John_Goodman

John Goodman

John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is a Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning American actor. He is well known for his deep, booming voice and his intimidating size.

Biography

Early life

Goodman was born in Affton, Missouri, the son of Virginia, a store clerk and waiter who worked at Jack and Phil's Bar-B-Cue, and Leslie Goodman, a postal worker who died from a heart attack in 1995. He has a sister, Elisabeth, and a brother, Leslie. Goodman went to Affton High School and won a football scholarship at Southwest Missouri State University, now called Missouri State University. He pledged the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, but was not formally initiated until several decades later. During his college stint he got injured, ending his football career. He decided to become an actor, leaving Missouri for New York in 1975. He performed off Broadway, in dinner theatres and in television commercials before getting character roles in movies during the early 1980s. One of his earliest roles was Pap Finn in the Broadway musical Big River, and he can be heard on the original cast album.

Career

Goodman is famous for his role as "Dan Conner" on the American sitcom, Roseanne, which aired on ABC from 1988 to 1997. He had a long history of appearances on late night comedy shows, being the first guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, receiving the show's "First Guest Medal" (Goodman joked that he would pawn the medal for a bottle of cheap scotch). He had been a popular guest host on NBC's Saturday Night Live, having hosted the show twelve times (Goodman once auditioned to be a castmember for Jean Doumanian's tumultuous 1980-1981 SNL season, but was rejected). His many appearances on Saturday Night Live can be partially attributed to his recurring role as Linda Tripp during the Lewinsky scandal.

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?. In the film King Ralph, he played a good-timer who unexpectedly becomes the official head of state after the royal family dies in a freak electrical accident. 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 yielded power temporarily under the terms of the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Goodman also recently played an ornery judge on Sorkin's newest show, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, earning a 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor - Drama Series for his performance. He voiced Robot Santa in the character's first appearance on Futurama. Beginning in 2007, Goodman has been the voiceover in Dunkin' Donuts commercials.

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 Jim Belushi (Zee Blues) through 2001. Health problems eventually forced Goodman to retire the character.

Goodman's most recent project is the film version of the Sophie Kinsella novel, Confessions of a Shopaholic (film), where he plays Becky's father, Graham Bloomwood. The movie is expected to be released February 13, 2009.

Louisiana connection

Goodman has long resided in New Orleans, Louisiana. Since Hurricane Katrina, Goodman has appeared on several recovery commercials aired in Louisiana. Additionally, Goodman was at one time slated to play the role of Ignatius Reilly, the main character of a 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 and was scrapped.

Personal life

John met his wife, Anna Elizabeth 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 on August 31, 1990). Goodman has also done television advertisements in order to raise awareness for pediatric cancer.

Filmography

Jailbait Babysitter (1978)
The Face of Rage (1983) (TV) as Fred
The Survivors (1983) as Commando
Eddie Macon's Run (1983) as Hebert
Chiefs (1983) (mini) TV Series as Newt 'Tub' Murray
Heart of Steel (1983) (TV) as Raymond Bohupinsky
Revenge of the Nerds (1984) as Coach Harris
C.H.U.D. (1984) as Cop in Diner
Maria's Lovers (1984) as Frank
Sweet Dreams (1985) as Otis
True Stories (1986) as Louis Fyne
Raising Arizona (1987) as Gale
Burglar (1987) as Detective Nyswander
The Big Easy (1987) as Det. Andre DeSoto
Murder Ordained (1987) (TV) as Hugh Rayburn
The Wrong Guys (1988) as Duke Earle

Punchline (1988) as John Krytsick
Roseanne (1988 - 1997) TV Series as Daniel 'Dan' Conner
Everybody's All-American (1988) as Lawrence
Sea of Love (1989) as Det. Sherman
Always (1989) as Al Yackey
Stella (1990) as Ed Munn
Arachnophobia (1990) as Delbert McClintock
King Ralph (1991) as Ralph Jones
Barton Fink (1991) as Charlie Meadows
The Babe (1992) as Babe Ruth
Frosty Returns (1992) (TV) (voice) as Frosty the Snowman
Matinee (1993) as Lawrence Woolsey
Born Yesterday (1993) as Harry Brock
We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993) (voice) as Rex
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) (as Karl Mundt) as Rockwell Newsreel Announcer
The Flintstones (1994) as Fred Flintstone
Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long (1995) (TV) as Huey Long
A Streetcar Named Desire (1995) (TV) as Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell
Pie in the Sky (1996) as Alan Davenport
Mother Night (1996) as Maj. Frank Wirtanen
Pyst (1996) (VG) as King Mattruss
The Borrowers (1997) as Ocious P. Potter
Fallen (1998) as Jonesy
Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) as Mighty Mack McTeer
The Big Lebowski (1998) as Walter Sobchak
Dirty Work (1998) (uncredited) as Adrian Riggins the Mayor
The Real Macaw (1998) (voice) as Voice of Mac
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie (1998) (V) (voice) as Santa Claus
The Jack Bull (1999) (TV) as Judge Tolliver
Now and Again (1999) TV Series playing the original Michael Wiseman in two episodes.
Bringing Out the Dead (1999) as Larry Verber
The Runner (1999) as Deepthroat
What Planet Are You From? (2000) as Roland Jones
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) as Big Dan Teague
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000) as Oklahoma Cop
Coyote Ugly (2000) as Bill Sanford
Pigs Next Door (2000) TV Series (voice)
Normal, Ohio (2000) TV Series as William 'Butch' Gamble/Rex Gamble (original pilot)
Saturday Night Live: Best of the Clinton Scandal (2000) (TV) as Linda Tripp
The Emperor's New Groove (2000) (voice) as Pacha
Happy Birthday (2001/I) as The Dean
My First Mister (2001) as Benjamin Wilson
One Night at McCool's (2001) as Detective Dehling
Storytelling (2001) as Marty Livingston ('Non-fiction')
On the Edge (2001/II) (TV) as The Dean (segment "Happy Birthday")
Monsters, Inc. (2001) (voice) as James P. "Sulley" Sullivan
Mike's New Car (2002) (V) (voice) as Sulley
Dirty Deeds (2002) as Tony
Masked and Anonymous (2003) as Uncle Sweetheart
The Jungle Book 2 (2003) (voice) as Baloo
"The West Wing" (2003-2004) TV Series, Speaker of the House, Acting President, Former President Glen Allen Walken
Father of the Pride (2004) TV Series (voice) as Larry the Lion
Home of Phobia (2004) as Rodney
Clifford's Really Big Movie (2004) (voice) as George Wolfsbottom
Beyond the Sea (2004)
Center of the Universe (2004) TV Series
Futurama (voice) as the Evil Robot Santa Claus
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School (2005)
Kronk's New Groove (2005) (voice) as Pacha
Cars (2006) as Monster Truck Sulley (cameo - voice)
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006) as Judge Robert Bebe (2 episodes)
The Year Without a Santa Claus (2006) (TV) as Santa Claus
Drunkboat (2007) as Mr. Fletcher
Evan Almighty (2007) as Congressman Long
Death Sentence (2007) as Bones Darly
Bee Movie (2007) (voice) as Layton T. Montgomery (first to voice for both Pixar and DreamWorks)
Speed Racer (2008) as Pops Racer
In the Electric Mist (2008) as Julie 'Baby Feet' Balboni
Spring Break '83 (2008) as Dick Bender
Gigantic (2008) as TBA
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) as Graham Bloomwood
The Princess and the Frog (2009) (voice) as Big Daddy La Bouff
Alien Movie (2010) as Unknown role (also works as exclusive producer)