 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 both a distinguished character actor and engaging leading man. A native
of St. Louis, MO, Goodman went to Southwestern 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 classes with such
stars-to-be as Tess Harper and Kathleen Turner. Moving to New York in 1975, he
supported himself by performing in children's and dinner theater, appearing in
television commercials, and working as a bouncer.
John 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. His best
Broadway showing was as the drunken, brutish Pap in Big River, Roger Miller's
1985 musical adaptation of Huckleberry Finn. John Goodman has occasionally
played out and out villains or louts (The Big Easy, Barton Fink), but his
essential likeability endeared him to audiences even when his onscreen behavior
was at its least sympathetic. He contributed topnotch supporting appearances to
such films as Everybody's All-American (1988), Sea of Love (1989), Stella
(1989), and Arachnophobia (1990), and starred in such films as King Ralph
(1991), The Babe (1992, as Babe Ruth), Born Yesterday (1993), and The
Flintstones (1994, as Fred Flintstone). John Goodman did some of his best work
in Matinee (1992), in which he starred as William Castle-esque horror flick
entrepreneur Lawrence Woolsey, and 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 1996, John Goodman appeared as blue-collar patriarch Dan Conner
on the hit TV sitcom 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, John 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 Saturday Night Live (2000), John Goodman
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 John Goodman stepping back into the role of
over-protective father. Interestingly enough, he donned hippie-gear to play a
goth-chick's Leelee Sobieski dad in 2001's My First Mister.
Though John Goodman'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), John Goodman 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 John 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 Goodman would have been
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 John Goodman as one of three
men lusting after Liv Tyler's character, while 2002's Dirty Deeds took John 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 John Goodman the chance to work
with industry bigwigs Jessica Lange, Jeff Bridges, Penélope Cruz, and legendary
singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. In 2004, John Goodman is slated to star along with
Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth in Beyond the Sea.
Contact Grabow for more information or to book John Goodman
for your next corporate or private event.
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