John Goodman

John Goodman
Born	John Stephen Goodman June 20, 1952 (1952-06-20) (age 58) Affton, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1975–present
Spouse	Annabeth Hartzog (1989-present)

John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role on the television series Roseanne, as well as his work with the Coen brothers, and as the voice of Sully in the film: Monsters, Inc.

Early life

John Goodman was born in Affton, Missouri, the son of Virginia, a store clerk and waitress who worked at Jack and Phil's Bar-B-Que, and Leslie Goodman, a postal worker who died of a heart attack in 1954.^[1][2][3] He has a sister, Elisabeth, and a brother, Leslie, with his extended family living in St. Louis, Missouri.

Goodman went to Affton High School where he played football and dabbled in theater. He then won a football scholarship to Southwest Missouri State University, now called Missouri State University.^[4] He pledged the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, but was not formally initiated until several decades later. He admittedly "wasted a year in the keg," before discovering Southwest Missouri's drama program. He studied there with actors Kathleen Turner and Tess Harper.^[5] After a college injury ended his football career, he decided to become a professional actor, leaving Missouri for New York in 1975.^[4]

With a small bankroll from his brother, he found an apartment on Ninth Avenue and 51st street near the Theatre District, Manhattan, and attempted (unsuccessfully) to earn money as a bartender and waiter. But, he was soon to find modest success on stage, in commercials and in voice over performance. He was the person who slapped himself in the commercial for Skin Bracer by Mennen, saying the famous line "Thanks...I needed that!".^[5] He performed off Broadway and in dinner theatres, before getting character roles in movies during the early 1980s.^[4]

In 1978 he joined fellow actors Dennis Quaid, Bruce Willis and Kevin Kline in the Broadway production of Loose Ends.^[6]

Career

Goodman is most famous for his role as Dan Conner on the American sitcom, Roseanne, which aired on ABC from 1988 to 1997.^[4] In 1985, Goodman originated the role of Pap Finn in the Broadway musical Big River. For his role, he received a Drama Desk nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical; he also is featured on the Original Broadway Cast Recording. He had a long history of appearances on late night comedy shows, and was the first guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, which won him the show's "First Guest Medal" (Goodman joked that he would pawn the medal for a bottle of cheap scotch). He was a popular guest host on NBC's Saturday Night Live, hosting the show thirteen times, while also making seven cameo appearances as Linda Tripp during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.^[4] Goodman once auditioned to be a castmember for Jean Doumanian's tumultuous 1980-1981 SNL season, but was rejected.

John Goodman on the red carpet at the Emmys, September 11, 1994

In 1982 Goodman started landing movie roles, beginning with a small role in Eddie Macon's Run. During this period he continued to work on the stage, starring in the Tony-winning Broadway musical Big River from 1985 to 1987. He landed his big break into movies in 1986, when he had a significant comedic role in the David Byrne mockumentary True Stories.^[6] In that film, his character Louis Fyne memorably utters the line "I'm 6' 3" and maintain a consistent panda bear shape," establishing his trademark size as an important part of many characters he would later play on film and stage. He is also known for his role as the Head Football Coach for Adams College in the movie Revenge of the Nerds.

Goodman is noted for his work in numerous films by Joel and Ethan Coen, including Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?.^[4] In the film King Ralph, he played an ordinary man who unexpectedly becomes the official British head of state after the royal family dies in a freak electrical accident.^[4] In television, Goodman had a recurring role on The West Wing as fictional House Speaker Glen Allen Walken. In the show, his character briefly served as Acting President when President of the United States Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) yielded power temporarily under the terms of the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Goodman had a guest role on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as Pahrump, Nevada Judge Robert Bebe, earning a 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor - Drama Series for his performance.^[7]

He voiced Robot Santa in the character's first appearance on Futurama. Beginning in 2007, Goodman has been the voiceover in Dunkin' Donuts commercials.^[8]

Goodman replaced John Belushi as Dan Aykroyd's partner in the popular Blues Brothers Band, in which he first appeared as "Mighty" Mack McTeer on Saturday Night Live on March 25, 1995 and co-starred in the film Blues Brothers 2000. He continued to perform with Aykroyd (Elwood Blues) and James Belushi (Zee Blues) through 2001. Health problems eventually forced Goodman to retire the character.

He also appeared in the 2000 motion picture Coyote Ugly. In 2000, Goodman provided the voice of Pacha in the Disney film The Emperor's New Groove and, a year later, the voice of Sully in the Disney/Pixar film Monsters, Inc.

In 2007, Goodman starred as the antagonist in the movie Evan Almighty (directed by Tom Shadyac), opposite Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman.

A recent project was the film version of the Sophie Kinsella novel, Confessions of a Shopaholic, where he played Becky's father, Graham Bloomwood. The movie was released February 13, 2009.

Goodman played the Ghost of Christmas Present in the 2008 Kodak Theatre production of A Christmas Carol, starring Christopher Lloyd as Ebenezer Scrooge. He is set to play the role of Pozzo in a Studio 54 revival of the play Waiting for Godot, opposite Bill Irwin and Nathan Lane. Goodman's voice can also be heard on an automated message system at Lambert St. Louis International airport.

In 2010, Variety announced Goodman will be narrating the new cooking show Best Food Ever. The series will travel the country to uncover some of its most-popular dishes and restaurants.^[9]

New Orleans residency

Goodman has long resided in New Orleans, Louisiana^[4] and is now being thought of as a "Fellow Louisianian" by the people in Louisiana. Since Hurricane Katrina, Goodman has appeared on several recovery commercials aired in Louisiana.

Goodman was cast in In the Electric Mist (2009) as Julie 'Baby Feet' Balboni, which is set in post-Hurricane Katrina Louisiana. Goodman was at one time slated to play the role of Ignatius Reilly, the main character of A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. The story takes place almost entirely in New Orleans. However, the movie was never put into production. The movie The Princess and the Frog where he lent his voice as Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff also takes place in New Orleans. Goodman is also featured in HBO series Treme, which shares many producers in common with The Wire. Treme focuses on a group of interconnected people trying to rebuild their lives in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.

Personal life

Goodman met his wife, Annabeth Hartzog, in New Orleans while he was filming 1988’s Everybody’s All-American. They married in October 1989 and have a daughter named Molly Evangeline (born August 31, 1990). Goodman has done television advertisements in order to raise awareness for pediatric cancer and the Be The Match bone marrow registry.

In an April 16, 2009 interview with New York Times theater writer Charles McGrath, Goodman is open about his alcoholism. He says, "I don't know how much the old Jackie Daniels franchise ruined my memory, which is going anyway, because of my advancing decrepitude. I had a 30-year run, and at the end I didn't care about anything. I was just fed up with myself. I didn't even want to be an actor anymore." He says he stopped drinking in 2007. "I could never please myself. That's part of what fuels the alcoholic, I guess. You set yourself impossible goals, and then you kick yourself because you're not good enough. But I can't do that every night. I don't have the energy anymore."

Goodman was in New York preparing for the role of Pozzo in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot, which ran through July 2009.^[5]

In June of 2010, Goodman arrived at the AFI Tribute to Mike Nichols appearing to have lost significant weight. There has been no official word on how much weight he has lost or how he lost it, but the weight loss has been rumored to be at least 200 pounds^[10]. According to John himself, while on The Late Show with David Letterman, he is boxing to help control his weight^[11].

In 2010, as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Goodman appeared in a commercial to raise awareness for the spill. Also starring in the commercial were Sandra Bullock, Peyton and Eli Manning, Jack Del Rio, Drew Brees, Emeril Lagasse, James Carville, and Blake Lively.

Filmography

Television

Video Games

Awards and nominations

Saturn Award

• 1991: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor" - Arachnophobia

American Comedy Awards

• 1989: Won, "Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication" - Roseanne
• 1990: Won, "Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication" - Roseanne

Emmy Awards

• 1989: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - Roseanne
• 1990: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - Roseanne
• 1991: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - Roseanne
• 1992: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - Roseanne
• 1993: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - Roseanne
• 1994: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - Roseanne
• 1995: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - Roseanne
• 1995: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special" - Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long
• 1996: Nominated, "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special" - A Streetcar Named Desire
• 2007: Won, "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series" - Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
• 2010: Nominated, "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseies or TV Movie" - You Don't Know Jack

Golden Globe Award

• 1989: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical" - Roseanne
• 1990: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical" - Roseanne
• 1991: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical" - Roseanne
• 1992: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture" - Barton Fink
• 1993: Won, "Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical" - Roseanne

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards

• 2004: Nominated, "Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie" - The Jungle Book 2

People's Choice Awards

• 1989: Won, "Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Program" - Roseanne
• 2001: Won, "Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series" - Normal, Ohio

Satellite Award

• 1999: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical" - The Big Lebowski

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 1995: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series" - Roseanne

TV Land Award

• 2007: Nominated, "Favorite Elvis Impersonation" - Roseanne
• 2008: Won, "Innovator Award" - Roseanne

Viewers For Quality Television

• 1992: Won, "Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series" - Roseanne

World Soundtrack Awards

• 2002: Won, "Best Original Song Written for a Film" - Monsters, Inc.

References

External links

• John Goodman at the Internet Broadway Database
• John Goodman at the Internet Movie Database
• John Goodman at Yahoo! Movies
• John Goodman at TV.com
• St. Louis Walk of Fame
• EG Blues Brothers, featuring screen caps from John's films