Sean Astin - Actors
Summary
"Sean Astin" (born February 25, 1971) is an American film actor, director, and Oscar-nominated producer best known for his film roles as Mikey Walsh in "The Goonies", the title character of "Rudy", Samwise Gamgee in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and Drew Barrymore's steroid-juiced brother in "50 First Dates". He also appeared as Lynn McGill on the fifth season of the television series, "24".
Biography
Early life
Astin was born "Sean Patrick Duke"He was born under his mother's surname, according to the State of California. "California Birth Index, 1905-1995". Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com in Santa Monica, California. He is the son of actors Patty Duke and John Astin, although his biological father is Michael Tell, a music promoter and writer of Jewish heritage who divorced Patty Duke shortly before her marriage to Astin. At the time of his birth, it was widely assumed that his biological father was Desi Arnaz, Jr., although this has been stated as incorrect. Astin is the older brother of Mackenzie Astin, also an actor (in "The Facts of Life").
Astin graduated with honors from UCLA with B.A.s in history and English (American literature and culture). He is an alumnus of and now serves on the Board of Directors of the Patrons Association and the Arts Council for Los Angeles Valley College. He also attended St. Paul the Apostle Elementary School and the Crossroads High School for the Arts and participated in master classes at the Stella Adler Conservatory in Los Angeles.
Astin is also a vegetarian. (Sean Austin as a vegatarian) from International Vegetarian Union
Career
At age thirteen, he debuted on the silver screen as Mikey in "The Goonies" (1985). He had a small role in 1989's "The War of the Roses" and in 1993 got a memorable part as the title character in "Rudy". Astin recently played Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy. He also played the brother of Lucy (Drew Barrymore) in the Adam Sandler film "50 First Dates". Astin provided the voice for Balto's son, Kodi, in the second direct-to-video sequel of "Balto".
In 1994, he directed and co-produced the Academy Awards nominated short film, "Kangaroo Court", with his wife, Christine.
In 1995, he starred in the Showtime sci-fi film, "Harrison Bergeron", an adaptation of the short story by Kurt Vonnegut. In this futuristic film, the world focuses on the belief that 'All men are not created equal. It is the purpose of the Government to make them so.? The titular character, Harrison, is smarter than his peers and is unaffected by the standard technology used to handicap all Americans so that everyone is of equal ability.
While working on "The Two Towers", he persuaded a number of fellow cast and crew members, including director Peter Jackson, to act in or work as crew on his short film, "The Long and Short of It" (2003), which takes place on a street in Wellington, New Zealand. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, 2003, and appears on the 'standard edition? DVD of "The Two Towers" as an extra feature together with a 'making of? video.
Astin appeared as Lynn McGill in the fifth season of the FOX drama "24". He also appeared in the first season of the NBC Show "Las Vegas" as a gambler who wins one million dollars and his wife and best friend want to take it away from him. He also had a role in Adam Sandler's 2006 film "Click". Astin is the narrator of the US version of "Meerkat Manor", shown on the Discovery Channel-owned cable TV channel Animal Planet. He most recently appeared as a sales clerk in an episode of the TV series, "My Name Is Earl", in which he, along with co-stars Charles S. Dutton and Chelcie Ross, parodied their hit movie, "Rudy". Scenes included a motivational speech by Dutton after Earl fails his chance at becoming a sales rep, and all the dock workers turning in their credit cards to Ross. Both of these are representations of famous 'Rudy? scenes.
He substituted for Tate Donovan in voicing Hercules in the first "Kingdom Hearts" game for Playstation 2.
Personal life
Astin married Christine Harrell on July 11, 1992. They have three daughters: Alexandra (born November 27, 1996), Elizabeth (born August 6, 2002), and Isabella (born July 22, 2005), all with the same middle name of Louise. His wife held the Miss Indiana Teen USA title in 1984 and competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant that year.
His book, "There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale" (2004, ISBN 0-312-33146-0), co-written by Joe Layden, is an account of his experiences before, during and after filming the "Lord of the Rings" movies. The title is derived from the subtitle of "The Hobbit" by "Lord of the Rings" author J. R. R. Tolkien. He jumped at the chance to work in New Zealand again in 2004, as the mythical 'Linus?, tutor of Hercules, in Robert Halmi, Sr.'s Hallmark-sponsored remake.
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Sean Astin.
