Sean Astin’s Real Daughter Had A Sneaky Cameo In Lord Of The Rings — And Here She Is All Grown Up

We all know that Sean Astin was an invaluable part of The Lord of the Rings franchise that dominated the box office in the early 2000s. But you might not be aware that the man best-known as hobbit Samwise Gamgee also arranged for his young daughter to make a sneaky cameo. So what’s happened to Ali Astin since her brief foray into the Tolkien universe?

Ali played Elanor in The Return of the King, the final instalment of Peter Jackson’s epic fantasy adaptation. Now even diehard fans of the Best Picture Oscar winner may not realize that the film includes a character with that name. And to be fair, you’d have to study the end credits to learn of her existence.

Yes, Elanor doesn’t get any lines, and her name isn’t actually uttered on screen. But if you learn that her surname is Gamgee, then you might be able to work out exactly what part Ali had. That’s right: in a case of art imitating life, Ali was cast in the role of hobbit Samwise’s young daughter.

If you’re wondering when Ali actually pops up in The Return of the King, wonder no more. She’s the young girl that Samwise can be seen holding up toward the trilogy climax. It’s a blink and you’ll miss it, for sure. But it’s one that Ali later revealed she was immensely proud of.

And it’s a feeling that Ali shares with her famous father. In 2013 Sean posted two photos side-by-side of himself and his daughter taken a decade apart. He captioned the images, “So, this is my daughter Ali, who played Elanor in The Return Of the King. Christine [Sean’s wife] and I loved taking her to The Hobbit premiere to visit with old friends. I don’t feel old, just proud... and old.”