Early life

Astin was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of actress Patty Duke (1946-2016). At the time, it was reported that entertainer Desi Arnaz, Jr. was his biological father. When Michael Tell, a writer, music promoter and publisher of the newspaper The Las Vegas Israelite, came to sublet her apartment and offered to marry her as a way out of the scandal, Duke agreed. The marriage lasted only 13 days in 1970, and ended long before Astin was born.

On August 5, 1972, Duke married actor John Astin, after having been in a relationship with him for two years. When the wedding guests were invited to speak, 18-month-old Astin looked at John and cried, "Daddy!", to which the Episcopal priest performing the ceremony remarked, "Well, that about does it!" Astin subsequently adopted Sean. In 1973, Duke gave birth to Astin's brother, Mackenzie Astin, who also became an actor. Duke and John Astin divorced in 1985. Duke married Mike Pearce in 1986, and they adopted a son, Kevin, in 1989.

When he was 14, Duke told Astin that Arnaz was his father, and the two developed a relationship. But in his mid-20s, Astin met a relative of Michael Tell who suggested they were related. Sean set out to find the truth about his biological father, and underwent genetic tests that showed that Tell was his biological father. Astin maintains close relationships with all three men, saying, "Desi Arnaz Jr. loves me, and I love him. We are so close...Science tells me...that he's not my biological father. Science tells me that Mike Tell is." Astin considers John his father, as John was the one who raised him. Astin is also close to his step-father, Mike Pearce, saying, "I can call any of them on the phone any time I want to," says Sean. "John, Desi, Mike or Papa Mike...my four dads."

Astin is of German and Irish ancestry through his mother, and Austrian Jewish through his biological father. He attended Catholic school and later converted to Protestant Christianity, attending a Presbyterian church in Bel Air, California, US.

Astin attended the Crossroads High School for the Arts and master classes at the Stella Adler Conservatory in Los Angeles. He graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in History and English (American literature and culture). An alumnus of Los Angeles Valley College, Astin served on the school's board of directors of the Patrons Association and the Arts Council.

Career

Early career

Astin's first acting role was in a 1981 television movie titled Please Don't Hit Me, Mom, in which he played a child with an abusive mother (portrayed by his real-life mother Patty Duke). He made his film debut at age 13 as Mikey in The Goonies (1985).

After The Goonies, Astin appeared in several more films, including the Disney made-for-TV movie, The B.R.A.T. Patrol, opposite Nia Long, Tim Thomerson and Brian Keith; Like Father Like Son (1987); White Water Summer with Kevin Bacon (1987), The War of the Roses (1989); the World War II film Memphis Belle (1990); Toy Soldiers (1991); Encino Man (1992); and the college football biopic Rudy (1993), about the life-changing struggles and rewards of the titular character, Daniel Ruettiger.

In 1994, Astin directed and co-produced (with his wife, Christine Astin) the short film Kangaroo Court, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. Astin continued to appear in films throughout the 1990s, including the Showtime science fiction film Harrison Bergeron (1995), the Gulf War film Courage Under Fire (1996), and the Warren Beatty political satire Bulworth (1998).

The Lord of the Rings

In the early 2000s, Astin experienced a career breakthrough with his role as Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, released in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Along with the many awards bestowed upon the trilogy, particularly its final installment The Return of the King (winner of eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture), Astin received many award nominations for his own performance in Return of the King, taking home the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. As an ensemble, the Return of the King cast received awards from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures and the Screen Actors Guild.

He and other cast members became close friends through the filming process. He became particularly good friends with Elijah Wood.

Astin's daughter, Alexandra, can be seen the closing scene of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. She plays his onscreen daughter, Elanor Gamgee, who runs out to him as he returns from the harbor, where he said goodbye to Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf.

While working on The Lord of the Rings, Astin persuaded a number of fellow cast and crew members, including director Peter Jackson, to assist him in making his second short film, The Long and Short of It. The film takes place on a street in Wellington, New Zealand. The Long and Short of It premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and appears on the DVD for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, along with a "making of" video.

In 2004, Astin released There and Back Again (ISBN 0-312-33146-0), a memoir (co-written with Joe Layden) of his film career with emphasis on his experiences with the The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The title is derived from the subtitle of J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit, as well as the fictional book written by Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings.

Post-Lord of the Rings career

Since Lord of the Rings, Astin has continued to work in film and television. His film roles have included the Adam Sandler comedies 50 First Dates and Click. Astin played the role of Malibu High School principal Mike Matthews in the movie Smile.

In television, Astin guest-starred as Lynn McGill throughout the fifth season of the Fox drama 24. He also appeared in the made-for-TV films Hercules and The Colour of Magic and in episodes of Monk, Las Vegas, My Name is Earl (in which he parodied his 1993 film Rudy with co-stars Charles S. Dutton and Chelcie Ross), and Law & Order, among other shows. He directed a 2003 episode of the TV series Angel, titled "Soulless". He played the enigmatic Mr. Smith on the second season of the Showtime series Jeremiah.

Astin's career has also expanded to include voice-over roles. He narrated the American version of the Animal Planet series Meerkat Manor, and voices the title character in the animated Disney Channel series Special Agent Oso. His other voice work includes Balto III: Wings of Change, in which he voiced Kodi, a teenage husky who is the son of the titular character, and the video game Kingdom Hearts, in the latter of which he provided the voice of Hercules, replacing actor Tate Donovan, who was unavailable but would return for Kingdom Hearts II. Astin is currently the voice of Raphael in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series on Nickelodeon, which premiered on September 29, 2012.

In 2010, he joined the Stella Adler Los Angeles Theatre Collective acting company. He and his wife, Christine, are making a movie based on Lois Lowry's Newbery Medal-winning novel Number the Stars.

Astin portrays the role of Matthew in The Truth & Life Dramatized audio New Testament Bible, a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, fully dramatized audio version of the New Testament, which uses the RSV-CE.

In March 2012, Astin played a cosmetic surgeon named Takin Mastuhmik in a fake movie trailer entitled Boobathon which appeared on Funny or Die.

In March 2014, Astin played a soldier in Boys of Abu Ghraib, a military thriller inspired by the events that made worldwide news in 2004.

In June 2014, Astin began playing the role of Jim Kent on the FX drama The Strain.

He provides the voice of Captain Marvel in The DC Universe Animated Original Movies, having played the character in Justice League: War and Justice League: Throne of Atlantis.

Personal life

Astin married Christine Louise 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 middle name Louise. His wife held the Miss Indiana Teen USA title in 1984.

Astin has a tattoo on his ankle of the word "nine" written with the Tengwar script, commemorating his Lord of the Rings involvement and his character's membership in the Fellowship of the Ring. Seven of the eight other Fellowship actors (Elijah Wood, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom) all have the same tattoo. John Rhys-Davies' stunt double has the tattoo as well.

During the 2004 United States presidential election, Astin backed Senator John Kerry and participated in Kerry's campaign rally in Portland, Oregon, as the opening speaker. In the 2008 presidential election, Astin lent his support to Senator Hillary Clinton and made multiple campaign appearances on her behalf, including joining Clinton's daughter, Chelsea Clinton, at some stops.

Astin is a vegetarian.

On October 10, 2015 Astin competed in the 2015 Ironman World Championship in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Wearing number 143, Astin finished the race in a time of 15:30:31.

Partial filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Goonies, TheThe Goonies	Mikey Walsh
1987	Like Father Like Son	Clarence
1987	White Water Summer	Alan
1989	War of the Roses, TheThe War of the Roses	Josh (age 17)
1989	Staying Together	Duncan McDermott
1990	Memphis Belle	Sergeant Richard "Rascal" Moore
1991	Toy Soldiers	William Tepper
1991	The Willies	Michael
1992	Where the Day Takes You	Greg
1992	Encino Man	Dave Morgan
1993	Rudy	Daniel Ruettiger
1994	Safe Passage	Izzy Singer
1995	Low Life, TheThe Low Life	Andrew
1995	Harrison Bergeron	Harrison Bergeron
1996	Courage Under Fire	Patella
1998	Boy Meets Girl	Mike
1998	Bulworth	Gary
1999	Deterrence	Ralph
1999	Kimberly	Bob
2000	Dish Dogs	Morgan
2000	Last Producer, TheThe Last Producer	Bo Pomerantz
2000	Icebreaker	Matt Foster
2000	Sky is Falling, TheThe Sky is Falling	Schwartz
2001	Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, TheThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	Samwise Gamgee
2002	Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, TheThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2003	Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, TheThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004	Balto III: Wings of Change	Kodi	Voice
2004	Elvis Has Left the Building	Aaron
2004	50 First Dates	Doug Whitmore
2005	Smile	Mike Matthews
2005	Bigger Than the Sky	Ken Zorbell
2005	Slipstream	Stuart Conway	Direct-to-DVD
2005	Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School	Kip Kipling
2005	Borderland	Randall
2005	Thanks to Gravity	Coach Amal	Direct-to-DVD
2006	What Love Is	George	Direct-to-VOD
2006	Asterix and the Vikings	Justforkix	English voice
2006	Click	Bill
2007	Final Season, TheThe Final Season	Kent Stock
2008	Forever Strong	Marcus
2008	Spirit of the Forest	Furi	Voice
2009	Stay Cool	Big Girl	Direct-to-VOD
2011	Demoted	Mike	Direct-to-VOD
2012	Boobathon	Takin Mastuhmik	Funny or Die fake trailer
2012	Amazing Love: The Story of Hosea	Stuart	Direct-to-DVD
2013	The Freemason	Leon Weed	Direct-to-DVD
2014	Justice League: War	Shazam	Voice
2014	Boys of Abu Ghraib	Staff Sergeant Tanner	Direct-to-VOD
2014	Cabin Fever: Patient Zero	Porter	Direct-to-DVD
2014	Moms' Night Out	Sean
2014	Video Games: The Movie	Narrator	Documentary
2014	Ribbit	Ribbit (voice)	Voice
2014	The Hero of Color City	Horatio	Voice
2014	The Surface	Mitch	Direct-to-VOD
2015	Justice League: Throne of Atlantis	Shazam	Voice
2015	Do You Believe?	Dr. Farell
2015	Woodlawn	Hank
2015	Checkmate	Dyson
2016	The Do-Over	TBA	In post-production
2016	Bad Kids of Crestview Academy	Headmaster Nash	In post-production
2016	Range 15	Grigsby	In post-production

Television credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	Please Don't Hit Me, Mom	Brian Reynolds
1982	The Rules of Marriage	Charlie Hagen
1985	The O'Briens	The Son
1986	B.R.A.T. Patrol, TheThe B.R.A.T. Patrol	Leonard Kinsey
2003	Angel		As director (Episode: "Soulless")
2003-04	Jeremiah	Mister Smith	Main role (Season 2)
2005	Hercules	Linus	Main role
2005	Into The West	Martin Jarrett	TV miniseries
2005-07	Meerkat Manor	Narrator	Season 1-3
2006	24	Lynn McGill	Main role (Season 5)
2007	Masters of Science Fiction	Charlie Kramer	Episode: "Watchbird" (unaired in U.S.)
2007	Monk	Paul Buchanan	Episode: "Mr. Monk Is At Your Service"
2007	My Name Is Earl	Salesman	Episode: "Get a Real Job"
2008	Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic	Twoflower	Television film
2008	Law & Order	Pastor Hensley	Episode: "Angelgrove"
2009-12	Special Agent Oso	Agent Oso	Main role; Voice
2011	Love's Christmas Journey	Mayor Wayne	TV film
2012-present	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	Raphael	Main role; Voice
2012	NCIS	Tyler Elliot	Episode: "The Tell"
2012	Adopting Terror	Tim	Television film
2012	Dorothy and the Witches of Oz	Frack	TV miniseries
2012	Hollywood Treasure	Himself	Episode: "Riddler Rudy and the Ruby Slippers"
2012	Franklin and Bash	Viper	Episode: "Viper"
2012	Alphas	Mitchell	Episodes: "If Memory Serves", "Need to Know"
2013	Santa Switch	Eddie	TV movie
2014	The Strain	Jim Kent	Main role
2015	Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero	Blaze	Episodes: "Where Dragons Dare", "Save the Worlds"; Voice
2016	Bunnicula	Chester	Voice role

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Kingdom Hearts	Hercules	English version
2003	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Samwise Gamgee
2010	The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest	Samwise Gamgee
2012	Lego The Lord of the Rings	Samwise Gamgee	Archive recordings
2013	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	Raphael
2015	Lego Dimensions	Samwise Gamgee

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Work	Result
1985	Young Artist Awards	Best Starring Performance by a Young Actor - Motion Picture	The Goonies	Won
1989		Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture	Staying Together	Won
1991		Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture	Toy Soldiers	Nominated
1994	Academy Awards	Best Live Action Short Film	Kangaroo Court	Nominated
2001	Online Film & Television Association	Best Ensemble	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	Won
	Screen Actors Guild	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture		Nominated
2002	MTV Movie Awards	MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	Won
	Visual Effects Society	Best Performance by an Actor in an Effects Film		Won
	Screen Actors Guild	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture		Nominated
2003	Chicago Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Won
	National Board of Review	Best Cast		Won
	Online Film & Television Association	Best Ensemble		Won
	Saturn Awards	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Screen Actors Guild	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture		Won
	Visual Effects Society	Outstanding Male or Female Actor		Won
	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Best Ensemble		Nominated

[ Source: Wikipedia ]