Sean Astin

Who is Sean Astin?

Sean Patrick Astin is a popular American actor and film producer. He has also directed several short films and TV series between 1988 and 2003. He found the spotlight for the very first time when he appeared in Steven Spielberg’s popular comedy ‘The Goonies’. He later featured in a critically acclaimed sports biography ‘Rudy’ where his performance was lauded by many film critics. Since then Astin has done many popular works in television including the character of ‘Lynn McGill’ in ‘24’. He also featured as the voice of ‘Raphael’ in the ‘Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ TV series, a very popular show among kids and teenagers. He also did some shows for ‘Disney Junior’, namely playing the character of ‘Oso’ in ‘Special Agent Oso’. But the most important work of his career came in the early 2000s when he portrayed the role of ‘Samwise Gamgee’ in the academy award winning ‘The Lord of the Rings’ film trilogy. He recently appeared in the popular TV series ‘Stranger Things’.

Career

Sean Astin’s acting career started with his first appearance in a television movie titled ‘Please Don't Hit Me, Mom’ in 1981. He played the role of a child with an abusive mother, played by his real-life mother Patty Duke.

His film career started when he was a 13-year-old kid. He played the role of ‘Mikey’ in the movie ‘The Goonies’ in 1985. After this, he enjoyed a steady career, featuring in many short films and TV series such as ‘Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color’ (1986), ‘Like Father Like Son’ (1987), ‘White Water Summer’ (1987), ‘The War of the Roses’ (1989), ‘Memphis Belle’ (1990) ‘The Willies’ (1990) ‘Toy Soldiers’ (1991) ‘Where the Day Takes You’ (1991) and ‘Encino Man’ (1992).

Sean Astin’s first big break came in 1993 when he was featured in the title role in ‘Rudy’, a sports biography film based on a struggling college football player. This role of his was lauded by many movie critics and earned him the spotlight he deserved.

Astin and his wife co-produced a short film titled ‘Kangaroo Court’ in 1994. This short film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. His career continued to thrive and he did important roles in movies like ‘Harrison Bergeron’ (1995), ‘Courage Under Fire’ (1996) and ‘Bulworth’ (1998) in the late 1990s.

From 2001-03, he played the role of ‘Samwise Gamgee’ in the academy award winning ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy consisting of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001), ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’ (2002), and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003).

In the ensuing years, Sean Astin appeared in many notable films and his works have been appreciated by the industry and the fans. After the ‘The Lord of the Rings trilogy’, he did a TV series titled ‘Jeremiah’in 2003. He was also featured in many films such as ‘50 First Dates’ (2004), ‘Elvis Has Left the Building’ (2004), ‘Bigger Than the Sky’ (2005), and ‘Click’ (2006).