American stage, film, and television actor John Goodman Award-winning actor John Goodman has been working in the industry for nearly four decades; he is best known to the general public for his role as Dan Conner on the sitcom Roseanne and for his roles in films by the Coen Brothers.
In addition to acting, he has found great success as a voice-over actor in commercials and animation. John is one of the most frequent hosts of “Saturday Night Live,” has appeared in 13 episodes, and he has also recently starred in the “Roseanne” spin-off “The Conners” (since 2018) and the HBO comedy “The Righteous Gemstones” (since 2019). More than 30 awards, including a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe, have been given to Goodman.
Early Life
John Stephen Goodman was born on June 20, 1952, in the St. Louis suburb of Affton, Missouri. His father, Leslie, was a mail carrier, and his mother, Virginia, worked in a drugstore and as a waitress; Leslie died of a heart attack when John was only two years old.
Goodman was raised alongside his older brother, Leslie, and his younger sister, Elisabeth, in a Southern Baptist household. Goodman was a Boy Scout up until his senior year of high school when he was expelled from the organization due to his weight. When he was a kid, he spent a lot of time reading “Mad” magazines and comic books.
While at Affton High School, John participated in the school’s theatre program and played offensive guard and defensive tackle for the football team. After graduating high school in 1970, he took a year off before enrolling in college at Southwest Missouri State University, now known as Missouri State University, on a football scholarship.
After an injury derailed his hopes of becoming a professional football player, he switched his focus to the theatre and trained under Oscar nominees Kathleen Turner and Tess Harper. Goodman received his BFA in 1975 and an Honorary Doctorate in 2013 from the school.
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Career
John’s professional life began in 1975 when he moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting. At the time, he worked as a waiter and bartender. He got his start in the industry by appearing in commercials, voiceovers, and plays, and eventually found work in off-Broadway and dinner theatre.
His first film appearance was in 1982’s “Eddie Macon’s Run,” and from 1985 to 1987 he was the lead in the Broadway production of “Big River,” for which he received a nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical from the Drama Desk. Before landing the role of Dan Conner on “Roseanne” on ABC, Goodman had roles in films like “Revenge of the Nerds” (1984), “The Big Easy” (1987), and “Raising Arizona” (1987).
From its inception in 1988 until its cancellation in 1997, this sitcom remained a fan favorite. John has returned to his role in the 2018 revival. ABC remade the show as “The Conners” after canceling “Roseanne” after Roseanne Barr’s offensive tweet. While “Roseanne” was airing, Goodman had leading roles in films like “Arachnophobia” (1990), “King Ralph” (1991), and “The Flintstones” (1994).
After “Roseanne” ended, he went on to star in a number of films and television shows, including as “Mighty” Mack McTeer in “Blues Brothers 2000” (1998), Walter Sobchak in “The Big Lebowski” (1998), and (2000).
In addition to his more than 160 film and TV roles, John has also provided his voice for the animated films “Monsters, Inc.” (2001), “Monsters University” (2013), “The Emperor’s New Groove” (2000), “The Princess and the Frog” (2009), and “ParaNorman” (2012).
He debuted in the art house with 2011’s “The Artist” and 2012’s “Argo,” dabbled in the horror genre with “Red State” (2011) and “10 Cloverfield Lane” (2016), and made moviegoers laugh in 2007’s “Evan Almighty,” 2012’s “The Campaign,” and 2015’s “The Hangover Part III” (2013). Goodman joined “The Righteous Gemstones” in 2019 as Eli Gemstone, the televangelist patriarch of a prominent family.
Despite only airing four episodes, Danny McBride’s comedy series was picked up for a second season. In the new animated series The Freak Brothers, John Goodman voices “Fat Freddy,” but the actor has been crushing his own weight loss journey.
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John Goodman Weight Loss
Goodman, 69, flaunted his new physique on the red carpet at the West Hollywood premiere of Tubi’s The Freak Brothers on Monday.
The former Roseanne star layered a blue-collared shirt with an orange V-neck sweater. He topped off his lean appearance with a pair of denim jeans and a blazer.
Nearly a decade after admitting to David Letterman in 2011 that he was “Pushing 400″ lbs. at his heaviest, the 6’2” actor has lost an incredible amount of weight.
The actor from Monsters, Inc. spoke with AARP The Magazine in 2018 about keeping off the first 100 pounds he lost. It was portion control, he said, that made the difference in his diet and health.
john Goodman said, “It was basically just portion control and ‘I don’t need it.'” I was literally stuffing my face.
The weight loss was temporary, and he joked, “I don’t want to be an example to anybody when the weight comes thundering back on — when I start eating Crisco out of the can with a spoon and a side of confectioners’ sugar.”
The star also discussed the difficult period that followed Roseanne’s cancellation and how he put his health on the back burner. According to his interview with AARP, he was “pretty bad shape” after leaving Roseanne. I was very bitter at the time. For some reason, I just stopped caring.
It was a serious flaw in my personality. I was never satisfied and always sought more. I felt like I was hollow on the inside. It’s still in my possession, and I finally understand what it is. When you see it, you say to yourself, “There it is.” There’s no need to add another pork chop or beverage.