10 Famous Directors Who Made Columbo Episodes

10. Leo Penn

Leo Penn makes this list primarily for being the father of musician Michael Penn (known for scoring Boogie Nights), Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn (Mystic River, Milk) and tough-guy actor Chris Penn (Reservoir Dogs, True Romance).

That's a pretty solid lineage but Leo Penn was also a successful film and television actor/director in his own right. Unfortunately, his acting career became shrouded in controversy following allegations of connections with communism.

After being blacklisted as an actor in both film and television he struggled for work but was able to make a sidestep into directing and ultimately helmed episodes of some of the most popular shows of the time such as Star Trek, Lost in Space and Magnum P.I.

Penn directed three episodes of Columbo in all, Season 3's "Any Old Port in a Storm" (a top tier episode featuring Donald Pleasance), Season 7's "The Conspirators" and Season 8's "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine" (both middle of the road but still definitely worth a watch).