John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He first became well known on television, then went on to have a successful film career. Goodman has won several awards, including a Primetime Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Vanity Fair described him as “among our very finest actors.”
Goodman is well known for working with the Coen brothers in movies like Raising Arizona (1987), Barton Fink (1991), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). He starred in King Ralph (1991), The Babe (1992), Matinee (1993), The Flintstones (1994), and 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016). He also had supporting roles in films such as Revenge of the Nerds (1984), True Stories (1986), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), Evan Almighty (2007), Speed Racer (2008), The Artist (2011), Flight (2012), Argo (2012), and Atomic Blonde (2017). Goodman has also voiced characters in The Emperor’s New Groove series (2000–2008), the Monsters, Inc. series (2001–present), Bee Movie (2007), and Smurfs (2025).
On television, Goodman became famous for playing Dan Conner, the father in the ABC comedy Roseanne (1988–1997; 2018) and its spin-off The Conners (2018–2025). He also played an English professor in Treme (2010–2011), a military contractor in Damages (2011), a Republican senator in Alpha House (2013–2014), and a televangelist in The Righteous Gemstones (2019–2025). Goodman has guest starred in The West Wing (2003–2004), Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006), and Community (2011–2012). He is also part of the Five Timers Club, having hosted Saturday Night Live 13 times between 1989 and 2013.
Profile Summary
| Birth Name | John Stephen Goodman |
| Date of Birth | June 20, 1952 (age 73) |
| Place of Birth | Affton, Missouri, U.S. |
| Education | Southwest Missouri State University (BFA) |
| Years Active | 1975–present |
| Spouse | Anna Beth Hartzog (m. 1989) |
Age
John Stephen Goodman was born on June 20, 1952 (age 73) in Affton, Missouri, U.S.
Biography, Early life & Education
John Stephen Goodman was born on June 20, 1952 in Affton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. His father, Leslie Francis Goodman, was a postal worker who died of a heart attack when Goodman was two years old. Goodman’s mother, Virginia Roos (née Loosmore), was a waitress at Jack and Phil’s Bar-B-Que, a retail store worker, and also took in laundry to support the family. Goodman has an older brother, Leslie, who is 14 years his senior, and a younger sister, Elisabeth, who was born six months after his father died. He is of English, German, and Welsh ancestry and was raised Southern Baptist.
Goodman said he felt alone and withdrawn as a child after his father died and his brother left for college. He was bullied at school because of his weight. Goodman was in the Boy Scouts until ninth grade, which he said gave him the structure and friendship he needed. He looked up to Boy Scout leaders and later acting coaches as father figures. His brother eventually came back home to help raise Goodman and his sister. As a child, Goodman enjoyed listening to the radio and reading comic books. He started with DC’s Green Lantern and The Atom, then moved on to Marvel Comics. He also read his brother’s Mad magazines and later admitted to shoplifting some of its paperback editions. Goodman credits his brother for introducing him to comedy and bebop music.
Goodman attended Affton High School, where he played football as an offensive guard and defensive tackle, and also tried theater. After graduating in 1970, he took a gap year. He received a football scholarship to Missouri State University (then called Southwest Missouri State University, or “SMSU”) in Springfield, but injured his ACL before he could play. Instead, Goodman focused on the university’s theater program.
Goodman pledged Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, but did not join until a few years later. He found the university’s drama program and studied alongside future Hollywood stars Kathleen Turner and Tess Harper. In December 2013, Goodman said his school friends remained his closest friends. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1975, and in 2013, the university awarded him an honorary doctorate in humane letters.
Philanthropy
Since Hurricane Katrina, Goodman has appeared in several commercials supporting recovery efforts in Louisiana.
In 2010, Goodman appeared in a commercial to raise awareness about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The commercial also featured Sandra Bullock, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Jack Del Rio, Drew Brees, Emeril Lagasse, James Carville, and Blake Lively.
Personal life
Goodman married Annabeth Hartzog from Bogalusa, Louisiana, in 1989. They met at a Halloween party at Tipitina’s while he was filming Everybody’s All-American in New Orleans. Their daughter, Molly Evangeline Goodman (born 1990), has worked as a production assistant. The family has lived for many years in the Garden District of New Orleans, in a house Goodman bought from musician Trent Reznor. Their second home, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, was destroyed by the Palisades Fire in January 2025.
Goodman has always been a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and narrated a 2020 MLB Network documentary about the Cardinals teams from the 1980s.
In 2024, Goodman narrated campaign ads for Democratic candidate Lucas Kunce in the Missouri Senate race against Republican Senator Josh Hawley.
Health
Goodman has been sober since 2007 and tries to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting every morning. In 2009, he spoke about his struggle with alcoholism: “I don’t know how much the old Jackie Daniel’s franchise ruined my memory, which is going anyway, because of my advancing decrepitude. In 2012, he said, “If I’d picture in my mind a drink, usually straight out of the bottle, I couldn’t not do it.” He also said that while acting in plays, he would “have the shakes so bahe’d have to have a drink to get through the show” and felt lucky that he was never fired.
Goodman was once known for being overweight and at one point weighed nearly 400 pounds (180 kg). By August 2010, he had lost 100 pounds (45 kg) through exercise and keeping a food journal. His weight loss drew attention at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2015 and the BFI London Film Festival in October. By June 2024, reports said he had lost over 200 pounds (90 kg).
Goodman has depression, which he believes became worse because of his past alcohol use. He manages it by exercising regularly.
