Film and television actor Sean Astin will be St. Cloud State University’s inaugural speaker in the Bennett D. Melin Family University Speaker Series.
Made possible by SCSU alumnus Bennett Melin ’63, the speaker series was established to bring publicly recognizable thought leaders from the arts, humanities, sciences, business, religion, politics, health and human services, education and other relevant areas of contemporary society to the St. Cloud State campus for the purpose of engaging students, faculty, staff and the entire #OurSCSU community in thoughtful conversation and reflection.
Astin is known for his portrayal of several classic and beloved characters, such as the ever-faithful Samwise “Sam” Gamgee in the “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the namesake working-class hero in “Rudy.” He made his feature film debut as Mikey in the ’80s classic “The Goonies,” and went on to become a fan favorite as Bob Newby in the second season of Netflix’s series “Stranger Things.”
Astin, the son of performer and mental health advocate Patty Duke, will follow in his late mother’s footsteps by centering his SCSU speaker series appearance on the subject of mental health.
The event will take place Sept. 24, 2026 at St. Cloud State. While free to attend, registration will be required and will open later this summer. Bookmark scsu.mn/events and follow the University on social media as registration and more details become available.
