The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree when it comes to Patty Duke’s eldest granddaughter. The beautiful 22-year-old Alexandra is the spitting image of her grandmother, and looks set to emulate the late actress’s glittering career as she embarks on a performing arts career of her very own.
Duke played Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, for which she won an Academy Award, and later starred in her very own production, The Patty Duke Show.
She acted until the very end of her life and was a strong role model for women around the world. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 36, Duke went on to devote much of her adult life to advocating for better awareness of mental health issues.
The eldest of actor Sean Astin and his wife Christine Harrell’s three daughters, Alexandra (or “Ali Astin” as she is known professionally), is not only an actress but a singer, too. She released her first album, Take 1, in 2017.
And it’s hard to ignore the similarities between the young performer and her legendary grandmother: with striking blonde hair and twinkling, blue eyes, Ali is sure to capture the hearts of anybody who ever watched Patty Duke and loved her!
Acting runs in the family. Ali’s father, Sean Astin, catapulted to fame as the young, anxious, and adorable Mikey Walsh in 1985’s The Goonies, and became a household name after playing Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. So perhaps it’s no big surprise that Ali is embracing the enviable family business of Hollywood superstardom.
Ali and her grandmother shared a close relationship, made evident in the words that the late Duke wrote to her beloved granddaughter after her first big acting review.
“Ali dear, Pops and I are so proud of you,” Duke wrote, incidentally the last words that she would ever share with her granddaughter before her passing. “Congrats on your rave review. Wish we could have seen you,” she continued. “We’re not surprised that you did so well. We think of you all the time. We love and miss you a ton.”
The family, in turn, showed their deep love for Duke on the day she passed in 2016. Son Sean Astin posted a heartfelt tribute on his Facebook page, to “our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, matriarch and the exquisite artist, humanitarian, and champion for mental health.”
“We celebrate the infinite love and compassion she shared,” he continued, “through her work and throughout her life.”
Ali, remembering her grandmother, posted a stunning side-by-side photo comparison on Instagram of herself with the late, great actress. She captioned: “Nana would have been 71 today.” Another delightful photo of the pair is captioned, “Missing my incredible nana as I remember the crazy hats and pastels we used to wear on Easter.”
Duke certainly passed the proverbial baton to her beautiful granddaughter, whose evocative appearance and choice of career emulate her grandmother more and more with every day that passes.
“[I’m] slowly working my way up,” Ali told the Huffington Post in 2017. The only way is up, Ali, and we think your grandmother would be extremely proud!
Louise Chambers
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Louise Chambers is a writer, born and raised in London, England. She covers inspiring news and human interest stories.
