LOS ANGELES — Sean Astin was elected president of SAG-AFTRA on Friday, winning a decisive victory to lead the union that represents tens of thousands of performers and media professionals.
Astin, best known for roles in The Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things and Rudy, defeated challenger Chuck Slavin by a 79% to 21% vote. The union also elected actor Michelle Hurd as secretary-treasurer.
Astin succeeds Fran Drescher, who led SAG-AFTRA through a period that included a pair of work stoppages — one affecting film and television actors and another involving video game and interactive media performers. The union, formed by the merger of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, represents roughly 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, program hosts, recording artists and other media professionals.
The newly elected president is the son of the late Academy Award-winning actress Patty Duke and actor John Astin, who starred in the 1960s television series The Addams Family. Patty Duke previously served as Screen Actors Guild president from 1985 to 1988.
SAG-AFTRA’s membership selects leadership to negotiate contracts, enforce protections and set policy for its diverse membership. Under Drescher’s tenure, the union confronted negotiations that culminated in strikes aimed at addressing compensation, residuals and protections related to new technologies and platforms. The elections place new leadership at the helm as the industry continues to navigate shifting production landscapes, streaming economics and evolving labor demands.
Astin’s election places a veteran working actor in the union’s top post at a time when performers and other media professionals remain attentive to collective bargaining outcomes and workplace standards. Michelle Hurd’s elevation to secretary-treasurer fills the union’s second-highest elected office and signals the leadership team that members will look to as negotiations and industry change continue to unfold.
SAG-AFTRA said the results followed its internal voting procedures; the union did not immediately announce a timetable for internal transitions or the priorities the new leadership intends to pursue.