Astins house

Nearly 60 years after John Astin graduated from Johns Hopkins, the university has renamed its stage after him. The newly dubbed John Astin Theatre sits inside the Merrick Barn, a 19th-century dairy cattle barn turned student center that now houses the Undergraduate Program in Theatre Arts and Studies. Astin, A&S '52, is a longtime character actor and, of course, the star of TV's The Addams Family. He returned to Johns Hopkins in 2001 as a visiting professor in the Writing Seminars, where he teaches acting and directing to undergrads. The 104-seat theater was rechristened during a ceremony celebrating the barn's recent renovation. Astin attended with his thespian sons, Sean and Mackenzie; his wife, Valerie; and his longtime friend, Edward Asner.