John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Vanity Fair has called him "among our very finest actors."[1]
For other people with the same name, see John Goodman (disambiguation).
John Goodman
Actor
1975–present
1
He is known for his collaborations with the Coen brothers, acting in films such as Raising Arizona (1987), Barton Fink (1991), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). Goodman took on leading roles in King Ralph (1991), The Babe (1992), Matinee (1993), The Flintstones (1994), and 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), and supporting roles in Revenge of the Nerds (1984), True Stories (1986), Sea of Love (1989), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), Storytelling (2001), Speed Racer (2008), The Artist (2011), Flight (2012), Argo (2012), The Hangover Part III (2013), and Atomic Blonde (2017). Goodman has voiced roles in The Emperor's New Groove franchise (2000–2008), the Monsters, Inc. franchise (2001–present), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), and Bee Movie (2007).
On television, he gained recognition playing the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series Roseanne (1988–1997; 2018), and The Conners (2018–present). Goodman had regular roles in the HBO drama series Treme (2010–2011), the legal drama series Damages (2011), the political comedy series Alpha House (2013–2014), and the HBO comedy series The Righteous Gemstones (2019–present).[2] He has been a frequent host of Saturday Night Live (1989–2013), and has guest starred in The West Wing (2003–2004), Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006), and Community (2011–2012).
He started his career at The Public Theatre acting numerous productions including Henry IV, Part 1 (1981), The Skin of Our Teeth (1998), and The Seagull (2001). He made his Broadway debut Big River (1985) for which he received a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical nomination. He returned to Broadway in revivals of the Samuel Becket play Waiting for Godot (2009), and the newspaper comedy The Front Page (2016). He made his West End debut in a revival of David Mamet's American Buffalo (2015).
Early life
Goodman was born in Affton, Missouri.[3] His father, Leslie Francis Goodman, was a postal worker who died of a heart attack when John was two years old. Goodman's mother, Virginia Roos (née Loosmore), was a waitress at Jack and Phil's Bar-B-Que,[3][4] a retail store worker, and also took in laundry to support the family.[1] Goodman has an older brother, Leslie, who is 14 years his senior, and a younger sister, Elisabeth, who was born six months after his father's death.[5][6] He is of English, German, and Welsh ancestry[4] and was raised Southern Baptist.[7]
Goodman described his childhood as alone and withdrawn after his father had died so early and his brother had left to go to college. He was bullied at school for being overweight.[6] Until ninth grade, Goodman was in the Boy Scouts, which he said offered him the structure and camaraderie he missed; he additionally looked to Boy Scout leaders, and later, acting coaches, as father figures.[6] His brother later returned home to help raise Goodman and his sister. As a child, Goodman spent a lot of time listening to the radio and reading comic books, initially subscribing to DC's Green Lantern and The Atom, before turning to Marvel Comics. He also read his brother's copies of Mad and later confessed to shoplifting its paperback editions. Goodman credits his brother with introducing him to comedy and bebop.[6]
Goodman went to Affton High School, where he played football (offensive guard and defensive tackle)[6] and dabbled in theater. After graduating in 1970, he took a gap year. He earned a football scholarship to Missouri State University (then called Southwest Missouri State University, or "SMSU") in Springfield, but tore his ACL before ever suiting-up to go onto the field. Instead, Goodman channeled his energy into the school's theater program.[8][9]
Goodman pledged Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, though he did not join until several years later. He discovered the university's drama program, and studied there with future Hollywood stars Kathleen Turner and Tess Harper.[10] In December 2013, he stated his school friends were his closest ones.[1] Goodman graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1975,[11] and in 2013, the university presented him with an honorary doctorate degree in humane letters.[12]
Philanthropy
Since Hurricane Katrina, Goodman has appeared in several recovery commercials aired in Louisiana.[45]
In 2010, Goodman appeared in a commercial to raise awareness for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Also starring in the commercial were Sandra Bullock, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Jack Del Rio, Drew Brees, Emeril Lagasse, James Carville, and Blake Lively.[46]