Goodman, John (1952-…), is an American actor who gained fame in the popular television comedy “Roseanne” (1988-1997, 2018). Goodman played the wisecracking blue-collar husband of the title character, played by American comedian and actress Roseanne Barr. Goodman also established himself as a major motion-picture actor.
John Stephen Goodman was born in St. Louis on June 20, 1952. He graduated from Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) with a degree in theater arts in 1975 and moved to New York City. There he played minor roles on the stage for several years. Goodman’s first significant stage appearance came in the Broadway play Loose Ends in 1979. His success in the play resulted in increased work on television and motion pictures. He gained additional recognition as Huckleberry Finn’s drunken father in the hit Broadway musical Big River (1985).
Goodman made his motion-picture debut in Eddie Macon’s Run (1983). He then appeared regularly in movies in a variety of comic and dramatic roles. Goodman was featured in several offbeat films by the brothers Ethan and Joel Coen, including Raising Arizona (1987), Barton Fink (1992), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). Goodman’s other films include The Big Easy (1987); Arachnophobia (1990); Born Yesterday (1993); The Flintstones (1994); Mother Night (1996); Drunkboat (2010); The Artist and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (both 2011); Argo, Flight, and Trouble with the Curve (all 2012); The Hangover Part III and The Internship (both 2013); The Monuments Men (2014); Trumbo (2015); 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016); and Kong: Skull Island (2017).
Goodman also starred in the HBO cable TV movie You Don’t Know Jack (2010); in the HBO series “Treme” from 2010 to 2011; in the TV series “Damages” in 2011 and “Community” from 2011 to 2012; and in the Amazon series “Alpha House,” beginning in 2013. He has provided his voice for a number of characters in animated features.
