John Astin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Astin
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Astin in a 1977 publicity photo for
Operation Petticoat |
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Born |
John Allen Astin
March 30, 1930 |
Alma mater | Washington & Jefferson College Johns Hopkins University |
Occupation | Actor, voice actor, television director |
Years active | 1957–present |
Home town | Baltimore, Maryland |
Television |
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Spouse(s) |
Suzanne Hahn (m. 1956–1972)
Patty Duke (m. 1972–1985)
Valerie Ann Sandobal (m. 1989)
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Children | 5, including Mackenzie and Sean Astin |
Parent(s) | Allen V. Astin Margaret Astin |
Relatives | Alexander Astin (brother) |
John Allen Astin (born March 30, 1930) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television series, as well as a television director and voice artist.
He is especially remembered for starring as Gomez Addams in The Addams Family (1964–1966), reprising the role in the television film Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977) and the animated series The Addams Family (1992–1993).
Astin was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for his directorial debut, the comedic short Prelude (1968).
Early years
Astin was born in Baltimore, Maryland. At that time, Astin and his family resided on Battery Lane in Bethesda, Maryland. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1952, after transferring from Washington & Jefferson College. He studied mathematics at Washington & Jefferson and then drama at Johns Hopkins.
Astin started in theater, making his first Broadway appearance as an understudy in Major Barbara, and also did voice-over work for commercials. His first big break in film came with a small role in West Side Story (1961).
Personal life
Astin has five sons, he is married to Valerie Ann Sandobal and lives in Baltimore. He practices Nichiren Buddhism as a member of the worldwide Buddhist association Soka Gakkai International.
Astin currently teaches both acting and directing in the Theater Arts and Studies Department at Johns Hopkins University. He hopes to re-establish a drama major at the university, noting that he is one of only a handful to earn a drama degree from Hopkins. Astin can be seen singing and playing cowbell in a music video from JHU released in December 2009.
Filmography
Astin's film and television roles include:
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes | ref |
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1960 | The Pusher | Detective | ||
1961 | West Side Story | Glad Hand, Social Worker Leading Dance |
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1962 | That Touch of Mink | Mr. Everett Beasley | ||
1963 | Move Over Darling | Clyde Prokey |
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The Wheeler Dealers | SEC official | Released as Separate Beds in the UK | ||
1967 | The Spirit Is Willing | Dr. Frieden | ||
1968 | Candy | Daddy / Uncle Jack |
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1969 | Viva Max! | Sergeant Valdez | Comedy film | |
1971 | Bunny O'Hare | Ad |
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1972 | Un secuestro de locura | Star |
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Evil Roy Slade | Evil Roy Slade | |||
Get to Know Your Rabbit | Mr. Turnbull | |||
Every Little Crook and Nanny | Vito Garbugli | |||
Wacky Taxi | Pepper | |||
1973 | The Brothers O'Toole | Michael O'Toole / Desperate Ambrose Littleberry | ||
1976 | Freaky Friday | Bill Andrews | American fantasy comedy film directed by Gary Nelson. | |
1985 | National Lampoon's European Vacation | Kent Winkdale (host of "Pig in a Poke") |
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1987 | Teen Wolf Too | Dean Dunn |
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Body Slam | Scotty the car dealer | American comedy film directed by Hal Needham. | ||
1988 | Return of the Killer Tomatoes | Professor Mortimer Gangreen |
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1989 | Night Life | Uncle Verlin |
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1990 | Gremlins 2: The New Batch | Janitor |
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Killer Tomatoes Strike Back | Professor Mortimer Gangreen | The third film in the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes film series. | ||
1991 | Killer Tomatoes Eat France | Professor Mortimer Gangreen | The fourth film in the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes film series. | |
1993 | Stepmonster | Minister | Direct-to-video film | |
1994 | The Silence of the Hams | The Ranger |
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Huck and the King of Hearts | Zach | |||
1996 | The Frighteners | The Judge | New Zealand-American horror comedy fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson and co-written with his wife, Fran Walsh. | |
2006 | What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole | Dr. Quantum | Voice | |
2015 | Starship II: Rendezvous with Ramses | Professor Peabody |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes | ref |
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1960 | Maverick | Joe Lambert | Episode: "The Town That Wasn't There" (S 4:Ep 3) | |
1961 | The Twilight Zone | Charlie | Episode: "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (S 2:Ep 23) | |
1962 | Ben Casey | Nat Morris | Episode: "Preferably, the Less-Used Arm" (S 1:Ep 29) | |
1962–63 | I'm Dickens, He's Fenster | Harry Dickens | Main role | |
1964–66 | The Addams Family | Gomez Addams | Main role | |
1967 | The Pruitts of Southampton | Rudy Pruitt |
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Batman | The Riddler | Episodes:
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The Wild Wild West | Count Nikolai Sazanov | Episode: "The Night of the Tartar" | ||
The Flying Nun | Father Lundigan | Episode: "Flight of the Dodo Bird" | ||
Gunsmoke | Henry Haggen | Episode: "Hard Luck Henry" (S 13:Ep 7) | ||
1968 | Death Valley Days | Jesse Martin | Episode: "The Gold Mine on Main Street" (S 16: Ep 20) | |
1969 | Bonanza | Abner Willoughby | Episode: "Abner Willoughby's return" (S 11:Ep 13) | |
1971 | The Odd Couple | Beau Buffingham | Episode: "Oscar's New Life" (S 1:Ep 21) | |
Night Gallery | Jonathon | Episode: "Pamela's Voice" (S 1:Ep 13) | ||
Randy Miller | Episode: "Hell's Bells" (S 2:Ep 29) | |||
1972 | Insight | Guest star | Episode: "Death of an Elephant" (S 12:Ep 23) | |
Night Gallery | Munsch | Episode: "The Girl with the Hungry Eyes" (S 3:Ep 2) | ||
1972–73 | McMillan & Wife | Sykes | Episodes:
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1973 | The Partridge Family | Sydney Rose | Episode: "The Mad Millionaire" | |
Circle of Fear | Fred Colby | Episode: "The Graveyard Shift" | ||
Insight | Guest Star | Episode: "Truck Stop" (S 13:23) | ||
1974 | Insight | Guest star | Episode: "The One-Armed Man" (S 15:Ep 20) | |
Only with Married Men | Dr. Harvey Osterman | Made-for-TV Movie | ||
1975 | The Dream Makers | Manny Wheeler | Made-for-TV Movie | |
1975– 1979 | Welcome Back, Kotter | Museum curator | Recurring role | |
1976 | Police Story | Dr. Milford | Episode: "Firebird" (S 3:Ep 18) | |
1977 | Halloween with the New Addams Family | Gomez Addams | Made-for-TV Movie | |
1977–78 | Operation Petticoat | Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Sherman | Main role | |
1978 | Insight | Guest star | Episode: "Second Chorus" (S 18:Ep 31) | |
The Love Boat | Dave, The Hermit | Episode: "Marooned" (S 2:Ep 1) | ||
Fantasy Island | Charles D. Preston | Episode: "The Beachcomber / The Last Whodunit" (S 2:Ep 3) | ||
1984 | The Facts of Life | Vito Miles | Episode: "The Summer of '84" (S 6:Ep 1) | |
Diff'rent Strokes | C.W. | Episode: "A Haunting We Will Go" (S 7:Ep 1) | ||
Murder, She Wrote | Ross Hayley | Episode: "Hooray for Homicide" (S 1:Ep 4) | ||
Night Court | Kenny | Episode:"Inside Harry Stone" (S 2:Ep 9) | ||
Simon & Simon | Uncle Ray Simon | Episode: "Revolution #9 1/2" (S 4:Ep 12) | ||
1985–86 | Mary | Ed LaSalle | Main role | |
1985 | Riptide | Baxter Bernard | Episode: "Baxter and Boz" (S 2:Ep 13) | |
Otherworld | Akin | Episode: "Mansion of the Beast" (S 1:Ep 7) | ||
Murder, She Wrote | Harry Pierce | Episodes:
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1986 | Mr. Boogedy | Neil Witherspoon | Made-for TV movie | |
1986–90 | Night Court | Former Mental Patient Buddy Ryan | Recurring role | |
1987 | St. Elsewhere | Kevin | Episode: "Visiting Daze" (S 5:Ep 14) | |
The Charmings | Jack/The Devil | Episode: "The Witch is of Van Oaks" (S 2:Ep 3) | ||
Webster | Uncle Charles | Episode: "Simple Gifts" (S 5:Ep 12) | ||
1988 | Charles in Charge | Uncle Joe | Episode: "Pickle King of New York" (S 3:Ep 14) | |
Webster | Uncle Charles | Episode: "Rich Man, Poor Man" (S 6:Ep 13) | ||
1989 | The Saint: The Blue Dulac | George Lafosse | Made-for-TV Movie | |
1990 | Attack of the Killer Tomatoes | Dr. Putrid T. Gangreen | Main role | |
1991 | Eerie Indiana | Radford | Recurring role | |
Taz-Mania | Bull Gator | Recurring role | ||
Father Dowling Mysteries | Manager of Gun Club | Episode: "The Priest Killer Mystery" (S 3:Ep 16) | ||
They Came from Outer Space | Neville Nessen | |||
Tales from the Crypt | Nelson Halliwell | Episode: "Top Billing" (S 3:Ep 5) | ||
1992–93 | The Addams Family | Gomez Addams |
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1993 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Professor Wickwire | 7 episodes | |
1994–97 | Duckman | Terry Duke Tetzloff | Recurring role | |
1994 | Bonkers | The Mole | Episode: "Stressed to Kill" (S 3:Ep23) | |
Burke's Law | Guest Star | Episode: "Who Killed Alexander the Great?" (S 1:Ep 6) | ||
Mad About You | Himself | Episode: "Up All Night" (S 2:Ep 23) | ||
Step by Step | George Humphries | Episode: "The Ice Cream Man Cometh" | ||
1995 | The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat | Additional Voices | Recurring role | |
Murder, She Wrote | Fritz Randall | Episode: "Film Flam" (S 11:Ep 6) | ||
Step by Step | George Humphries | Episode: "The Flight Before Christmas"(S 5:Ep 11) | ||
1996 | The Nanny | The Plastic Surgeon | Episodes:
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1997 | Homeboys in Outer Space | Rhymer | Episode: "The Adventures of Ratman and Gerbil or, Holy Homeboys in Outer Space" (S 1:Ep 21) | |
Johnny Bravo | Scientist 1/Blind Man | Episode: "Jumbo Johnny / The Perfect Gift / Bravo, James Bravo" (S 1:Ep 10) | ||
Pinky and the Brain | Grover Whalen | Episode: "Mice Don't Dance" (S 3:Ep 11) | ||
1998 | The New Addams Family | Grampapa Addams | Episode: "Grandpapa Addams Comes to Visit" (S 1:Ep 16) | |
Recess | Supt. Skinner | Episode: "Kids in the Mist" (S 1:Ep 12) | ||
1999 | Recess | The Judge | Episode: "The Story of Whomps" (S 2:Ep 11) | |
The Hughleys | Guest star | Episode: "Storm o' the Century" (S 1:Ep 17) | ||
The New Addams Family | Grampapa Addams | Episode: "Fester and Granny vs. Grandpapa Addams" (S 1:Ep 40) | ||
The Wild Thornberrys | Bangaboo | Episode: "The Great Bangaboo" (S 1:Ep 17) | ||
Recess | Supt. Skinner | Episodes:
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2000 | The Strip | Orson Bates | Episode: "I Wear My Sunglasses At Night" (S 1:Ep 9) | |
Becker | Richard Wilson | Episode: "All the Rage" (S 2:Ep 15) | ||
2001 | As Told By Ginger | Dave Bishop | Episodes:
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2004 | Higglytown Heroes | Santa Claus | Episode: "Twinkle's Wish" (S 1:Ep 12) | |
2005 | School of Life | Stormin' Norman Warner | Made-for-TV Movie | |
2006 | My First Time | Himself | Episode: "Something About Mary" (S 1:Ep 1) | |
2007 | Higglytown Heroes | Santa Claus | Episode: "'Tis the Season to Be Ducky / Bingo Bongos" (S 3:Ep 18) | |
2017 | Justice League Action | Uncle Dudley | Episode: "Captain Bamboozle" (S 1:Ep 49) |
Images for kids
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Astin and Carolyn Jones as Gomez and Morticia Addams in The Addams Family 1964
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The handprints of John Astin in front of Hollywood Hills Amphitheater at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park
