John Goodman

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9.4 Superb
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Biography

Recent Role:
Vice Dean Laybourne on Community
Gender:
Male
Born:
6-20-1952
Birthplace:
St. Louis, Missouri
Birth Name:
John Goodman
AKA:
Karl Mundt, Barry Humpheries
His first TV appearance was in a Burger King commercial where he had no lines.

With a talent as large as his girth, John Goodman proved himself as both a distinguished character actor, and an engaging leading man. Hailing from Affton, Missouri, a small unincorporated community in St. Louis County, Goodman went to Southwest Missouri State University on a football scholarship, but an injury compelled him to seek out a less strenuous major. He chose the university Drama Department, attending c l a s s e s with such aspiring actresses as Tess Harper and Kathleen Turner. Moving to New

More York in 1975, John supported himself by performing in children's and dinner theater, taking walk-on or bit parts in Off-Off Broadway, and appearing in television commercials to subsidize his income as a bouncer.

Goodman made his off-Broadway debut in a 1978 staging of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and, a year later, graduated to Broadway in Loose Ends (1979). His best received Broadway showing was as the drunken, brutish Pap in Big River, Roger Miller's 1985 musical adaptation of Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He has occasionally played out and out villains, or louts (ie. roles in The Big Easy in 1987 and Barton Fink in 1991), but his essential likeableness endeared him to audiences, even when his onscreen behavior was at its least sympathetic.

John contributed topnotch supporting appearances to such films as Everybody's All-American (1988), Sea of Love (1989), Stella (1989), and Arachnophobia (1990), playing a comical, macho exterminator. He starred in such films as King Ralph (1991), The Babe (1992, as Babe Ruth), Born Yesterday (1993), and The Flintstones (1994, as Fred Flintstone). Goodman did some of his best work in Matinee (1992), in which he starred as William Castle-esque horror flick entrepreneur Lawrence Woolsey, then topped himself in The Big Lebowski (1998), playing a quirky security store owner. He was seen the following year with Nicolas Cage and Ving Rhames in Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead as an ambulance driver.

Between 1988 and 1997, John appeared as blue-collar patriarch, Dan Conner, on the ground-breaking, hit ABC television comedy series, Roseanne, a role that earned him four Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe award. His additional TV credits included two 1995 made-for-cable movies: the title role in Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long, and Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he earned another Emmy nomination. Announcing that the 1996-1997 season of Roseanne would be his last, Goodman limited himself to infrequent appearances on the series, his absences explained away as a by-product of a heart attack suffered by his character at the end of the previous season.

After making his 10th appearance on the NBC comedy series, Saturday Night Live (2000), John could be seen playing a red-faced bible salesman in director Joel Coen's award winning O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000), and participated in Garry Shandling's film debut, What Planet Are You From? (2000). He could be spotted playing an Oklahoma cop in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000), while Coyote Ugly (2000) and Storytelling (2001) found Goodman stepping back into the role of over-protective father. Interestingly enough, he donned hippie-gear to play goth chick Leelee Sobieski's dad in 2001's My First Mister.

Though John's status as an amiable big guy was well established by the early 2000's, he didn't actually appear on-screen for two of his most beloved roles. In The Emperor's New Groove (2000), he lent his vocal talents for the part of Pacha, a poor farmer who taught a spoiled prince (David Spade) some valuable lessons about life, love, and the meaning of societal standing. Any film-going youngster will recognize Goodman's voice as Monsters, Inc.'s kind-hearted Sully, the furry blue monster who risked life and limb to return a little girl to her home. And, who other than John would have been more appropriate to voice the part of Baloo, The Jungle Book 2's (2003) freewheeling bear?

2001's ill-received One Night at McCool's features Goodman as one of three men lusting after Liv Tyler's character, while 2002's Dirty Deeds took him to Australia, where he played an American mafia-goon thoroughly ill-suited to the intricacies of culture down under. Though 2003's Masked and Anonymous was skewered by fans and critics alike, it did give him the chance to work with industry bigwigs Jessica Lange, Jeff Bridges, Penelope Cruz, and legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan.

John has made few allowances for putting his acting career on the back burner in recent years, dividing his time between the big screen (2004's Bobby Darin biopic, Beyond the Sea, also starring Oscar-winner, Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth, and Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom & Charm School in 2005, as Steve Mills); several episodes in such television series as Center of the Universe (2004-2005) and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006); and providing character voices in many animated family comedies: George Wolfsbottom in 2004's loveable big, red dog picture, Clifford's Really Big Movie; the children's television series, Father of the Pride (2004-2005) as Larry; reprising the role of Pancha in The Emperor's New Groove 2: Kronk's New Groove (2005); and as Sullivan Truck in the 2006 blockbuster, Cars, voicing along with Owen Wilson and one of Hollywood's greats, Paul Newman. He also performed as none other than Santa Claus, in the live-action, made-for-TV movie, The Year Without a Santa Claus (2006).

In 2007, Goodman wrapped up his role as Congressman Long, a Virginian who is not adverse to making a dollar or two on the sly in Evan Almighty (the 2007 sequel to Bruce Almighty) starring Steve Carell and Wanda Sykes, and completed the film, Drunkboat, both released in 2008, along with his action/drama, The Death Sentence, opposite Kevin Bacon. John's voice-over work as Layton M. Montgomery in the digitally-mastered animation Bee Movie, also starring the voices of Jerry Seinfeld, Matthew Broderick, and Renee Zellweger, came out that same year.
2008 also brought Madagasgar 2 with Goodman vocalizing Boom the rhinoceros, and John portraying Pops Racer in Speed Racer, an action film based on the 1960 Japanese animated series Mahha go go go, which chronicles the aspirations of a young race car driver.

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  •  
    10 Perfect
    So good at what he does! hide show

    There are some actors you watch and you just know that acting is what they were destined to do. That's how I feel about John Goodman. Whenever I watch "Roseanne," especially, I wonder what else he could possibly have done ... because he's so great!

    I remember first seeing him in "Revenge of the Nerds," as Coach Harris(though he had been in many movies before). When I saw him in "Raising Arizona" shortly after that, I simply fell in love with him! His acting, at least! Luckily, it was only a year or so after "Raising Arizona" that he landed the role of Dan Conner on "Roseanne" and I was so excited to see him move from being a sidekick to a lead role. And I especially loved that being "Dan Conner" allowed him to showcase all his acting skills. He could be serious, upset, depressed, concerned, overjoyed, or otherwise ... and it was always spot on!!! Watching him cry in the episode of "Roseanne" where his mother was put in a mental institution was actually very touching.

    Even so, it was his comedy, especially his physical comedy, that was the best!!! In "Roseanne, "The "Blues Brothers," or "The Big Lebowski," he could and would throw himself around, dance, play-fight, etc., and it was always laugh-out-loud funny. He has an awesome ability to make fun of himself, as well, which is SO amusing. I really do feel he is one of the all time greats, moreso for television than movies, though his movies are just as good. Unfortunately, he often is cast as a sidekick or has a smaller role on the big screen, which is a shame, since he could be so much more! Under-appreciated and often forgotten, he's fantastic!

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  •  
    9.3 Superb
    Such a teddy bear of an actor! hide show

    John Goodman,most famous in the role of Dan Conner,on the hit sitcom Roseanne,has always reminded me of a big,lovable teddy bear. It is very hard for me to accept John Goodman in roles where is plays a character with any type of negativity attached! This is not saying that Mr.Goodman can't play these roles with any less aplomb,he certainly can,it is just a personal quirk. I will truly never be able to see him as anything other than a father figure because of the magnificent work he did as Dan Conner. However,that will be my loss as this man is such a very talented individual!

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    10 Perfect
    Long Lasting love hide show

    For a few years now i have been addicted to films that John Goodman was in. I enjoyed watching EVERY single movie that John Goodman was in. First movie i have ever watched of him was coyote ufly. He didnt play such a big part but it was a pretty good part. Then i started getting serious upon which parts he was playing. Did alot of research and started to buy movies, and TV shows. MAn he was crazy good at playing his parts. Including, the small parts he makes it look so funny. My next film i probably saw of him was fallen. Then ti kepts going down the list. He knows how to point out the obvious in a actor. Charming, and fabulous

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    10 Perfect
    This man would deserve a 10 even if the only thing he ever did was The Big Lebowski. But luckily there's more... hide show

    John Goodman deserves a ten score for playing the immortal Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowski. He has a free pass with me and I'm sure many others for that tremendous performance as a Viet Nam veteran and Jewish convert by marriage and despite divorce in what is now to me and many others an all-time classic. Thankfully we can also relish his performances in any other Coen brothers film, Monsters, Inc., Roseanne (this is a TV site, right), etc., etc., the list could go on and on. I shall end this review with two great quotes (and the rare clean ones; say "NO" to censorship) from The Big Lebowski: (1)"So you have no frame of reference here, Donny. You're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know..." and (2)"Donny was a good bowler, and a good man. He was one of us. He was a man who loved the outdoors... and bowling, and as a surfer he explored the beaches of Southern California, from La Jolla to Leo Carrillo and... up to... Pismo. He died, like so many young men of his generation, he died before his time. In your wisdom, Lord, you took him, as you took so many bright flowering young men at Khe Sanh, at Langdok, at Hill 364. These young men gave their lives. And so would Donny. Donny, who loved bowling. And so, Theodore Donald Karabotsos, in accordance with what we think your dying wishes might well have been, we commit your final mortal remains to the bosom of the Pacific Ocean, which you loved so well. Good night, sweet prince."

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    10 Perfect
    I have seen at least three movies with him doing a character. hide show

    The first movie with John Goodman I ever saw was "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle" his role as the Police Officer was a pretty cool role. The second movie with him involved was the Emperor's New Groove. His role as Patcha was a ton of stitches. The thrid movie with him involved I have ever seen was Monster Inc. The role of James P. Sullivan has got to be one of the best roles I have ever seen.

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