Born:
June 20, 1952
in
St Louis, Missouri
Best Known For:
Playing Dan in the sitcom Roseanne.
Early-life:
John Stephen Goodman was born on June 20, 1952, in St Louis, Missouri. He has two siblings. Their mother was a shop worker and waitress, their father, a postal worker, died when John was just two years old. A talented football player at high school, he eventually won a scholarship from Missouri State University. After injury ended his playing career, he began studying acting seriously, alongside fellow future star Kathleen Turner.
Career:
Thanks to financial help from his brother, Goodman moved to New York in 1975 and attempted to make ends meet as a barman and waiter while gaining acting experience on stage and in adverts. His first film was 1977's Jailbait Babysitter. Other small film and TV roles followed, as did an acclaimed performance in Broadway musical Big River. His first film with the Coen brothers was 1987's Raising Arizona (he's worked with them a further three times). A year later he made his debut in Roseanne. The sitcom ran for nine years and made him a household name. Other notable projects include The Flintstones, The Artist, Flight and Treme.
Quote:
"When I look at myself on film, I just see stuff I should've done. I'm incapable of watching myself objectively. Unless it's The Big Lebowski."
Trivia:
He voices the character Sulley in the Monsters, Inc movies.