1. He's a math whiz.

 

"John Astin may yet prove to be Hollywood's first actor-mathematician," the Los Angeles Times wrote in 1968. The profile revealed that Astin tutored analytical geometry and differential calculus. He could have easily given up showbiz for a life of math. "If I'm able to do creative things as an actor, I'm where I belong. If not, I'm not where I belong," Astin told the paper. "I could have been a mathematician."

Image: The Everett Collection

2. He had a unique take on the Riddler.

 

Astin took over for Frank Gorshin in the villainous role on the camp Sixties classic. Gorshin may have earned an Emmy for his character-defining performance, but Astin admitted he never saw it. "I had very little knowledge of how Gorshin played the role," confessed to the Los Angeles Times in 1967. He consulted his young children on how to play the comic book baddie. He saw the Riddler as a man obsessed with himself. "I figure the guy's got to be in love with himself — a narcissist," Astin explained. "I play him this way. You know, striding around. Striking a few muscle poses." 

Image: The Everett Collection

3. He basically released a rap song in 1965.

 

In 1965, as The Addams Family was at the peak of its original run, Astin capitalized on his fame in many ways, one of which was pop music. The actor recorded and released a double-sided single, "Querida Mia" / "Wallflower Pete." He appeared on the hip musical showcase Hollywood a Go Go to perform "Wallflower Pete"… a track on which he essentially raps. "Nothing could make that old Pete move / He was stuck in a rut, not in a groove," Astin barked. It's worth a view.

4. He hustled to make money to earn his artistic freedom.

 

Astin saw a hefty bank account as artistic freedom. "You have to buy your freedom," he told Hollywood columnist Dick Kleiner in 1965. "You have to buy your way out." Astin cashed in on his Gomez Addams fame in as many ways possible so that he might pursue his own artier projects. "He's cut a record. He's writing a picture book. He's putting together a night club act. He does personal appearances," Kleiner wrote. Astin explained, "I get paid in four figures to go to some supermarket opening somewhere and sign autographs. This may be the only chance I ever get."

Image: The Twilight Zone

5. The first film he ever directed was nominated for an Oscar.

 

His plan for financial freedom paid off. In 1968, he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in a short film called Preludes. One critic called it a "tragic comedy about the death of the American dream." Astin explained, "It was the most direct way to say what I wanted to say on film. I wanted to create a piece of cinematic art." Preludes would go on to earn an Oscar nomination at the 1969 Academy Awards. It was his first experience directing film, he told the Television Academy in 2015.

Image: The Everett Collection

6. He was a fan of the Addams Family long before being cast on the show.

 

Astin was the first actor cast on The Addams Family. He even got to choose his character's name (they were not named in the original Charles Addams one-panel comics), wisely opting for Gomez over Repelli. "Astin was an Addams fan before he joined the cast," the Rockland County Journal-News wrote in 1964. Astin particularly "enjoyed the marvelous poetic expressions on the characters" drawn by Charles Addams. "I remember one cartoon where the butler poured hot oil over Christmas trees," Astin recalled. "But we can't do things like that [on the show]." Astin's tastes ran towards the macabre. Later in life, he toured the country performing Edgar Allen Poe on stages.

Image: The Everett Collection