Sean Astin Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Sean Astin is an American actor, producer, voice-over artist, and director, best known for portraying Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003), Daniel Ruettiger in Rudy (1993), and Bob Newby in Stranger Things. Astin was born to Patty Duke, a renowned actress and his dad John Astin was also from the film fraternity. He was first seen in an after-school special television-movie, Please Don’t Hit Me, Mom (1981), alongside his mother at the age of 9, where he played the role of an 8 yr abused child. However, his first self earned appearance was at the age of 13 in the 1985 movie, The Goonies. His acting skill was much appreciated, post which he continued to bag roles from different genres. Astin directed and produced a short film named Kangaroo Court in 1994.

Along with being an actor, director, and producer, Sean is also a renowned voice-over actor. He has given voice to many animated series, cartoons, animated movies, and also to video games such as Meerkat Manor (2005-2007), Special Agent Oso (2009-2012), Ribbit (2014), and Bunnicula (2016-2018). Astin is just not an artist but also a socialist and political activist. He is considered a very generous, humble, and grounded person. Even amidst his busy schedule, he manages to take out time to work for the well being of society. Astin can be referred to be a very graceful and agile person. He has a huge social media fan base with more than 400k followers on Twitter, more than 700k followers on Instagram, and more than 400k followers on Facebook.

Born Name

Sean Patrick Duke

Nick Name

Sean Astin

Sun Sign

Pisces

Born Place

Santa Monica, California, United States

Residence

Los Angeles, California, United States

Nationality

Education

Astin studied in Catholic school and afterward became a Protestant. He attended the Crossroads High School for the Arts and studied masters at the Stella Adler Conservatory in Los Angeles.

Sean then graduated from UCLA with honors and a B.A. in History and English American Literature and Culture. He was also an alumnus of Los Angeles Valley College. 

Occupation

Actor, Voice Actor, Director, and Producer

Family

• Father – Michael Tell (Writer, Music Promoter)
• Mother – Anna Marie “Patty” Duke (Actress)
• Others – Mike Pearce (Stepfather), John Astin (Ex-Stepfather), Mackenzie Astin (Half-Brother) (Actor), Kevin (Adopted Brother), David (Half-Brother), Allen (Half-Brother), Tom (Half-Brother), Ray Duke (Uncle), Carol Duke Kennedy (Maternal Aunt)

Manager

Sean Astin is represented by –

• Stewart Talent
• Luber/Rocklin
• Goodman Schenkman & Brecheen, LLP

Build

Average

Height

5 ft 7 in or 170 cm

Weight

85 kg or 187.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Sean Astin has dated –

1. Christine Harrell (1992-Present) – Sean married Christine Harrell on July 11, 1992. Christine was the winner of Miss Indiana Teen USA title in 1984. They knew each other from college days as they studied in the same college. They have 3 daughters named Alexandra (b. November 27, 1996), Elizabeth (b. August 6, 2002), and Isabella (b. July 22, 2005).

Race / Ethnicity

White

Astin has German and Irish ancestry on his mother’s side and has Austrian Jewish and Polish Jewish ancestry on his father’s side.

Hair Color

Light Brown

Eye Color

Hazel

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

Friendly smile

Brand Endorsements

He has been the face of many social campaigns like Creative Coalition, National Center for Family Literacy, and Los Angeles Valley College’s Patrons Association and Arts Council.

He has appeared in the TV commercials for numerous brands such as –

• Orange mobile phones (2004)
• KFC (2019)

Religion

In an interview in August 2013, Astin mentioned that he was Lutheran since he was “baptized in his wife’s Lutheran church”.

Best Known For

Portraying Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) and Daniel Ruettiger in Rudy (1993)

First Film

he made his theatrical film debut as Mikey in The Goonies in 1985.

As a voice actor, he made his theatrical film debut as Justforkix in the English version of Asterix and the Vikings in 2006.

First TV Show

He made his first TV show appearance as Leonard Kinsey in The Magical World of Disney in 1986.

As a voice actor, he made his TV show debut as Dylan in The Legend of Prince Valiant in 1992.

Personal Trainer

Sean is a long-distance runner along with being an actor. Being a marathon runner requires him to stay in shape all the time. His very renowned portrayal of Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy required him to put on an extra 36 pounds. In an interview, he said that shedding those extra weights in the late 40s was not an easy task and he made certain rules for himself since he had to participate in Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawai in 2015. He admitted that without adhering to a certain routine, it would never be possible to make it to the championship. He categorized them into the following –

• Not Overdoing It – He advised to exercise in moderation and not to over-do it but stay consistent.
• No Shortcuts – He knew that there is no proven road to success nor sticking to a routine easy, so he kept trying new ways till he found one which best suited him.
• Mental Preparedness – Sean had always played his favorite playlist while running. However, if not allowed, he would try his own ways of directing his mind and using it to the best of his capacity. He thus suggests that since each one of us has a strong point which when taped in the right way yields a good result.
• Dedicating Time – Sean believes that one has to spend time learning and mastering any skill. Thus, he dedicated certain hours to practicing his sport and suggests the same to others.
• Vegetables In Dinner – Sean observed that when he had veggies in dinner, he used to wake up fresh and feeling energized, whereas, when he had anything with sugar content, for example, pasta he would feel very lazy, lethargic, and heavy-headed, and he would feel better only after an hour. So, he used to stick to eating only veggies in the night for an early morning regime.

Sean Astin Favorite Things

• Role – Twoflower in the movie Terry Pratchett’s The Colour of Magic (2008)

Source – YouTube

Sean Astin Facts

1. His mother, Anna “Patty” Duke was an Academy and multiple-Emmy award winner and his stepfather John Astin is an acclaimed actor.
2. Sean was 13 years old when he appeared for the audition of his first movie, The Goonies. He could not do well since he was nervous and was sure that he lost the role when he saw Steven Spielberg leaving the room. However, regardless of what happened in the audition, Sean was selected.
3. Michael Jackson once called Sean to check if he was doing good since he suddenly fell sick on the sets of The Goonies and was taken back home.
4. Sean’s movie Encino Man (1992), though was negatively criticized by the movie critics but was a box-office hit.
5. Astin proved his acting mettle, portraying the role of the footballer Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger in the biopic, Rudy. The movie was about the struggles which changed his life and the fame and rewards received by him.
6. At the 67th Annual Academy Awards (1995), Sean’s movie Kangaroo Court was nominated in the “Best Short Film” category. Interestingly, Sean’s stepfather, John Astin was nominated for the same award in 1969.
7. Astin with the other 7 members of the crew got a tattoo with the word ‘nine’ written with the Tengwar script as a tribute to the movie Lord of the Rings and to celebrate the character’s membership in the Fellowship of the Ring.
8. Sean has also narrated a documentary called Remember the Sultana, which was released in March 2018.
9. From 2003 to 2004, Astin was nominated for numerous awards for his performance such as the Saturn Award, the Sierra Award, the Seattle Film Critics Award, and the Utah Film Critics Award, in the “Best Supporting Acto” category. In 2002, he also won the Visual Effects Society Award for “Outstanding Performance by a Male or Female in an Effects Film” for his role in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
10. He officially started the 2015 Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon in 2016. Sean is also a Verizon Literacy Champion and celebrity spokesperson of the National Center for Family Literacy.
11. In 2004, Sean co-wrote a book with Joe Layden named There and Back Again: An Actor’s Tale, which became the NY Times bestseller. The book was a detailed description of his movie career especially his experiences during the making of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
12. He was made a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for 10 years, serving under 6 secretaries in 1995 under President Bill Clinton.
13. He has served in Los Angeles Valley College as their Board of Directors of the Patrons Association and the Arts Council.
14. Sean has a production company named Lava Entertainment, which he had formed at the age of 21.
15. Sean had initially auditioned for Brett Gelman‘s role in Stranger Things.
16. In September 2004, he attended the Armaggeddon Pulp Culture Expo Convention in Wellington, New Zealand, as a Lord of the Rings guest.
17. He had a strong desire to direct Fantastic Four (2005) at one point.
18. In 2018, Sean actively supported the strike called by the teachers of Los Angeles demanding an increase in pay, increased number of teachers, nurses, and support staff along with restricted class size.
19. In 2012, Sean came up with a political podcast that focused on the requirements to foster civil discourse. The show was fondly called Vox Populi: Voice of the ‘Occasionally’ Interested People. It recorded more than thirty episodes in the first season on ToadhopNetwork. The massive response drove Sean to host the second season in 2014 on TradioV.
20. In 2010, he joined the Stella Adler Los Angeles Theatre Collective acting company.
21. His theatrical performances include the portrayal of Joseph Stalin in the multimedia stage production of Shostakovich and the Black Monk: A Fantasy (2018-2019) and as Dr. Moricet in Bang Bang! (2018).
22. According to an article published in August 2019, Sean and Corey Feldman pitched a script to Richard Donner for the sequel of The Goonies but it was apparently turned down because it looked like an expensive affair.
23. Sean’s famous catchphrases are – ‘It’s our time down here‘ and ‘Goonies never say die‘ from The Goonies; ‘Having dreams is what makes life tolerable’ from Rudy.
24. President George W. Bush appointed him to his Council on Service and Civic Participation in February 2003.
25. He has supported many campaigns to raise awareness about mental and civic health and was seen participating in many presidential campaigns and showed his support to John Kerry (2004), Hillary Clinton (2008, 2016, and in 2011), and her daughter Chelsea Clinton. He also ran campaigns to support his friend Dan Adler in California’s 36th congressional district race.
26. During the shooting of the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Astin stepped on broken glass pieces and was taken to the hospital immediately where he was given many stitches.
27. Sean attended Wizard World in August 2003.
28. In 2015, Astin launched a project named ‘Sean Reads Aloud’ which is patronage-based, involves reading children’s stories, poems, and classic novels. The fund raised from it goes to the Sean and Christine Astin Scholarship Fund.
29. Sean’s mother was bi-polar and she died because of it. This prompted him to raise awareness among the people about the symptoms and treatment associated with mental disorders.
30. In 2012, Astin started a Twitter campaign using #Run3rd to promote the LA Marathon.
31. He founded the Urban Canopy Project in 2018.
32. He has a pet dog named Flip.
33. In August 2019, Astin got a surprise from one of his fans when a tweeter user tweeted a picture of him cuddling an otter. It went viral and earned thousands of likes.
34. Visit his official website @ www.seanastin.com.
35. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Featured Image by Daniel Schwen / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0