Bottom line: After playing Mikey, the de facto leader of the group, Sean Astin, the son of Patty Duke and “Addams Family” patriarch John Astin, made cinema history as Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
He’s also received acclaim for other roles, including his most recent turn in “Stranger Things” as Bob Newby, the affable boyfriend of Joyce Byers. Unfortunately, he was mauled to death by alien dog-like creatures when attempting to save Joyce and her son Will from the same fate.