John Astin Filmography

Born:: March 30, 1930 in Baltimore, MD
Occupation:: Actor, Director
Biography:: American actor John Astin was the son of Dr. Allen V. Astin, director of the National Bureau of Standards. Evidently inheriting his intellectual bent from his father, Astin was a voracious reader and mathematician, at one point in his high school career mastering an entire semester's worth of...Read More

Current News:: Highlights of Hollywood's fall, holiday schedule
Aug. 25, 2008 11:26 AM ET (AP)

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School of Life

Actors: David Paymer, Ryan Reynolds, John Astin, Kate Vernon, Andrew Robb

Synopsis: A small-town history teacher with a decidedly different approach to public education raises the ire of a stuffy biology teacher who's looking to win the "Teacher of the Year" award in this made-for-television family-oriented comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and David Paymer. Mr. D (Reynolds) doesn't Read More

2005
The Untold Secrets of Television's Greatest Hits

Synopsis: The Untold Secrets of Television's Greatest Hits offers stories about the productions of eight famous programs. Among the shows discussed are Cheers, L.A. Law, Hill Street Blues, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, he Addams Family, The Munsters, and I Love Lucy. ~ Perry Seibert, All Read More

2005
The Frighteners

Actors: Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin, Jeffrey Combs

Synopsis: Charlatan Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) has genuine psychic powers, but he doesn't use them to help people. Rather, he generates cases for his supernatural private-eye firm by harassing a group of hapless ghosts (including a dearly departed Wild West outlaw and an undead judge played by John Read More

1996
Harrison Bergeron

Actors: Sean Astin, Christopher Plummer

Synopsis: Sean Astin stars as the title character in this creepy made-for-cable adaptation of the Kurt Vonnegut classic. Set in a future America, where a small, elite group controls the masses, teen Harrison Bergeron is chosen to lead a movement that promotes mediocrity. Christopher Plummer stars as John Read More

1995
Murder, She Wrote: Film Flam

Synopsis: Hollywood is abuzz with the news that a film completed back in 1960, but shelved after its director died mysteriously, has been rediscovered and restored. This takes place at a studio that has become a target for a wide variety of movie pirates--and not a few dedicated film buffs. When one of Read More

1995
Runaway Daughters

Actors: Paul Rudd, Julie Bowen, Dee Wallace, Jenny Lewis, Holly Fields

Synopsis: Some teen girls take to the road in this made-for-cable remake of the 1956 original. Set in 1957, three guy-crazy friends take to the road in a stolen car, trying to track down one of their ex-lovers before he goes off into the Navy. The film is part of Showtime's "Rebel Highways" series of Read More

1994
The Silence of the Hams

Actors: Dom DeLuise, Ezio Greggio, Billy Zane, Joanna Pacula, Charlene Tilton, Martin Balsam

Synopsis: In the tradition of Mel Brooks, this Italian comedy offers an episodic parody of classic thrillers and horror movies. Film includes cameos from several stars including Mel Brooks, John Astin, Larry Storch, Phyllis Diller, John Carpenter, and John Landis. The story begins as director Ezio Greggio Read More

1994
Mad About You: Up All Night

Synopsis: Preparing for an important college exam, Jamie (Helen Hunt) is unable to sleep. While trying to lull his wife back to dreamland, Paul (Paul Reiser) succeeds only in locking Jamie and himself out of their apartment, leading to an all-night odyssey from basement to rooftops. Highlights include the Read More

1994
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. [TV Series]

Actors: Bruce Campbell, Julius J. Carry III, Christian Clemenson

Synopsis: A "western" in name only, the short-lived Fox Network series The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. was actually a wild and wooly fantasy/sci-fi outing, with more in common with Jules Verne than Zane Grey. Set in the early 1890s, the series starred Bruce Campbell as the titular Brisco County Jr., a Read More

1993
Huck and the King of Hearts

Actors: Graham Greene, John Astin, Chauncey Leopardi, Joe Piscopo

Synopsis: So many screenwriters have surreptitiously updated the works of Mark Twain with contemporary jargon and "political correctness", without saying they've done as much, that it's a bit refreshing to see an admitted, all-out updating of Twain. Scenarist Chrstopher Sturgeon has transplanted the Read More

1993
Stepmonster

Actors: Alan Thicke, Robin Riker, Corey Feldman, Ami Dolenz, George Gaynes

Synopsis: This lightweight horror movie is geared towards younger audiences as it follows the exploits of a little boy who is firmly convinced that the woman his father plans to marry is really a horrible monster in disguise. It all begins when his rather dull architect father George, as compared to young Read More

1992
Killer Tomatoes Eat France!

Actors: Marc Price, Angela Visser

Synopsis: The dorky low-budget "Killer Tomatoes" series closed with this fourth chapter -- about one chapter too late. John Astin returns as the resurrected Professor Gangrene, who resurfaces in France to continue his ongoing plot for world domination through the care and maintenance of the title fruit. Read More

1991
Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Actors: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, John Glover, Robert Prosky, Robert Picardo

Synopsis: Where the original Gremlins was a horror film spiked with comedy, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is essentially a black comedy, with a couple of horrifying touches. As the film starts, the fantastical trinket shop in Chinatown, which sold the Mogwai in the first film, is demolished by a crazed Read More

6/15/90
Night Court: Futureman

Synopsis: Dan (John Larroquette) is convinced he's a goner when a pair of street punks (Richard Coca, Chico Montez) hold him hostage at knifepoint. But rescue may soon be at hand! Enter a strange-looking man calling himself VHK 937 ({$Michael McManus), who claims to be a visitor from the future--and who is Read More

1990
Night Court: Melvin and Harold

Synopsis: The Night Courters believe they has scored a coup when they arrange for Mel Torme to sing at Harry's 40th birthday party. Alas, as the big evening approaches, it looks like the Velvet Fog will be a no-show. And the fault lies with Harry (Harry Anderson) himself: honoring duty over adulation, the Read More

1990
Night Life

Actors: Scott Grimes, Cheryl Pollak, John Astin, Anthony Geary, Alan Blumenfeld

Synopsis: In this gory and violent black comedy, a quartet of teenage zombies begin terrifying an employee at the local morgue until he figures out that they would rather party than eat people. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1990
Killer Tomatoes Strike Back

Actors: John Astin, Crystal Carson, Rick Rockwell

Synopsis: This third entry in the dumbfoundingly silly "Killer Tomatoes" series continues the low-budget franchise's tradition of bombarding audiences with endless inane sight gags, horror movie in-jokes, and "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" comic asides. This installment finds flamboyant mad scientist Professor Read More

1990
Night Court: The Blues of the Birth

Synopsis: In this final episode of Night Court's seventh season, pregnant public defender Christine (Markie Post) suddenly goes into labor. This being a 1990s sitcom, it is virtually a requirement that her labor pains must occur at the least opportune moment and under the direst circumstances. In this Read More

1990
Night Court: Life With Buddy

Synopsis: As Night Court launches its seventh season, Judge Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson) invites his father Buddy (John Astin) to move with him after Buddy is released from a mental institution. The arrangement soon proves to be more than Harry can handle--and Buddy's not so keen on living outside the Read More

1989
The Blue Dulac

Synopsis: In 1989, Simon Dutton brought back the long-running character of Simon Templar, AKA The Saint, with a series of six two-hour action films, produced for (and originally shown on) television in the UK. The second feature in the series, The Blue Dulac, sees Templar en route to Paris, the City of Read More

1989
Night Court: From Snoop to Nuts, Part 1

Synopsis: In the first episode of a two-part story, Christine (Markie Post) is shocked by the behavior of Judge Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson), who seems poised to accept a bribe from mob boss Marty Cologne (John Aprea). What Christine doesn't know is that Harry is participating in a sting operation Read More

1989
Night Court: From Snoop to Nuts, Part 2

Synopsis: In the conclusion of a two-part story, Harry (Harry Anderson) is placed in protective custody after incurring the wrath of mob boss Marty Cologne. Unfortunately, Harry's life is in the hands of Tim Bond (Timothy Stack), arguably the klutziest Federal agent in the history of law enforcement. At the Read More

1989
Night Court: For Love or Money

Synopsis: Harry's daffy dad Buddy (John Astin) begins dating Amanda Caldwell (Karen Morrow), a fun-loving millionaire's widow. As Buddy and Amanda dance several nights away, Harry (Harry Anderson) wonders if he should inform the widow about his father's history as a mental patient--if she doesn't know Read More

1989
Return of the Killer Tomatoes!

Actors: Anthony Starke, George Clooney, Karen Mistal, Steve Lundquist, John Astin

Synopsis: It has been 25 years since the last Killer Tomato has been squished into sauce. To this day the tasty red fruit are banned, and some folks fall in to paroxysms of fear at the mention of tomatoes. Still the general public has been lulled into believing that they are finally safe from the Read More

1/15/88
Night Court: The Night Court Before Christmas

Synopsis: Christmas or no Christmas, Harry (Harry Anderson) is forced to put Roz (Marsha Warfield) behind bars when she unwittingly hands out a sleighful of toys, brought into court as evidence, to a group of orphans. Bringing charges against Roz is Scroogelike toy manufacturer McCracken (Jordan Charney) Read More

1988
Night Court: I'm OK, You're Catatonic/Schizophrenic

Synopsis: John Astin returns as Buddy, perennial mental-home habitue and self-proclaimed stepfather of Judge Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson). Obliged to spend an inordinate amount of time keeping Buddy from being permanently committed by his condescending brother Phil (Alex Henteloff), Harry may well miss Read More

1988
Teen Wolf Too

Actors: Jason Bateman, Kim Darby, John Astin, Paul Sand, James Hampton

Synopsis: Jason Bateman stars in this sequel to Teen Wolf as the original's cousin, Todd. Though not a boxer, he receives a college boxing scholarship, and upon discovering that he is afflicted with the same werewolf genetics, transforms from unremarkable to unbelievable. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide Read More

11/20/87
Adventures Beyond Belief

Synopsis: In this unlikely adventure, a motorcyclist helps an all-girls' school "prisoner" escape her school and together they flee across Europe, chased by the headmistress. To complicate things, the escapee is a mobster's daughter and the motorcycle man, wrongfully accused of a murder, is also being Read More

1987
Body Slam

Actors: Dirk Benedict, Tanya Roberts, Roddy Piper, Captain Lou Albano, Barry J. Gordon

Synopsis: Harry Similac (Dirk Benedict) is a music promoter who must scramble to stay out of debt in this slapstick comedy. He hits upon the idea of becoming a wrestling promoter and steals Rick Roberts (Roddy Piper) from his former manager Captain Lou Milano (Lou Albano). He books his rock band Kick at the Read More

11/21/86
Night Court: The Next Voice You Hear...

Synopsis: Season Four of Night Court goes into session as Judge Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson) receives a letter from the mother who deserted him--fifteen years after the letter was mailed. Investigating, Harry learns that while he has lost a mother, he has gained a stepfather in the person of Read More

1986
Murder, She Wrote: Stage Struck

Crew: Director

Synopsis: A Broadway-bound stage comedy is supposed to reunited the formerly married acting team of Maggie Tarrow (Eleanor Parker) and Julian Lord (Edward Mulhare). But when Maggie's young understudy is killed just before the first performance, it looks as though someone doesn't want the play to open. Read More

1986
Murder, She Wrote: Joshua Peabody Died Here...Possibly.

Synopsis: Over the protests of several local residents, shady tycoon Henderson Wheatley (John Ericson) intends to build a high-rise hotel in Cabot Cove. During excavation, a set of bones comes to surface, supposedly belonging to Revolutionary war hero Joshua Peabody. Almost immediately, those who oppose the Read More

1985
Murder, She Wrote: Sticks and Stones

Synopsis: When Cabot Cove resident Beverly Garrett is electrocuted in her own bathtub in a locked bathroom, Sheriff Amos Tupper (Tom Bosley) is willing to write the tragedy off as an accident; Tupper, you see, is thinking about retirement, and has already hand-picked his successor. But Jessica (Angela Read More

1985
National Lampoon's European Vacation

Actors: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Jason Lively, Dana Hill, Eric Idle

Synopsis: Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold and his wife, Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) -- and their two generally repulsive children, Rusty (Jason Lively) and Audrey (Dana Hill) -- are off on a European vacation thanks to a winning stint on a quiz show. As the movie unfolds in brochures featuring London, Paris, and Read More

1985
Murder, She Wrote: A Lady in the Lake

Synopsis: Retreating to a placid Maine lake resort in order to finish her latest novel without distractions, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) decides to go birdwatching one fine morning. During this pursuit, Jessica witnesses what seems to be a struggle between a man and a woman in a boat on the lake, ending with Read More

1985
Night Court: Inside Harry Stone

Synopsis: The pressures of his job have caused Harry (Harry Anderson) to come down with a bad case of ulcers. But when exploratory surgery is suggested, Harry balks, insisting that he'd rather endure the pain than go under the knife--or at least, that's what he's insisting at the BEGINNING of the episode. Read More

1984
Night Court [TV Series]

Actors: Harry Anderson, Richard Moll, John Larroquette, Markie Post, Paula Kelly

Synopsis: Introduced to NBC's Wednesday-night schedule as a mid-season replacement on January 4, 1984, the weekly 30-minute sitcom Night Court quickly built a large and appreciative audience, enabling the series to remain on the network for nine seasons. Harry Anderson, a comedian who had established his Read More

1984
Murder, She Wrote: Hooray for Homicide

Synopsis: Jessica (Angela Lansbury) arrives in Hollywood, where her first mystery novel "The Corpse Danced at Midnight" is being made into a movie. Unfortunately, Jessica is displeased by the decision of film producer Jerry Lydecker (John Saxon) to "juice up" her novel with heavy doses of sex and violence Read More

1984
Honky Tonk Freeway

Actors: Beau Bridges, Hume Cronyn, Beverly D'Angelo, William Devane, George Dzundza

Synopsis: In this involved send-up of two American icons -- the automobile and the tourist trap -- the tiny Florida town of Ticlaw strives desperately for success after it has been denied the most essential of all tourist amenities -- a freeway exit. The insane, and mostly successful, schemes of the mayor (William Devane Read More

1981
Halloween with the Addams Family

Synopsis: The original TV Addams family reunites in this comedy. The trouble begins when the bizarre clan hold their annual party and are so busy with the guests that they fail to notice three inept burglars attempting to rob them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1979
Rosetti and Ryan: Men Who Love Women

Crew: Director

Synopsis: When an heiress is falsely accused of the murder of her husband, she is assisted by 2 crafty criminal lawyers. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

1977
Operation Petticoat

Crew: Director

Synopsis: Life in the Pink is the syndication title of the pilot film for the TV series Operation Petticoat. Based on the 1959 movie of the same name, the series detailed the adventures of a jerry-built submarine in World War II. In the pilot, the sub's crew rescues five Army nurses from a remote Pacific Read More

1977
Freaky Friday

Actors: Barbara Harris, Jodie Foster, John Astin, Patsy Kelly, Dick Van Patten

Synopsis: Prolific television director Gary Nelson made the Walt Disney live-action comedy Freaky Friday, based on the novel by Mary Rodgers. Barbara Harris stars as suburban housewife Ellen Andrews, the wife of Bill (John Astin) and the mother of Annabel (Jodie Foster) and Ben (Sparky Marcus). Ellen just Read More

1976
The Dream Makers

Actors: Mickey Jones, Kenny Rogers, James Franciscus

Synopsis: James Franciscus stars as a university professor with an eye on bigger things. Using his inherent promotional know-how, he launches a career in the record industry, eventually operating his own top-selling label. To insure that the local stations will run his artists' recordings, Franciscus Read More

1975
Skyway to Death

Actors: Tige Andrews, John Astin, Joseph Campanella, Ross Martin, Stefanie Powers

Synopsis: Skyway to Death is still another TV-guest-stars-in-jeopardy opus. This time, everyone is packed into an aerial tramway. As the assorted characters hang some 8500 feet in the air, their car breaks down and threatens to plummet earthward. The special guest victims include Ross Martin (sometimes Read More

1974
Miss Kline, We Love You

Synopsis: The spirit of the children of a hospital pediatrics ward offer a new lease on life for a shy young teacher. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

1974
Hard Day at Blue Nose

Synopsis: A New York detective investigates a woman's death after she filed for divorce and was staying at a Nevada guest ranch. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

1974
Only with Married Men

Synopsis: In this made-for-television comedy, a young woman gets herself into trouble when she begins fulfilling her man-craving with a string of married men. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1974
The Partridge Family: Diary of a Mad Millionaire

Synopsis: John Astin guest stars as Sidney Rose, a reclusive multimillionaire who summons the Partridges to his mountain retreat for a private concert. Shirley (Shirley Jones) tries to persuade Sidney to come out of his shell and return to the outside world, which he ultimately does--but not before adopting Read More

1973
The Brothers O'Toole

Synopsis: Veteran character actor Richard Erdman warms the director's chair for The Brothers O'Toole. This barely released western spoof stars John Astin and Steve Carlson as the con-artist title characters, at large in 1890 Colorado. The comedy is on a "Little Rascals" level, while the action highlights Read More

1973
Pepper & His Wacky Taxi

Synopsis: This nostalgic family outing centers on a father who decides to become a taxi-driver after purchasing a vintage Cadillac. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1972
Every Little Crook and Nanny

Actors: Phillip Graves, Katherine Victory, Lynn Redgrave, Victor Mature, Paul Sand, Maggie Byle, Austin Pendleton

Synopsis: In this drama, a woman's dancing school is overrun by gangster's who begin using it for a betting parlor. As a result, she becomes the nanny for the mob boss's son. Soon she kidnaps him. Trouble and action ensue. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1972
Peppermint Park

Synopsis: A collection of different episodes from the children's series that features magicians, puppet animals and nature surveys. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

1972
Get to Know Your Rabbit

Actors: Tom Smothers

Synopsis: In this comedy, young Donald Beeman (Tom Smothers) becomes disillusioned with his business career and quits to become a tap-dancing magician. However, the grass isn't always greener, and Donald soon discovers that the money-oriented aspects of his former career are starting to creep into his new Read More

1972
Evil Roy Slade

Actors: Edie Adams, John Astin, Pamela Austin, Henry Gibson, John Ritter, Dick Shawn, Milton Berle, Dom DeLuise, Penny Marshall, Mickey Rooney

Synopsis: Overlooked when it first aired February 18, 1972, the made-for-TV Evil Roy Slade has gained a loyal and protective cult following in the past 20 years. The film was the second pilot for a never-sold TV western spoof created by Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson, Sheriff Who?. Actually, it was the Read More

1971
Bunny O'Hare

Actors: Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Cassidy

Synopsis: Would you believe Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine as a pair of free-spirited hippies on a crime spree? That's the premise of this unlikely comedy starring the two Oscar-winning veterans. Bunny O'Hare (Bette Davis) is an elderly woman living in New Mexico who is trying to keep herself afloat Read More

1971
Two on a Bench

Actors: Jeannie Berlin

Synopsis: Long ago and far away, Patty Duke occasionally played hippie types. One can get a glimpse of Duke's "far out" period in the 1972 TV movie Two on a Bench. Psychedelic Patty finds herself eyeball to eyeball with uptight square Ted Bessell when each suspects the other of working for a notorious spy. Read More

1971
Viva Max!

Actors: Peter Ustinov, Pamela Tiffin, Jonathan Winters, John Astin, Keenan Wynn

Synopsis: This comedy was banned in Mexico and plagued by vandalism and threats of violence during film production in San Antonio, Texas. General De Santos (Peter Ustinov) organizes a ragtag group of Mexican nationals for the purpose of retaking the Alamo. Using the Washington's Birthday Parade in Laredo as Read More

1969
Bonanza: Abner Willoughby's Return

Actors: Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, David Canary, John Astin

Synopsis: John Astin and Emmaline Henry, who back in 1962 played husband and wife in the short-lived sitcom I'm Dickens-He's Fenster, were reunited in the December 21, 1969 Bonanza episode "Abner Willoughby's Return." Astin is cast as ex-miner Abner, who after 17 years at sea comes back to Virginia City to Read More

1969
Prelude

Crew: Director, Screenwriter

1968
Candy

Actors: Charles Aznavour, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, John Huston

Synopsis: In this big-budget adaptation of Terry Southern's satiric sex farce (the sort of project that could get an immediate green light in the late 1960's and at practically no other time before or since), Ewa Aulin is Candy, a sweet young woman who doesn't seem entirely aware of the powerful sexual Read More

1968
The Spirit Is Willing

Actors: Sid Caesar, Vera Miles, Barry J. Gordon, John McGiver, Cass Daley

Synopsis: In this spooky comedy, a couple and their adolescent son move into a quiet New England summer cottage. Soon their arrival, a series of strange and increasingly destructive occurrences begin to happen. Not believing in poltergeists, the puzzled parents immediately suspect their son. The real Read More

1967
The Flying Nun: Flight of a Dodo Bird

Synopsis: Psychologist Father Lundigan (John Askin) is skeptical about the Mother Superior's wild stories about a flying nun. Of course, the audience knows that the Reverend Mother is not hallucinating, and is anxious for Sr. Bertrille to take to the air and prove that she can indeed fly. Alas, Sr. Read More

1967
The Addams Family: Season 02

1965
The Addams Family: Season 01

1964
The Wheeler Dealers

Actors: James Garner, Lee Remick, Phil Harris, Chill Wills, Jim Backus, Louis Nye, John Astin, Charles Watts

Synopsis: This comical farce is a lighthearted lampoon of Wall Street and the vibrant trading and selling on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Henry Tyroon (James Garner) is the chameleonic broker who changes his colors and ethical standards to fit every deal. Molly (Lee Remick) is the novice trader Read More

1963
Move Over, Darling

Actors: Doris Day, James Garner, Polly Bergen, Chuck Connors, Thelma Ritter

Synopsis: A man makes the highly unexpected discovery that he has two wives in this romantic comedy. Widower Nick Arden (James Garner) has just set off on his honeymoon with his new wife Bianca (Polly Bergen) when his mother Grace (Thelma Ritter) receives a very unexpected guest -- Nick's late wife Ellen (Doris Day Read More

1963
That Touch of Mink

Actors: Cary Grant, Doris Day, Gig Young, Audrey Meadows, John Astin, Dick Sargent

Synopsis: When people refer to Doris Day as "the world's oldest professional virgin," they generally have the 1962 comedy That Touch of Mink in mind. It isn't that Cathy Timberlake (Day) is above a bit of hanky-panky; it's just that she wants such tangibles as a marriage license and wedding ring first. Read More

1962