John Astin

John Allen Astin (born March 30, 1930) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows, as well as a television director and voice artist and is known for the role of Gomez Addams on The Addams Family, and having been married to actress Patty Duke.
Astin was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for his directorial debut, a comedic short film entitled Prelude (1968).
==Early years==
Astin was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Margaret Linnie (née Mackenzie) and Dr. Allen Varley Astin, who was the director of the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology). 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; he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at Johns Hopkins.
==Career==
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 part in West Side Story in 1961.
During this period, his talent for also playing comedy was spotted by actor Tony Randall, leading to guest starring roles on the situation comedies Dennis the Menace, starring Jay North, The Donna Reed Show, and Harrigan and Son, starring Pat O'Brien, the first carried on CBS and the latter two carried on ABC. In 1961, he appeared in the final episode of the ABC police drama The Asphalt Jungle. In 1962–1963, Astin starred with Marty Ingels in the unusual ABC sitcom I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, which lasted for thirty-one episodes. From 1964 to 1966, he starred in The Addams Family as Gomez Addams, the head of the macabre family. He appeared in the TV show The New Addams Family as Grandpapa Addams in 1998, with the role of Gomez Addams played by Glenn Taranto.
thumb|left|Astin and Carolyn Jones as Gomez and Morticia Addams in The Addams Family 1964.
Astin joined the retooled The Pruitts of Southampton (re-titled The Phyllis Diller Show) for the second half of the 1966–1967 season, playing Diller's brother-in-law, Angus Pruitt. He also played the Riddler in the second season of Batman (Frank Gorshin returned for the third and final season.) He played submarine commander Matthew Sherman in the 1970s TV series Operation Petticoat. He also made a notable appearance in the popular mystery show Murder, She Wrote, as the villainous Sheriff Harry Pierce. He had a recurring role on the sitcom Night Court as Buddy, eccentric former mental patient and the father of lead character Harry Stone. He also played the regular role of Ed LaSalle in the short-lived Mary Tyler Moore sitcom Mary during the 1985–86 television season. He guest starred on numerous television series too, including a Gunsmoke appearance in 1967 as Festus's cousin Henry, Jack Palance's ABC circus drama, The Greatest Show on Earth, Duckman, and Homeboys in Outer Space.
Astin received an Academy Award nomination for Prelude, a short film that he wrote, produced, and directed. He was nominated for an Ace Award for his work on Tales from the Crypt, and received an Emmy nomination for the cartoon voice of Gomez on ABC-TV's The Addams Family. He also voiced the character Bull Gator on the animated series Taz-Mania. Astin served for four years on the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America, and has been active in community affairs in Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
He has continued to work in acting, appearing in a string of Killer Tomatoes films as Professor Gangreen and as Professor Wickwire in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.. He also has toured the one-man play Edgar Allan Poe: Once Upon a Midnight, written by Paul Day Clemens and Ron Magid. In a December 2007 Baltimore Examiner interview, Astin said of his acting experience: 
==Teaching==
Astin currently teaches both acting and directing in the Theater Arts and Studies Department at Johns Hopkins University, his alma mater. Commenting on his dual career, he said in 2007, "I don't know one major university that has a known actor teaching every day." 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.
==Personal life==
Astin has five sons; three (David, Allen, and Tom) with his first wife, Suzanne Hahn; two with his second wife, actress Patty Duke – one adopted (Sean, Patty's son from an earlier relationship, whom John adopted after their marriage) and one biological (Mackenzie). Astin is currently married to Valerie Ann Sandobal and lives in Baltimore. He practices Nichiren Buddhism as a member of the worldwide Buddhist association Soka Gakkai International.
His younger brother, Alexander Astin, is a professor emeritus at UCLA.
He has six granddaughters: Alexandra, Elizabeth, Isabella, Sedona, Jaya, and Dov.
==Filmography==
:n.b. for credit listings reference
===Film===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes 	ref
1960	The Pusher 	Detective 	 	
1961	West Side Story 	Glad Hand, Social Worker Leading Dance 	 	
1962	That Touch of Mink 	Mr. Everett Beasley 	 	
1963	Move Over Darling 	Clyde Prokey 	 	Garner, James & Winokur, Jon The Garner Files: A Memoir Simon & Schuster; (November 1, 2011) Accessed May 23, 2015
1963	The Wheeler Dealers 	SEC official 	Released as Separate Beds in the UK 	Variety film review; September 25, 1963, page 6 Accessed May 23, 2015.
1967	The Spirit Is Willing 	Dr. Frieden 	 	
1968	Candy 	Daddy / Uncle Jack 	 	
1969	Viva Max! 	Sergeant Valdez 	Comedy film 	
1971	Bunny O'Hare 	Ad 	 	The Contract and the Cutting Room Floor
The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959–1973) [Washington, D.C] 21 Aug 1971: E2
1972	Un secuestro de locura 	Star 	 	
1972	Evil Roy Slade 	Evil Roy Slade 	 	
1972	Get to Know Your Rabbit 	Mr. Turnbull 	 	
1972	Every Little Crook and Nanny 	Vito Garbugli 	 	
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") 	 	
1987	Teen Wolf Too 	Dean Dunn 	 	
1987	Body Slam 	Scotty the car dealer 	American comedy film directed by Hal Needham. 	
1988	Return of the Killer Tomatoes 	Professor Mortimer Gangreen 	 	
1990	Gremlins 2: The New Batch 	Janitor 	 	
1990	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 	 	
1994	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
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 cast 	
1964–66 	The Addams Family 	Gomez Addams 	Main cast 	
1967 	The Pruitts of Southampton 	Rudy Pruitt 	 	
1967 	Batman 	The Riddler 	Episodes: 	
1967 	The Wild Wild West 	Count Nikolai Sazanov 	Episode: "The Night of the Tartar" 	
1967 	The Flying Nun 	Father Lundigan 	Episode: "Flight of the Dodo Bird" 	
1967 	Gunsmoke 	Henry Haggen 	Episode: "Hard Luck Henry" (S 13:Ep 7) 	
1969 	Bonanza 	Abner Willoughby 	Episode: "Abner Willoughby's return" (S 11:Ep 13) 	
1971 	The Odd Couple 	Beau Buffingham 	Episode: "Oscar's New Life" 	
1971 	Night Gallery 	Jonathon 	Episode: "Pamela's Voice" (S 1:Ep 13) 	
1971 	Night Gallery 	Randy Miller 	Episode: "Hell's Bells" (S 2:Ep 29) 	
1972 	Insight 	Guest star 	Episode: "Death of an Elephant" (S 12:Ep 23) 	
1972 	Night Gallery 	Munsch 	Episode: "The Girl with the Hungry Eyes" (S 3:Ep 2) 	
1972–73 	McMillan & Wife 	Sykes 	Episodes: 	
1973 	The Partridge Family 	Sydney Rose 	Episode: "The Mad Millionaire" 	
1973 	Circle of Fear 	Fred Colby 	Episode: "The Graveyard Shift" 	
1973 	Insight 	Guest Star 	Episode: "Truck Stop" (S 13:23) 	
1974 	Insight 	Guest star 	Episode: "The One-Armed Man" (S 15:Ep 20) 	
1974 	Only with Married Men 	Dr. Harvey Osterman 	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 cast 	Brooks and Marsh 1995, p. 780. Accessed May 20, 2015
1978 	Insight 	Guest star 	Episode: "Second Chorus" (S 18:Ep 31) 	
1978 	The Love Boat 	Dave, The Hermit 	Episode: "Marooned" (S 2:Ep 1) 	
1978 	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" ( 6:Ep 1) 	
1984 	Diff'rent Strokes 	C.W. 	Episode: "A Haunting We Will Go" (S 7:Ep 1) 	
1984 	Murder, She Wrote 	Ross Hayley 	Episode: "Hooray for Homicide" (S 1:Ep 4) 	
1984 	Night Court 	Kenny 	Episode :"Inside Harry Stone" (S 2:Ep 9) 	
1984 	Simon & Simon 	Uncle Ray Simon 	Episode: "Revolution #9 1/2" (S 4:Ep 12) 	
1985–86 	Mary 	Ed LaSalle 	Main cast 	
1985 	Riptide 	Baxter Bernard 	Episode: "Baxter And Boz" (S 2:Ep 13) 	
1985 	Otherworld 	Akin 	Episode: "Mansion of the Beast" (S 1:Ep 7) 	
1985 	Murder, She Wrote 	Harry Pierce 	Episodes: 	
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) 	
1987 	The Charmings 	Jack/The Devil 	Episode: "The Witch is of Van Oaks" (S 2:Ep 3) 	
1987 	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) 	
1988 	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 cast 	
1991 	Eerie Indiana 	Radford 	Recurring role 	
1991 	Taz-Mania 	Bull Gator 	Recurring role 	
1991 	Father Dowling Mysteries 	Manager of Gun Club 	Episode: "The Priest Killer Mystery" (S 3:Ep 16) 	
1991 	They Came From Outer Space 	Neville Nessen 	Episode: "Sex, Lies and UFOs, part 2" (S 1:Ep 20) 	
1991 	Tales from the Crypt 	Nelson Halliwell 	Episode: "Top Billing" (S 3:Ep 5) 	
1992–93 	The Addams Family 	Gomez Addams 	 	
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) 	
1994 	Burke's Law 	Guest Star 	Episode: "Who Killed Alexander the Great?" (S 1:Ep 6) 	
1994 	Mad About You 	Himself 	Episode: "Up All Night" (S 2:Ep 23) 	
1994 	Step by Step 	George Humphries 	Episode: "The Ice Cream Man Cometh" 	
1995 	The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat 	Additional Voices 	Recurring role 	
1995 	Murder She Wrote 	Fritz Randall 	Episode: "Film Flam" (S 11:Ep 6) 	
1995 	Step by Step 	George Humphries 	Episode: "The Flight Before Christmas"(S 5:Ep 11) 	
1996 	The Nanny 	The Plastic Surgeon 	Episodes: 	
1997 	Homeboys in Outer Space 	Rhymer 	Episode: "The Adventures of Ratman and Gerbil or, Holy Homeboys in Outer Space" (S 1:Ep 21)	
1997 	Johnny Bravo 	Scientist 1/Blind Man 	Episode: "Jumbo Johnny / The Perfect Gift / Bravo, James Bravo" (S 1:Ep 10) 	
1997 	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) 	
1998 	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) 	
1999 	The Hughleys 	Guest star 	Episode: "Storm o' the Century" (S 1:Ep 17) 	
1999 	The New Addams Family 	Grampapa Addams 	Episode: "Fester and Granny vs. Grandpapa Addams" (S 1:Ep 40) 	
1999 	The Wild Thornberrys 	Bangaboo 	Episode: "The Great Bangaboo" (S 1:Ep 17) 	
1999 	Recess 	Supt. Skinner 	Episodes: 	
2000 	The Strip 	Orson Bates 	Episode: "I Wear My Sunglasses At Night" (S 1:Ep 9) 	
2000 	Becker 	Richard Wilson 	Episode: "All The Rage" (S 2:Ep 15) 	
2001 	As Told By Ginger 	Dave Bishop 	Episodes: 	
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) 	
==References==
==External links==
* 
* 
* 
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* John Astin at TV.com
* John Astin at MSN
* John Astin in Once Upon a Midnight
* article about John Astin's teaching work from the Johns Hopkins Gazette, "Course Catalog: Contemporary Theatre and Film: An Insider's View"; April 24, 2006 (Vol. 35 No. 31) [Includes contemporary picture of Astin]
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Category:Actors
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