John Goodman can claim the ultimate TV revival — with his character of Dan Conner being brought back from the dead when “Roseanne” rebooted in 2018! The bosses at ABC knew that viewers weren’t going to tune in to a show that was missing its most beloved star. They ended up making a smart decision, too, with John agreeing to stay on after Roseanne Barr managed to blow her own big comeback over a racist scandal. Now he’s starring alongside Sara Gilbert in “The Conners,” which is only the latest twist in a strange career full of fascinating facts…
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John had plans for a different kind of career after landing a football scholarship to Missouri State — but that's where he also discovered a love for acting, with future star
Kathleen Turner among his classmates in drama classes.
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John had plans for a different kind of career after landing a football scholarship to Missouri State — but that's where he also discovered a love for acting, with future star
Kathleen Turner among his classmates in drama classes.
After an injury ended his athletic dreams, John moved to New York to pursue a career in entertainment. Instead, he mostly worked as a bouncer and a bartender. He finally got a big break as Coach Harris in 1984's "Revenge of the Nerds" — the same year he took a small role as a doomed policeman in the horror movie "C.H.U.D."
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John had plans for a different kind of career after landing a football scholarship to Missouri State — but that's where he also discovered a love for acting, with future star
Kathleen Turner among his classmates in drama classes.
After an injury ended his athletic dreams, John moved to New York to pursue a career in entertainment. Instead, he mostly worked as a bouncer and a bartender. He finally got a big break as Coach Harris in 1984's "Revenge of the Nerds" — the same year he took a small role as a doomed policeman in the horror movie "C.H.U.D."
The struggling star's first TV appearance came in a Burger King commercial. He didn't have any lines, but took a big bite out of a Whopper. John then made a comeback as a star in a 2018 McDonald's commercial — where he still didn't get to speak!
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Unlike most Hollywood stars, John's only been married once. He wed Annabeth Hartzog in 1989, and the couple's home is still in New Orleans — where they bought a house from Nine Inch Nails rocker Trent Reznor.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Unlike most Hollywood stars, John's only been married once. He wed Annabeth Hartzog in 1989, and the couple's home is still in New Orleans — where they bought a house from Nine Inch Nails rocker Trent Reznor.
He was considered for the lead role in 1989’s "Uncle Buck," but lost out to John Candy. "Roseanne" wouldn't lead to his own big-screen starring roles until 1991, when John starred with
Peter O'Toole in the royal comedy "King Ralph."
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Photo credit: Getty Images
That helped John become a big enough name to sit down as the first guest of
Conan O’Brien when the newcomer replaced
David Letterman in 1993 as the host of "Late Night."
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Photo credit: Getty Images
John's gone public about his battle with the bottle, saying that he finally got sober in 2007. The star's said that sobriety is the "best thing that ever happened" to him — but later added: “It didn’t have anything to do with will. It just grew old. I was unhealthy, and I was hurting people, and I tired of it!”
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Photo credit: Getty Images
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Photo credit: Getty Images
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Photo credit: Getty Images
In addition to the big and small screen, John's had plenty of successes on Broadway. Still, the occasionally serious actor gladly admits: “I really enjoy doing sitcoms. You’ve got 22 minutes a week to put on a new play.”
John had plans for a different kind of career after landing a football scholarship to Missouri State — but that's where he also discovered a love for acting, with future star
Kathleen Turner among his classmates in drama classes.
After an injury ended his athletic dreams, John moved to New York to pursue a career in entertainment. Instead, he mostly worked as a bouncer and a bartender. He finally got a big break as Coach Harris in 1984's "Revenge of the Nerds" — the same year he took a small role as a doomed policeman in the horror movie "C.H.U.D."
The struggling star's first TV appearance came in a Burger King commercial. He didn't have any lines, but took a big bite out of a Whopper. John then made a comeback as a star in a 2018 McDonald's commercial — where he still didn't get to speak!
Unlike most Hollywood stars, John's only been married once. He wed Annabeth Hartzog in 1989, and the couple's home is still in New Orleans — where they bought a house from Nine Inch Nails rocker Trent Reznor.
Photo credit: Getty Images
He was considered for the lead role in 1989’s "Uncle Buck," but lost out to John Candy. "Roseanne" wouldn't lead to his own big-screen starring roles until 1991, when John starred with
Peter O'Toole in the royal comedy "King Ralph."
That helped John become a big enough name to sit down as the first guest of
Conan O’Brien when the newcomer replaced
David Letterman in 1993 as the host of "Late Night."
Photo credit: Getty Images
John's gone public about his battle with the bottle, saying that he finally got sober in 2007. The star's said that sobriety is the "best thing that ever happened" to him — but later added: “It didn’t have anything to do with will. It just grew old. I was unhealthy, and I was hurting people, and I tired of it!”
Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images
In addition to the big and small screen, John's had plenty of successes on Broadway. Still, the occasionally serious actor gladly admits: “I really enjoy doing sitcoms. You’ve got 22 minutes a week to put on a new play.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
