller Reservoir Dogs, a role which provided his acting breakthrough reports Times Online
His 56 other film credits - he started acting at the age of 12 - include Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 teen gang move Rumble Fish, a role as Kevin Bacon's best mate who learns to dance in Footloose in 1984, the Clint Eastwood 1985 Western Pale Rider, Robert Altman's Short Cuts, Mulholland Falls and the 1998 Jackie Chan action thriller Rush Hour.

Chris Penn's latest film, "The Darwin Awards," was scheduled to premiere Wednesday at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah.

He features alongside Winona Ryder, Joseph Fiennes and David Arquette in the comedy adventure.

"Just as talented as Sean — just a lot less cocky," Slate magazine critic Cintra Wilson wrote of him last year. He "makes you seamlessly believe in characters so much you barely even notice them."

Penn's late father, Leo Penn, directed television shows. His mother, Eileen Ryan, is an actress whose credits include I Am Sam, Magnolia and Parenthood. His brother is musician Michael Penn.

Sean Penn's publicist Mara Buxbaum issued a statement saying that "the Penn family would appreciate the media's respect of their privacy during this difficult time".