Astin was born inSanta Monica, California, on February 25, 1971, the son of actressPatty Duke (1946–2016) and Michael Tell (1944/1945–2025).[4][5][6][7] At the time, it was incorrectly reported that entertainerDesi Arnaz Jr. was hisbiological father. Tell was a writer,music promoter, and publisher of the newspaperThe Las Vegas Israelite. When Duke became pregnant, she was unsure whether Tell, Arnaz or actorJohn Astin was the father, and Tell offered to marry her as a way out of the scandal.[8] The marriage lasted only 13 days in 1970, ending before Astin was born.[9][10][11]
In 1972, Duke married John Astin. When the wedding guests were invited to speak, 18-month-old Astin looked at John and cried, "Daddy!", to which theEpiscopal priest performing the ceremony remarked, "Well, that about does it!"[12] John subsequently adopted Sean. In 1973, Duke gave birth to Astin's brotherMackenzie Astin, who also became an actor. Duke and John Astin divorced in 1985.[13] Duke married Mike Pearce in 1986,[9] and they adopted a son, Kevin, in 1989.[13] When Astin was 14, Duke told him that Arnaz was his biological father. Almost a decade later, in 1994, Astin met Tell's niece, who suggested that Astin get apaternity test. Tell was found to be his biological father.[14] Astin developed close relationships with all three, saying: "Desi Arnaz Jr. loves me, and I love him." Astin considers John his father, as John raised him. Astin is also close to his stepfather, Mike Pearce, saying, "I can call any of them on the phone any time I want to. John, Desi, Mike, or Papa Mike ... my four dads."[9]
Astin is ofGerman andIrish ancestry through his mother, and Jewish ancestry through his biological father.[15][16][17] Astin attended Catholic school and later became aProtestant.[18]
Astin's first acting role was in a 1981 television film titledPlease Don't Hit Me, Mom,[22] in which he played an eight-year-old child with an abusive mother (portrayed by his real-life motherPatty Duke). Astin made his film debut at age 13 as Mikey Walsh inThe Goonies (1985).
In 1994, Astin directed and co-produced (with his wife, Christine Astin) the short filmKangaroo Court, which received an Academy Award nomination forBest Live Action Short Film. Astin continued to appear in films throughout the 1990s, including theShowtime science fiction filmHarrison Bergeron (1995), the Gulf War filmCourage Under Fire (1996), and theWarren Beatty political satireBulworth (1998).
While working onThe Lord of the Rings, Astin persuaded a number of fellow cast and crew members, including directorPeter Jackson, to assist him in making his second short film,The Long and Short of It. The film, which takes place on a street inWellington, New Zealand, premiered at the 2003Sundance Film Festival and can be found on the DVD forThe Two Towers, along with a "making of" video.
In 2004, Astin releasedThere and Back Again (ISBN0-312-33146-0), a memoir (co-written with Joe Layden) of his film career with emphasis on his experiences during production ofThe Lord of the Rings trilogy. The title is derived from the title ofJ. R. R. Tolkien's novelThe Hobbit, as well as the fictional book written byBilbo Baggins inThe Lord of the Rings.
SinceThe Lord of the Rings, Astin has continued to work in film and television. His film roles have included theAdam Sandler comedies50 First Dates andClick. Astin played the role of Malibu High School principal Mike Matthews in the filmSmile.
In 2010, Astin joined theStella Adler Los Angeles Theatre Collective acting company.[26] Also as of 2010, Astin and his wife, Christine, were making a film based onLois Lowry'sNewbery Medal-winning novelNumber the Stars.[27][28] They bought thefilm rights in 2008 and wrote a screenplay adaptation, with plans to direct and produce it themselves.[29]
In October 2015, Astin playedHank Erwin inWoodlawn, a story about how a high school football team overcame racism and hate, and found unity and success through following Jesus.[32]
In 2017, Astin played the role of Bob Newby in season two of the Netflix seriesStranger Things. In 2019, Astin reprised the role of Newby inflashback scenes during the series' third season, played the role of Dr. Greg Pemberton on several episodes ofThe Big Bang Theory, and had a guest appearance on the fifth season ofSupergirl. In 2019, he was in the Netflix dramedyNo Good Nick in which he played Ed. That same year, he appeared in the sixth season ofBrooklyn Nine-Nine.
Astin narrated the 2023 comedy filmGo West, the first theatrical film from the original cast of the sketch comedy showStudio C, produced by their own company, JK Studios. Astin made his Broadway debut asSanta Claus in a revival ofElf the Musical, which ran at theMarquis Theatre from November 2024 to January 2025.[35][36]
In July 2025, Astin declared he would run to succeedFran Drescher as president ofSAG-AFTRA.[37] From August 13 to September 12, 2025, Astin ran against Chuck Slavin for the office.[38][39]
On September 12, 2025, it was announced that Astin was elected president of SAG-AFTRA for a two-year term, receiving 79.25% of the vote from participating SAG-AFTRA members.[1][2][40] Astin's mother,Patty Duke, was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild forty years earlier.[41]
In an August 2013 interview, Astin said that he is aLutheran Christian, having been "baptized in my wife's Lutheran church".[18] "I don't know if I'm a very good [Christian] but I'm praying the forgiveness thing is legit," Astin said in an interview.[45]
In January 2015, Astin completed the Dopey Challenge at theWalt Disney World Resort which involves running a 5k, 10k, half-marathon and full marathon on four consecutive days.[46][47]
On October 10, 2015, Astin competed in the 2015Ironman World Championship inKailua Kona, Hawaii. Wearing number 143, Astin finished the race in a time of 15:30:31.[48] Astin completed his master's degree in public administration and policy atAmerican University;[49] in 2024.[50] American University awarded Astin an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the Fall 2024 graduation during which he was also the keynote speaker.[51]
In March 2025, Astin partnered withLego to launch a set based onThe Shire, featuring a commemorative video of Astin himself building the set.[52]
In September 2024, Astin urged California GovernorGavin Newsom to signSB 1047, a bill that would require advanced AI models to undergo safety testing before deployment.[63]
^Dam, Julie K.L; Jordan, Julie (January 14, 2002)."Hobbit Forming".People.Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2020.DNA tests ... proved Tell to be his father.
^"Sean Astin Q&A at GenCon 2003". Hobbit Movie News and Rumors. TheOneRing.net. August 1, 2003.Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. RetrievedMay 28, 2012.
^Rodriguez, Ashley (January 4, 2017)."How to Recover from the Dopey Challenge".Runner's World.Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. RetrievedMay 20, 2017.Disney's 48.6-mile Dopey Challenge [... i]s no easy feat. While plenty of runners have finished 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, and marathons, few have done them back-to-back over the course of four days.
^"IRONMAN World Championship Results".Ironman World Championship. World Triathlon Corporation. October 10, 2015.Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. RetrievedMarch 29, 2016.
^"Sean Astin Biography".seanastin.com. RetrievedSeptember 18, 2024.Sean recently completed a Master's degree in Public Administration and Policy at American University.
^abcdefghijklmnopqrs"Sean Astin (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedSeptember 10, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^"Erwin Brothers Wrap Filming On Family Comedy 'MOMS' NIGHT OUT'" (Press release). Sony Pictures. PR Newswire. June 24, 2013.Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2014.... a wife and her husband, played by Grey's Anatomy's Sarah Drew as Allyson and Sean Astin as Sean
Holmstrom, John (1996).The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich: Michael Russell. pp. 385–386.ISBN978-0859551786.
_(cropped).jpg)
