JOHN
GOODMAN
Playwrights may enjoy the cachet of name recognition,
but when out in public they may not be as readily recognized.
Actors, however-especially the Hollywood types-are not
only recognized, but often thought of as one of their
own. One actor 
who
has endeared himself to audiences is John Goodman. His
appeal is not surprising, since his own mother has described
him as "a great son and a regular guy".
John will tell you he is from the other "L.A."-that
is, Lower Affton. He was born in St. Louis in the early
1950's. His father, a postal worker, died of a heart
attack one month before John's second birthday. Times
were difficult. John's mother Virginia did whatever
it took to provide for her family. John Goodman attended
Affton High School in St. Louis, where he dedicated
himself to playing football. His team won one game.
However, in 1968 as a high school sophomore he made
his theater debut in Li'l Abner.
Goodman graduated in 1970, entered nearby Meramec Community
College, and then transferred to Southwest Missouri
State University. He intended to play football at Southwest
Missouri State, but a knee injury forced him to sit
out for a year. So instead of sports, he spent the time
studying drama with fellow students Kathleen Turner
and Tess Harper. He never returned to football and graduated
in 1976 with a BFA degree in theatre.
On August 15, 1975 he left St. Louis for New York City,
armed with three things: a dream of becoming a professional
actor, his newly earned fine-arts degree, and $1,000
that his brother Les had lent him. John Goodman climbed
aboard an Amtrak train and headed for the bright lights
of New York City. He made the rounds, worked at odd
jobs and kept himself busy.
The money lasted three months, but that was all the
time the struggling young actor needed before he started
to perform in numerous dinner theater and children's
theater productions, and in several Off-Broadway plays.
It was not until 1978 when he debuted in an Off-Broadway
production of A Midsummer Night's Dream that
things started to come together. With a nine-month stint
in a road production of The Robber Bridegroom,
he was on his way. Eventually, he starred in two Broadway
shows, Loose Ends in 1979 and Big River
in 1985.
His other stage credits include: Private Wars And
Lone Star; Lady Of The Diamond; The Chisholm Trail Went
Through Here; Henry IV, Part One; Ghosts Of The Loyal
Oaks; Half A Lifetime; The Palace of Amateurs; At Home;
and, Anthony And Cleopatra.
John Goodman made his small-screen debut in the HBO
production Mystery Of The Moro Castle. Since
then, he has given many highly acclaimed television
performances. He received Emmy nominat6ions for his
starring role in TNT's Kingfish: A Story Of Huey
P. Long and for his role as Mitch in the CBS production
of A Streetcar Named Desire. And, of course,
for eight seasons, John played Dan Conner in Roseanne,
a role that has earned him seven Emmy nominations and
a Golden Globe. Other television credits include guest
appearances in such hit shows as Moonlighting, The
Paper Chase, and The Equalizer. However,
the stage beckoned and he returned to the theater once
again, playing Falstaff in King Henry IV, Parts
I and II, at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, California.
Today, John Goodman is one of the entertainment industry's
most respected actors. He earned a Golden Globe nomination
in 1992 for his chilling performance in the Coen Brothers'
acclaimed Barton Fink. Raising Arizona,
in which he gave another noteworthy performance, was
also a Coen Brothers' film. Since then, he has teamed
with the Coen Brothers in The Big Lebowski and
the upcoming
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Goodman's further film credits include The Flintstones;
Mother Night; Arachnophobia; Always; Pie In The Sky;
Born Yesterday; Matinee; The Babe; King Ralph; Punchline;
Everybody's All-American; Sea Of Love; Stella; Eddie
Macon's Run; C.H.U.D.; Revenge Of The Nerds; Maria's
Lovers; Sweet Dreams; True Stories; The Big Easy; Burglar;
The Wrong Guys; Fallen; The Borrowers; Blues Brothers2000;
The Runner; Bringing Out The Dead; and the HBO movie
The Jack Bull. This year Goodman stars in One Night
At McCool's; O Brother, Where Art Thou; Coyote Ugly;
and, What Planet Are You From?
Also this year, John Goodman's new sitcom debuted on
the Fox network. The show, called Normal, Ohio,
has Goodman appearing alongside such familiar names
as Joely Fisher, Orson Bean, and Anita Gillette.
For someone so busy, John Goodman has still found the
time to be a benefactor. Putting his money where his
career is, he was instrumental in helping ARTS FOR LIFE
get started six years ago by making a generous donation.
John Goodman left St. Louis 25 years ago with only a
thousand dollars in his pocket and a dream. With a cheerful
heart he has given back to the community so that others
may also reach for the stars. Biography-October 8, 2000.
Biography-October 8, 2000.
