The world has watched Sean Astin grow up right before it moviegoing eyes.
Now Prince George fans can watch him on stage and in person at Northern FanCon this spring.
It wasn't his first screen appearance, but his global star got lit by the youthful classic The Goonies. Proving his top billing position was well founded, he then catapulted to another level as the eponymous lead in the sports movie classic Rudy.
Every enduring star needs a franchise and Astin got his when he translated his caring charisma into the beloved character Samwise Gamgee, the loyal and brotherly companion to Frodo. Astin was a significant presence in that spectacular Lord Of The Rings series.
Any screen personality could call it a stellar career on the strength of those three credits alone, but Astin has been one of the most hardworking actors in the craft. He played real-life coach Kent Stock in the baseball film Final Season, he was Drew Barrymore's muscle-head brother in 50 First Dates, got in on 10 of the hours in season five of 24, voiced the titular character in the animated kids' series Special Agent Oso, was one of the supporting leads in the Luke Perry TV vehicle Jeremiah, had a recurring part in the sci-fi series The Strain, he has frequently been the voice of Raphael in various Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle incarnations, and has done the same with superhero Shazam.
Astin is getting yet another bulge in his career popularity right now, as Bob Newby in arguably the hottest television series on the tube these days, the Netflix hit Stranger Things. Half the city will be glued to Netflixto see him and the preternatural teens in the new season, which debuted Friday.
The veils of nightmares, dreams, and celluloid will vaporize and let Astin and the local community see and hear each other in the flesh from May 11-13. Astin will be available for photos and autographs, do a live interview on the CN Centre stage, and infuse FanCon with his trademark charm.
Astin will be joined by other celebrity guests like Battlestar Galactica's Michael Hogan (back by popular demand from his appearance at the inaugural FanCon event), plus cult superstar actor/director Kevin Smith (Smith will host a live episode of his blog Fatman on Batman alongside co-host Marc Bernardin the pop culture writer).
Tickets are on sale now at the fancon.ca website.
