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John Astin

Bristling with manic energy from every pore, actor and director John Astin specialized in oddball characters whose sense of joie de vivre rarely got in the way of reality, most notably Gomez Addams, his iconic role on "The Addams Family" (ABC, 1964-66). He had been a stage performer and minor character actor prior to being cast as Gomez, and his pop-eyed, relentlessly cheery turn as the bizarre paterfamilias instantly launched him to stardom. From there, he worked regularly as a guest star on television while honing an infrequent second career as a director, which included an Oscar nomination for his short, "Prelude" (1968). He remained a favorite thanks to his "Addams" past, which gave him a decidedly kooky small-screen immortality.