American character actor John Stephen Goodman (June 20, 1952 —) has been a highly acclaimed and popular presence on film and television for nearly fifty years. Known for his numerous collaborations with the Coen Brothers, he first rose to prominence playing the role of Dan Conner on the situation comedy TV series Roseanne (1988-1997, 2018) for which he was awarded a Best Actor Golden Globe in 1993.
Born in Affton, Missouri near St. Louis, Goodman was two years old when his father died from a heart attack. An avid comic book fan, he was bullied in school for being overweight, and found structure and mentorship in Scouting as a teenager. After high school Goodman attended Missouri State University on a football scholarship, but an injury prevented him from playing so he focused his attention on the theater program. Graduating in 1975 with a BFA, he was presented with an honorary doctorate in 2013.
After moving to New York City to perform in Off Broadway theater and finding side work in television commercials, Goodman started getting cast in small roles in a number of films including Revenge of the Nerds (1984). His first significant film role was in David Byrne's True Stories (1986) which was recycled into the Talking Heads video "Wild Wild Life". In addition to the aforementioned role on Roseanne, he has played guest roles in many television series and used his distinctively deep baritone to do voiceover/voice acting work. He cites The Big Lebowski (1998) as his favorite Coen Brothers role.
With a Primetime Emmy and SAG awards, he received a Disney Legends award in 2013 and a HWOF star in 2017. Goodman has struggled with alcoholism and depression, but has been sober since 2007. He lives in the Garden District of New Orleans with his wife Annabeth.
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