Larry Pennell was a versatile and talented actor who appeared in many films and television shows, such as Bubba Ho-Tep, Quantum Leap, The Beverly Hillbillies, Ripcord, and Lassie. He was also a professional baseball player who played for the Boston Braves organization in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He died on August 28, 2013, at the age of 85. But what was his cause of death? How did he spend his last days? And what legacy did he leave behind? In this article, we will explore these questions and pay tribute to his remarkable life and career.
A Brief Biography of Larry Pennell
Larry Pennell was born as Lawrence Kenneth Pennell on February 21, 1928, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. His parents were Harold Pennell, an entrepreneur, and Ruth Pennell, a homemaker. During the Great Depression, his family moved to Niagara Falls, New York, and then to California, where they settled near Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Pennell became a newsboy on the studio lot, but he was more interested in sports than acting at that time.
Pennell excelled at baseball and attended Hollywood High School, where he played first base and was later inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame. He was recruited by Rod Dedeaux to play baseball at the University of Southern California (USC), where he won a full scholarship and became one of the school’s all-time letter winners. He left school early to play professionally for the Boston Braves organization, from 1948 to 1953. He was a power-hitting left-handed first baseman and outfielder who broke the Appalachian League record for runs batted in with 147 and hit .338 for the season while hitting 18 home runs in his first year. He was also a fun-loving teammate who was nicknamed “Bud” by his fellow players.
Pennell did not play during the 1950–1953 seasons due to his service during the Korean War. He served in counterintelligence in the U.S. Army and received an honorable discharge upon completion of his service. He resumed his baseball career in 1954 but retired soon after due to injuries.
A Successful Acting Career
Pennell started acting in 1955, as Oliver Brown in the movie Seven Angry Men, a low-budget movie about abolitionist John Brown, starring Raymond Massey. That role led him to a lead in Hell’s Horizon (1955). After a few small parts in movies, Pennell drifted between television and film appearances. In 1959, he played George Crandall opposite Jimmy Stewart in The FBI Story (1959).