John Stephen Goodman was born on June 20, 1952 inAffton, Missouri, a suburb ofSt. Louis.[3] 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,[3][4] a retail store worker, and also took in laundry to support the family.[1] 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.[5][6] Goodman is ofEnglish,German, andWelsh ancestry[4] and was raisedSouthern Baptist.[7]
Goodman described his childhood as alone and withdrawn after his father had died so early and his brother had left to go to college. Goodman was bullied at school for being overweight.[6] Until ninth grade, Goodman was in theBoy Scouts, which he said offered him the structure and camaraderie he missed; Goodman additionally looked to Boy Scout leaders, and later, acting coaches, as father figures.[6] His brother later returned home to help raise Goodman and his sister. As a child, Goodman spent a lot of time listening to the radio and reading comic books, initially subscribing toDC'sGreen Lantern andThe Atom, before turning toMarvel Comics. He also read his brother's copies ofMad and later confessed toshoplifting its paperback editions. Goodman credits his brother with introducing him to comedy andbebop.[6]
Goodman went toAffton High School, where he playedfootball (offensive guard and defensive tackle)[6] and dabbled in theater. After graduating in 1970, Goodman took a gap year. He earned afootball scholarship toMissouri State University (then called Southwest Missouri State University, or "SMSU") inSpringfield but tore hisACL before ever suiting-up to go onto the field. Instead, Goodman channeled his energy into the school's theater program.[8][9]
After graduating from SMSU, Goodman relocated to New York City.[9] With a small bankroll from his brother, Goodman found an apartment inHell's Kitchen[13] near theTheater District and unsuccessfully tried to make money as a bartender and waiter. However, Goodman eventually found modest success in voice-overs, commercials, and plays. He was the person who slapped himself (uttering thetagline, "Thanks... I needed that!") in a television ad forSkin Bracer byMennen.[10] Goodman also performedoff-Broadway and in dinner theaters before landing character roles in film during the early 1980s.[9]
In 1982, Goodman made his film debut with a small role inEddie Macon's Run. During this period he continued to work on the stage, starring as Pap Finn inBig River from 1985 to 1987. For his role, he received a Drama Desk nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical; he is also featured on the Original Broadway Cast Recording. Before landing his big break into movies in 1986 with a significant comedic role inTrue Stories,[14] he starred in the movieRevenge of the Nerds, and later had a brief cameo as Otis inSweet Dreams. In the former film, his character Louis Fyne says "I'm 6' 3" and maintain a consistentpanda bear shape", establishing his trademark size as an important part of many characters he later played on film and stage.
Goodman on the red carpet at the Emmys on September 11, 1994
Goodman rose to fame in acting by playing the role of Dan Conner on the ABC sitcomRoseanne from 1988 to 1997. He returned to the character in 2018 for therevived, 10th season, where he said "Roseanne and I just went back to having a ball",[6] and then stayed on for the show's subsequent spin-offThe Conners. Goodman had a long history of appearances on late night comedy shows and was the first guest onLate Night with Conan O'Brien, which won him the series' "First Guest Medal" (Goodman joked he would pawn the medal for a bottle of cheapScotch).[15] Goodman has hostedNBC'sSaturday Night Live 13 times, while also making sevencameo appearances asLinda Tripp during theMonica Lewinsky scandal, three appearances asRex Tillerson, and cameoing on the season 28 finale hosted by formerSNL cast memberDan Aykroyd.[9] With little to no experience in TV comedy, Goodman auditioned to be a cast member forJean Doumanian's tumultuous 1980–1981SNL season and was rejected, along with up-and-coming comediansJim Carrey,Paul Reubens, andRobert Townsend.[16]
Goodman had guest roles on theAaron Sorkin television dramasThe West Wing andStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip. In the former, he appeared in four episodes, playing Speaker of the House and eventual acting president Glen Allen Walken. In the latter, Goodman appeared asPahrump, Nevada Judge Robert Bebe, earning a 2007Emmy[19] for Outstanding Guest Actor – Drama Series for his performance.[20]
In 2011, Goodman was a guest star on the third season ofCommunity. He also voiced a character in the video gameRage voicing Dan Hagar, and played movie studio chief Al Zimmer in theAcademy Award–winning live action filmThe Artist, as well as Best Picture nomineeExtremely Loud & Incredibly Close the same year. Also in 2011, Goodman starred inKevin Smith'sRed State playingATF Agent Joseph Keenan. In February 2012, it was reported that Goodman would reunite withRoseanne Barr for a new NBC pilot titledDownwardly Mobile. The series would have had Goodman portray a bachelor mechanic who resides in a trailer park, and would have used the standard multiple-camera setup traditionally found in sitcoms;[26] however, the series' option was not picked up by the network.
On March 10, 2017, Goodman received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for his work in motion pictures, located at 6767Hollywood Boulevard.[32][33][34] On April 28, 2017, it was announced that arevival ofRoseanne was in the works and that Goodman along with most of the original cast and some of the producers would return for the limited series that was being shopped around with ABC andNetflix the frontrunners to land the show.[35] On May 16, 2017, it was confirmed that eight episodes would air mid-season in 2018 onABC.[36] On May 29, 2018, in the wake of controversial remarks made by Barr onTwitter regardingValerie Jarrett (an advisor of former presidentBarack Obama), ABC canceled the revival after a single season.[37][38][39] Goodman has stated he "felt bad" for his costar and defended her over the following years, claiming she was not racist. However, he also stated in 2025 that the two of them had not spoken in "seven or eight years," with Goodman doubting Barr would even want to talk to him.[40] The month after the cancellation, ABC ordered a ten-episodeRoseanne spin-off titledThe Conners, which stars theRoseanne cast sansRoseanne Barr.[41] The show's first season premiered on October 16, 2018.[42]
From 2019 to 2025, Goodman starred in the role ofSouthernmegachurch preacher and family patriarch Eli Gemstone on theHBO comedyThe Righteous Gemstones, created by and co-starringDanny McBride.[43][44] Goodman accepted the role right after the revivedRoseanne series had been cancelled and before its spin-offThe Conners was announced, which led to Goodman doing both shows.[6]The Righteous Gemstones was renewed for a second season in September 2019.[45] In 2020, Goodman served as the conductor narrator for the virtual train ride welcome video at the St. Louis Aquarium that opened atSt. Louis Union Station.[46] In 2023, Goodman appeared inMonarch: Legacy of Monsters as the older Bill Randa, reprising his role fromKong: Skull Island (2017).[47]
Goodman has beensober since 2007,[1][59] and tries to attend anAlcoholics Anonymous meeting every morning.[52] In 2009, he said of his struggle withalcoholism, "I don't know how much the oldJackie Daniel's franchise ruined my memory, which is going anyway, because of my advancing decrepitude. I had a 30-year run, and at the end I didn't care about anything. I was just fed up with myself. I didn't even want to be an actor anymore."[10] 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 noted that, while acting in plays, he would "havethe shakes so bad [he'd] have to have a drink to get through the show" and considered himself lucky that he never got fired.[60]
Goodman was once known for being overweight, at one point weighing close to 400 lb (180 kg).[61] However, by August 2010, he had lost 100 lb (45 kg) through a program of exercise and food journaling.[62] His new figure attracted attention at theToronto International Film Festival in September 2015 and theBFI London Film Festival the following month.[61] By June 2024, it was reported that he had lost over 200 lb (90 kg).[63]
Goodman suffers fromdepression.[64] He has attributed the severity of the condition to past alcohol consumption and treats it through physical exercise.[65][66]
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