Monday, April 4, 2022 7:30pm to 9pm
About this Event
101 S. Campus Ave., Oxford, OH 45056
https://miamioh.edu/student-life/student-affairs/lecture-series/upcoming-lectures/index.html #lecture, astin, mental health, lord of the rings, goonies, rudySean Patrick Astin (née Duke), an American actor, voice actor, screenwriter, director, producer, family man, and author, is a familiar figure to many. Astin is well known for roles such as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, Daniel “Rudy” Ruettinger in Rudy, Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Bob Newby in Netflix’s hit series, Stranger Things 2. However, his mission to raise awareness of mental health goes beyond his career.
“Like most people now, mental illness has touched our family. With me, it happened to be with someone very famous who took the opportunity of being diagnosed combined with her fame and made it the cause of her life.” says Astin about his mother. An Academy Award-winning actress, Patty Duke was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when Astin was a child. She became a vocal advocate for mental health awareness and Astin works to continue her legacy. “What I witnessed as a young kid was a woman who went from out-of-control behavior and suicidal depression to someone with a mission to help other people. I want to do this as well.” Still identifying with the role of Rudy, he is determined to succeed at achieving seemingly impossible goals.
Astin’s upcoming movies include Charming the Hearts of Men with Kelsey Grammar and Anna Friel; iMordecai, with Judd Hirsch and Carol Kane; and Man and Witch with Christopher Lloyd, Michael Emerson and Tami Stronach. He graduated from UCLA with degrees in History and American Literature and Culture.