(KNSI) \u2013 The actor who\u2019s played a loyal hobbit, a walk-on legend and a Goonie who never says die, is bringing his talents to St. Cloud State University as the inaugural speaker in the new Bennett D. Melin Family University Speaker Series.<\/p>\n
Sean Astin will kick off the series made possible by SCSU alumnus Bennett Melin, a member of the class of 1963. The event is designed to bring publicly recognizable thought leaders from the arts, humanities, sciences, business, religion, politics, health and human services, education and other fields to campus for thoughtful conversation with students, faculty, staff and the wider SCSU community.<\/p>\n
Astin\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 reads like a highlight reel of the last four decades of film and television. He made his feature film debut as Mikey in the 1985 classic \u201cThe Goonies,\u201d played the title role in the underdog sports drama \u201cRudy,\u201d and spent three films carrying the ring-bearer\u2019s pack, and often the ring-bearer himself, as Samwise \u201cSam\u201d Gamgee in \u201cThe Lord of the Rings\u201d trilogy. More recently, he introduced a new generation of fans to his work as Bob Newby in the second season of Netflix\u2019s \u201cStranger Things.\u201d<\/p>\n
For his SCSU appearance, though, Astin won\u2019t be fighting orcs or chasing treasure maps. He\u2019ll be picking up where his late mother, performer and mental health advocate Patty Duke, left off, centering his talk on mental health.<\/p>\n
The event is scheduled for September 24th, 2026, at St. Cloud State. It\u2019s free to attend, but registration will be required and is expected to open later this summer.<\/p>\n
Anyone hoping to snag a seat should keep an eye on scsu.mn\/events and the university\u2019s social media pages, where registration details and additional information will be posted as they become available.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
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