A Hobbit's work is never done.
And Sean Astin prefers it that way. The zealous actor is a man of many hats -- actor, director, producer, writer, father, husband -- and son to famous actors Patty Duke and John Astin.
Astin, who caught the show business bug at age 9 when he starred alongside his mother in an ABC after school special, is a self-confessed over-achiever and workaholic. "I'm so over-earnest sometimes. But my parents were pop culture icons in the sixties, and my mom has this Oscar, and I was trying to figure out, how am I going to make my mark?" the 33-year old actor told Rolling Stone.
So in 1985, it was no surprise when a 12-year-old Astin graduated swiftly to the silver screen, landing the lead role in Steven Spielberg's cult classic, The Goonies. And neither Astin nor his career have slowed down since. After appearing in a theater production of "Lone Star" in Los Angeles, Astin channeled his abundant energy into filmmaking by directing his first short film in 1990, On My Honor, about two soldiers from enemy camps who are forced to band together.
Astin added the role of husband to his resume in 1992, when he married Christine Harrell, with whom he founded the production company, Lava Entertainment. The husband and wife duo were nominated for an Oscar in 1995 for their short film, Kangaroo Court.
Shortly after starring in a lead role in the box office hit, Encino Man in 1992, Astin leapt full-force into the title role of Rudy, as unlikely Notre Dame football hero Rudy Ruettiger, who won over the hearts of his detractors. And for Astin, playing the underdog was not unfamiliar territory. "He had a presence and energy that showed me that he could play someone who would do anything to get something done," Ruettiger told The Dallas Morning News.
The altruistic actor is no stranger to having a lot in common with his characters. For sixteen months in New Zealand, Astin filled the oversized, hairy feet of another unlikely hero -- those of good-natured, steadfast hero Hobbit Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. Astin was a likely choice for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2004, after many critics claimed he stole the spotlight in the final film of the trilogy, Return of the King in 2003.
Return of the King has since place in the top 10 of the all-time top grossing American films. And soon, the tireless Astin stars in the romantic comedy, 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler.
You know what they say -- you just can't keep a good Hobbit down.
-- Kerry L. Smith |
