Mr. Astin's, a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University, began his acting career and a Shakespearen actor and classical dramatists. As a stage actor, He appeared in the original New York companies of The Three Penny Opera, James Joyce's Ulysses in Nighttown, and Charles Laughton's production of Shaw's Major Barbara. State Characters that he well know for are Fagin in Oliver!, Vladimir in Waiting for Godot, Sir Joseph in H.M.S. Pinafore, Henry Saunders in Ken Ludwig's Lend Me A Tenor, and a highly praised characterization of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol.

Mr. Astin's is also know for his perfomances in films such as "West Side Story", "That Touch of Mink with Doris Day and Cary Grant, The Wheeler Dealers, Move Over Darling, Candy, Viva Max, Pepper, Get to Know Your Rabbit, The Brothers O'Toole, Freaky Friday, European Vacation, Nightlife, Gremlins II, Stepmonster, Huck and the King of Hearts, Peter Jackson's The Frighteners, and Betaville, (to be released in 1999) an adventure in the 21st century in which he portrays the President of the United States.

Mr. Astin received an Acadamy Award nomination for Prelude, a short film which 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. His voice is popular on radio and in animation series. Mr. Astin served for four years on the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America West, and is active in community affairs in Los Angeles and Santa Monica.