Sean Astin

Sean Astin, born Sean Patrick Duke in 1971 out in Santa Monica, has basically done it all—actor, director, marathon runner, you name it. Most people first spotted him as the scrappy Mikey in The Goonies, then he just kept popping up everywhere: Rudy (where he made football fans sob), Toy Soldiers, and eventually became everyone’s favorite loyal hobbit, Samwise Gamgee, in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. That role? Kind of legendary. The guy even snagged a Saturn Award and a bunch of other trophies from film critics—honestly, he deserved it. Astin’s family story is a real Hollywood twist: Patty Duke was his mom, and he grew up thinking Desi Arnaz Jr. was his dad, but a DNA test later showed it was actually Michael Tell. He took his stepdad John Astin’s name, though, who basically raised him. Sean’s got Irish, German, Austrian Jewish, and Polish Jewish roots—all mixed in. He started acting young, even starring with his mom in Please Don’t Hit Me, Mom at just nine. But he never really slowed down. He directed and co-produced a short film, Kangaroo Court, that snagged an Oscar nod, and later poured his LOTR stories into a bestselling memoir. Outside acting, the man is a beast—he’s finished marathons, conquered Ironman, and started #Run3rd, a running movement that’s raised money for kids’ after-school programs. Yeah, he’s that guy who just doesn’t stop.