"Sean Astin" desi arnaz
The son of actress Patty Duke, Astin faced his own real-life drama growing up with his mother's battle with mental illness. However, due in no small part to a charming onscreen persona and an inner strength and sensibility, Astin managed to escape many of the traps his fellow child stars of that era fell victim to, establishing himself as a respectable adult actor.
Sean Patrick Astin was born on Feb. 25, 1971 in Santa Monica, CA. His biological father was Michael Tell, to whom actress Patty Duke was married to for only a month in 1970; he was later adopted at age three by actor John Astin. The child grew up considering both men to be his father. At the time of his birth, however, there were rampant tabloid rumors that his real father was Desi Arnaz, Jr., who famously dated his mother, but this was later proven false. Astin was the older half-brother of Mackenzie Astin who would also become an actor. Sean went on to attend St. Paul the Apostle Elementary School and the Crossroads High School for the Arts in Los Angeles. He later received degrees with honors in History and English from UCLA. At age nine, Astin starred alongside his mother in the ABC after-school television special "Please Don't Hit Me, Mom" (1981) about a child physically abused by his mother. Life at home with his bipolar mother also proved challenging for the actor. Astin recalled that their life was severely impacted by Duke's mood swings, during which she would scream, throw things, and once drove her car into the garage through the door. His experience with Duke inspired Astin's involvement with educating the public about identifying and treating mental disorders later in his career. His work as an advocate for bipolar disorder also earned him another fan base. Strangers often stopped him on the streets to talk about his mother and their family's experience with the disease. Duke was fully supportive of his work promoting the disease.
Four years after his television debut, Astin made a huge leap to the big screen, starring as lead in the Steven Spielberg-penned and Richard Donner-directed adventure flick, "The Goonies." The story of a group of kids - including Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton and Josh Brolin - who search for a lost pirate treasure to save their homes from a real estate developer became one of the most beloved films of the 1980s and a cultural touchstone for Generation-X. The actor - who turned in the one earnest, touching performance in the film - later claimed that he was able to keep the treasure map from the film as a souvenir, but his mother accidentally discarded it years later.
In 1987, Astin played opposite another teen idol, Kirk Cameron, in the role reversal comedy, "Like Father, Like Son" (1987). The actor started taking on more mature roles by the late 1980s and early 1990s, starting with an appearance in "The War of the Roses" (1989), followed by the World War II drama "Memphis Belle" (1990). A year later, Astin costarred with Lou Gossett, Jr. in the thrilling "Toy Soldiers" (1991), about a group of boarding school students who fight to survive against terrorists. Though he would not know it at the time, playing the title role in 1993's "Rudy" became Astin's most identifiable and inspiring character. In the film, Rudy's childhood dream of playing for Notre Dame seemed destined for failure. His blue-collar family scoffs at his aspirations, telling him he is too small in stature to become a football player. In rebuttal, Rudy goes to hilarious and heroic lengths to gain admission into the coveted university but once there, becomes a walk-on player. Rudy ultimately wins the respect of his coach and his teammates, who give him one shot at glory. Since its release, the film's message of perseverance won and continued to win the hearts of generations of filmgoers.
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