By Shay Lelonek / News Director

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — St. Cloud State University is welcoming actor Sean Astin as its first guest in the D. Melin Family University Speaker Series.

Astin is known for his characters in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy as Samwise Gamgee, as well as Mikey in “The Goonies,” and Bob Newby in “Stranger Things.”

Astin is also known as the president of the labor union Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which formed in 2012 after the merger of SAG and AFTRA. SAG-AFTRA represents about 160,000 media professionals.

The D. Melin Family University Speaker Series is made possible by SCSU alumnus Bennett Melin, who graduated in 1963. According to an article by SCSU Today, it was established to bring “publicly recognizable thought leaders” to SCSU to engage students, staff, and the community.

According to SCSU Today, Astin will follow in his late mother’s footsteps by focusing on mental health during his appearance at the Speaker Series.

The event will take place on Thursday, September 24. The event is free; however, registration is required. Registration will open later this summer.