Penny Halliwell

Penelope "Penny" Halliwell (née Johnson) (also known as Grams) was a powerful witch and the grandmother of the Charmed Ones: Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige.

Early life
According to the family tree, she was born on June 23, 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts. Her parents were Gordon Johnson and P. Baxter. ("Pardon My Past") A descendant of Melinda Warren, she was a powerful witch with the power of telekinesis. ("That '70s Episode")

She first married Allen Halliwell, and took that last name. Together they had a daughter, Patricia. Penny was once a peace lover until Allen was killed by her former best friend, Robyn, and Robyn's warlock boyfriend, Nigel. As a result, she became a fierce demon/warlock slayer. She learned to focus her telekinetic power, and created spells and potions on her very own. ("Witchstock")

Later in life she started her own coven with witch practitioners (non-magical) and her closest friends as members, including her college sorority sister Gail. ("How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans")

Wiccan duties
As Penny became the matriarch of the Halliwell/Warren family, she fell in love with the Necromancer. But she couldn't be with him because, though he truly did love her, he used her to get to the spirits of the Halliwell/Warren line. She later banished his spirit forever in 2003. ("Necromancing The Stone")

She created most of the potions in the Book of Shadows. She battled such evil beings as the Woogyman. ("Is There a Woogy in the House?")

Love and Family
Penny married a total of four times (starting with Allen), and was engaged for a total of six times, but the relationships didn't work out. When Patty married Victor Bennett, Penny didn't allow her to take his last name, a tradition that will be followed by the Charmed Ones.

Penny witnessed the birth of her grand-daughters Prudence, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell, later earning the nickname 'Grams'. When Patty was forced to give immunity to a warlock named Nicholas, Grams had no choice but to bind the girls' powers, until they were ready for them. ("That '70s Episode")

She was forced to keep the secret about the birth of Patty's fourth daughter Paige from everyone, who was fathered by Patty's Whitelighter, Sam Wilder. Penny helped Patty and Sam decide that it was best to give the baby up for adoption as relationships between witches and Whitelighters were forbidden by the Elders. After Patty's death, Penny became surrogate mother to Patty's first three children, and would continually argue with Victor about how the girls should be raised. Because of those arguments, the girls didn't see their father again for a very long time. ("Charmed Again," "Sympathy For The Demon")

Years later, Penny developed a heart condition. She wanted to keep the girls from receiving their powers permanently, so she created a potion to strip them of their powers. On March 5, 1998 she made the decision to give the sisters the potion, but before she could she had a heart attack and fell down the attic stairs. She became a guardian spirit, keeping watch over her grandchildren. ("Pre-Witched")

Life after Death
Grams, as a high priestess, performed the marriage ceremony uniting Leo Wyatt and Piper in spirit form. When their first child turned out to be a boy, Grams was initially upset about it as she believed the family line should only be female, but eventually came around to accept and love her new great-grandson Wyatt. ("Just Harried", "Necromancing The Stone")

When Grams learned about Gideon's death at Leo's hands (because Gideon had tried to kill Wyatt), she was unsure if she could trust Leo to be around the girls. She later learned to trust her family to make the right decisions without her input, but still provided them with assistance when needed. ("Cheaper By The Coven")


 * She was played by actress Jennifer Rhodes.

Appearances

 * Is There a Woogy in the House? (1.15) - in a premonition of Phoebe's from the 70s
 * That '70s Episode (1.17) - in 1975
 * Witch Trial (2.01)
 * Magic Hour (3.01)
 * Just Harried (3.15)
 * PreWitched (3.17) - in flashbacks from 1998
 * Charmed Again - Part 1 (4.01)
 * Happily Ever After (5.03)
 * Sympathy for the Demon (5.07) - in a flashback from the 70s
 * Necromancing the Stone (5.21)
 * Witchstock (6.11) - present ghost and in 1967
 * Cheaper by the Coven (7.03)
 * Still Charmed & Kicking (8.01)
 * Forever Charmed (8.22) - from 1982