Bob Penny, 'Forrest Gump' and 'Sweet Home Alabama' Actor, Dead at 87

By Daniel S. Levine

Bob Penny, a former University of Alabama at Birmingham professor who had small roles in Sweet Home Alabama and Forrest Gump, has died. He was 87. Penny starred in over 30 films and was a fixture in the Birmingham theater scene.

Penny died on Christmas Day in Huntsville, Alabama, according to his obituary. A cause of death was not disclosed. He is survived by his brother William Eal Penny, sister Jean Marion Yount, six nieces, and one nephew.

Penny was born on June 29, 1935, in Jacksonville, Alabama, and grew up in North Carolina. He returned to Alabama to teach poetry and prose at UAB for over 20 years. In 1990, Penny was offered a full professorship in Theater and English but decided to retire after 32 years of teaching. He chose to focus on his acting career instead.

Although Penny had done local commercials in Birmingham, he started devoting more time to acting in the late 1980s. In 1986, he starred in United Way commercials, which led to movie offers. "Then the movies began to come," Penny told AL.com in 2008. "I was really lucky. I had these very small roles, but they sure helped pay the mortgage."

Penny made his film debut in the 1987 movie The Verve Miller Story, then appeared in Mississippi Burning the following year. He can also be seen as a juror in My Cousin Vinny, a bailiff in Fried Green Tomatoes, and a small part in Forrest Gump. His other movie credits include Sweet Home Alabama, and The Legend of Bagger Vance. He starred in episodes of Devious Maids, Drop Dead Diva, and the early '90s series based on In The Heat of the Night.

Penny also starred on the stage in Birmingham, appearing in productions of The Odd Couple and Don Juan in Hell. His final stage performance was in Ronald Harwood's The Dresser in 2017.

"Bob Penny captivated all of our hearts at Birmingham Festival Theatre and put his all into his work," Birmingham Festival Theatre chairwoman Rhonda Erbrick told AL.com. "He loved BFT, and we would often talk about how to make the hidden gem of a theatre sparkle brighter in the Magic City."

"Bob Penny is and was always an actor and a joy to be around," Erbrick added. "Birmingham Festival Theatre loved him dearly and now we mourn a grievous loss alongside the Birmingham Theatre Community at the loss of such a fine actor and human being." 

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