Who is Sean Astin, SAG-AFTRA's new president?

Sean Astin, best known for roles in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Stranger Things and the sports classic Rudy, has been elected president of SAG-AFTRA, the powerful union representing tens of thousands of entertainment workers. 

Astin, 53, won Friday’s election with 79% of the vote, defeating rival Chuck Slavin. 

Michelle Hurd was chosen as the union’s new secretary-treasurer. 

He succeeds Fran Drescher, who did not seek another term after serving since 2021. 

The son of late Academy Award-winning actress Patty Duke, Astin has been acting since childhood, making his screen debut in the 1985 adventure film The Goonies. 

He later gained international fame as Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, a role that cemented his status as a beloved character actor. 

More recently, he appeared in Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things. 

SAG-AFTRA, formed in 2012 through the merger of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, represents about 160,000 performers, including actors, dancers, broadcasters and recording artists. 

Astin takes over at a pivotal moment, following last year’s historic Hollywood strikes that brought film and television production to a halt and spotlighted the challenges of streaming and artificial intelligence.