John Jacob Astor IV great-grandfather), he is portrayed by a local amateur actor in street corner vignettes. He was played by Miles Richardson in the 2012 "Titanic" miniseries. In April 2012, Astor was portrayed by his great-grandson Gregory Todd Astor in "Titanic the Musical". John Jacob Astor IV John Jacob "Jack" Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. Astor died in the sinking of RMS "Titanic" during the early hours of April 15, 1912. Astor was the richest
The Astor Orphan The Astor Orphan The Astor Orphan is a 2013 memoir by Alexandra Aldrich, a member of the Astor family. Alexandra Aldrich, a direct descendant to John Jacob Astor, recounts her childhood at Rokeby, a 43-room historic estate in Barrytown, New York. The family is land-rich but cash-poor. Her father is unemployed and her grandmother is an alcoholic. The book ends as she leaves for boarding school. The book was described by "Publishers Weekly" as a "sparklingly mischievous debut". In the "Chicago Tribune", Kevin Nance compared it to "Grey Gardens", adding that, "Aldrich delivers buckets of eccentricity." However, he argued that