- Sean Astin has been elected the National President of SAG-AFTRA.
- The Lord of the Rings star received over 79% of the overall vote in the election.
- Astin was endorsed by previous president Fran Drescher, who served in the position from 2021 to 2025.
A new day has come!
Sean Astin has been elected the National President of SAG-AFTRA, the labor union representing around 160,000 actors and media professionals worldwide.
Union voters overwhelmingly favored the actor, best known for playing Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Mikey Walsh in The Goonies. Astin received over 79% of the overall vote in Friday’s election, with his 16,143 votes beating the 4,228 votes received by opponent Chuck Slavin.
Astin will serve a two-year term beginning on Friday, the same day that his victory was made official.
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
The Rudy star — whose mother, Patty Duke, previously held the same position in the Screen Actors Guild from 1985 to 1988 — celebrated his victory in a statement shared by SAG-AFTRA.
“Now is a time for optimism and creativity,” Astin began. “I am thrilled that the members have allowed me to lead our storied organization out of this challenging moment and into a future defined by confidence, progress and fierce advocacy.”
Astin went on to congratulate his running mate, Michelle Hurd, who was elected the National Secretary-Treasurer of the guild, and also thanked his wife and children for their support.
“Finally, I am the first second generation president of our union,” he concluded. “My mother, Patty Duke, modeled for me the awesome responsibility of caring for every member of our union. I’m excited to get to work.”
David S. Holloway/Getty
Astin announced his candidacy for the position in July. The following month, Fran Drescher — who served as SAG-AFTRA National President for two terms from 2021 to 2025 and led the guild through its 2023 labor strike — announced that she would not run for reelection.
Drescher eventually endorsed Astin, urging her fellow union members to vote for the Stranger Things actor as her successor. “If you’re a sag aftra member like me, your best vote for national President is fellow actor Sean Astin,” she wrote on Instagram. “This dude has got the creds to rep us all with heart, brains & experience. I’ve known him since he was 10 and he really cares and has true character. In my humble opinion he is the ONLY candidate to vote for.”
Astin already had significant SAG-AFTRA leadership experience before Friday’s election. He previously served on five separate negotiating committees for the union, and also worked as a member of numerous national and local Los Angeles committees.
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Astin recently reunited with his Goonies costar Ke Huy Quan in the action-comedy Love Hurts. He also recurred on the final season of The Conners and appeared in the crime drama Little Lorraine. Other prominent credits include films like Encino Man, The War of the Roses, Click, 50 First Dates, and Gloria Bell, as well as guest appearances on The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Monk.
