Jonathan Penner
American actor
title: "Jonathan Penner" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1962-births", "living-people", "screenwriters-from-california", "american-male-film-actors", "american-male-screenwriters", "american-male-television-actors", "film-producers-from-california", "jewish-american-male-actors", "male-actors-from-new-york-city", "writers-from-los-angeles", "screenwriters-from-new-york-(state)", "film-producers-from-new-york-(state)", "21st-century-american-jews"] description: "American actor" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Penner" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American actor ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Jonathan Penner |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| occupation | {{flatlist |
| known_for | The Last Supper |
| The Bye Bye Man | |
| Survivor: Cook Islands | |
| Survivor: Micronesia | |
| Survivor: Philippines | |
| spouse | |
| children | 2 |
| years_active | 1989–present |
| :: |
| name = Jonathan Penner | image = | birth_date = | birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S. | occupation = {{flatlist|
- Screenwriter
- producer
- actor}} | known_for = The Last Supper The Bye Bye Man Survivor: Cook Islands Survivor: Micronesia Survivor: Philippines | spouse = | children = 2 | years_active = 1989–present
Jonathan Lindsay Penner (born March 5, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, television personality, and film producer, known for producing and starring in the film The Last Supper, as well as acting in the television series Rude Awakening and The Naked Truth. He is also known for his multiple appearances on the American competitive reality series Survivor.
Life and career
Penner was born in New York City. He has had roles in television series Grapevine, The Naked Truth and Rude Awakening, and guest-starred on Seinfeld, CSI, CSI: NY, The Tick, Melrose Place, LateLine, Arrested Development, and The Nanny, where he appeared in two episodes as Danny Imperiali, whose firing and dumping of fiancée Fran Fine kicked off the entire series.
Penner has appeared in many films, with featured roles in Anarchy TV, Down Periscope, and The Last Supper, the latter of which he also co-produced, and which was directed by his wife, Stacy Title.
He had a small role in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993). Penner was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the Academy Awards in 1994 for Down on the Waterfront, which he co-produced, co-wrote, and starred in, along with Jason Alexander and Edward Asner.
He co-wrote the script for the 2003 The WB-produced re-imagining of The Lone Ranger, and later the 2017 horror film The Bye Bye Man. He is developing a King Kong television series for MarVista Entertainment and IM Global Television.
Penner resides in Los Angeles, California, with his two children: Ellis, born in 1999, and Cooper, born in 1995. He was married to director Stacy Title from 1991 until her death in 2021; he was introduced to Stacy by his friend Jason Alexander, who is married to Stacy's cousin, Daena Title.
Filmography
::data[format=table title="Acting credits"]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | A Fool and His Money | Morris Codman | Film |
| 1990 | White Palace | Marv Miller | Film |
| 1992 | Grapevine | David Klein | TV series |
| 1993 | Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story | Studio Executive | Film |
| 1993 | Melrose Place | Joel Walker | Episode titled 'Married to It' |
| 1993 | The Nanny | Danny | TV series |
| 1993 | Coneheads | Captain, Air Traffic | Film |
| 1993 | Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday | David (Scenes Deleted) | Film |
| 1995 | The Last Supper | Marc | Film; also served as co-executive producer |
| 1995-1997 | The Naked Truth | Nick Columbus | TV series |
| 1996 | Down Periscope | Stanley 'Spots' Sylvesterson | Film |
| 1998 | Anarchy TV | Jerry | Film |
| 1998 | Seinfeld | Zach | Episode titled 'The Bookstore' |
| 1998 | LateLine | Paul | Episode titled 'Gale Gets a Life' |
| 1998-2000 | Rude Awakening | Dave Parelli | TV series |
| 2001 | The Tick | Steve Filbert | Episode titled 'The Big Leagues' |
| 2004 | Arrested Development | Detective Fellows | Episode titled 'Not Without my Daughter' |
| 2004 | CSI | Detective Travis | Episode titled 'Viva Las Vegas' |
| 2006 | E-Ring | FBI Agent Jaffe | Episode titled 'Five Pillars' |
| 2006 | CSI: New York | Newt Glick | Episode titled 'Run Silent, Run Deep' |
| 2006 | Hood of Horror | Fowler | Film |
| 2006 | Survivor: Cook Islands | Contestant | Eliminated; 7th Place |
| 2008 | Survivor: Micronesia | Contestant | Medically Evacuated; 15th Place |
| 2012 | Survivor: Philippines | Contestant | Eliminated; 7th Place |
| 2017 | The Bye Bye Man | Mr. Daizy | Film |
| :: |
::data[format=table title="Writing credits"]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Let the Devil Wear Black | |
| 2003 | The Lone Ranger | Television film |
| 2017 | The Bye Bye Man | |
| :: |
''Survivor''
In addition to his acting and writing credits, Penner is perhaps best known as a three-time contestant on Survivor.
''Cook Islands''
Main article: Survivor: Cook Islands
Penner was a contestant on Survivor: Cook Islands in 2006. He was one of the original five members of the Rarotonga tribe (Raro). He quickly became notorious among the cast for stealing another tribe's chicken on the first day. In episode three, the four tribes evenly divided into two new mixed tribes, Aitutaki and Rarotonga. Penner found himself on Aitutaki (Aitu). While a member of Aitu, he became part of an alliance that consisted of Yul Kwon, Candice Woodcock, Becky Lee and Sundra Oakley. This alliance lasted until episode eight when the members of Aitu and Raro were offered a chance to mutiny by joining the opposing tribe. Penner, along with Woodcock, chose to leave Aitu for Raro, the only two castaways to accept the offer. After the merge, he flipped again and voted with the former Aitus. Ultimately, Kwon voted him out to appease the former Raro members, who viewed Penner as duplicitous for having betrayed them. He was the fourteenth person voted out, finishing in seventh place. As his torch was snuffed, he turned to the Final Six and said, "And I'd like my hat back at some point", then left (Kwon actually did bring his hat back to him at the next Tribal Council). Penner humbly voted for Kwon to win in the Final Tribal Council.
''Micronesia''
Main article: Survivor: Micronesia
Penner was also a contestant on Survivor: Micronesia Fans vs. Favorites, the 16th season of Survivor which aired in 2008. He was one of ten returning favorites on the Malakal tribe and later switched to Airai. He was removed from the game during the sixth episode, due to a life-threatening infection in his injured knee. The Survivor medics stated that he had no choice but to be evacuated from the game as the sixth person to leave the competition.
''Philippines''
Main article: Survivor: Philippines
Penner returned to play the game for a third time on Survivor: Philippines, the 25th season of Survivor. He was one of the three returning players who had been medically evacuated during their previous season, the others being Michael Skupin (Survivor: The Australian Outback) and Russell Swan (Survivor: Samoa). During the season, Penner worked quite closely with castaway and fellow actress Lisa Whelchel. He ended up being the 11th person voted out, placing seventh overall, which is where he had also finished the first time he participated on Survivor. At the Final Tribal Council, he voted for Denise Stapley to win after claiming that Skupin and Whelchel were "ridden in like oxen" by Stapley, who indeed proved to be the eventual winner.
In total, Penner has spent 78 days playing the Survivor game. In an interview following his departure from Survivor: Philippines, he said he would be open to returning for another season.
References
References
- (February 2020). "Down on the Waterfront (1993)". Uk.imdb.com.
- "Survivor Cast: Jonathan". CBS.com.
- Andreeva, Nellie. (April 18, 2017). "King Kong Female-Led TV Series In Works At MarVista Entertainment & IM Global TV".
- (18 April 2017). "Following Kong: Skull Island, a TV show called King Kong Skull Island".
- Survivor Wednesdays 8/7c. "Survivor Cast: Jonathan". CBS.com.
- (May 14, 2019). "Director Stacy Title Is Racing Against ALS to Make Her Final Movie".
- "Jonathan Penner fourteenth castaway to exit 'Survivor: Cook Islands'". Reality TV World.
- "Survivor: S16 Palua All-Stars". Claycritters.com.
- Ross, Dalton. (2008-01-03). "New 'Survivor' cast revealed!". Entertainment Weekly.
- (2012-08-21). "CBS confirms Jonathan Penner, Michael Skupin and Russell Swan competing on 'Survivor: Philippines'". Reality TV World.
- Rome, Emily. (2012-11-29). "'Survivor: Philippines': Jeff Probst on how Jonathan Penner 'blew it'". Entertainment Weekly.
- Helling, Steve. (2013-01-14). "Survivor's Jonathan Penner: I Worked Every Trick I Had". People.com.
- Rome, Emily. (2019-11-29). "Jonathan Penner talks 'Survivor: Philippines' on the InsideTV Podcast". Entertainment Weekly.
- [http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/exclusive-michael-skupin-talks-about-survivor-philippines-(part-2)-14214.php Exclusive: Michael Skupin talks about 'Survivor: Philippines' (Part 2)] Retrieved December 2012
- (2012-11-29). "'Survivor: Philippines': Jonathan Penner on Being Voted Out". Hollywoodreporter.com.
- Fienberg, Daniel. (2012-12-01). "Interview: Jonathan Penner talks Survivor: Philippines". [[HitFix]].
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