Alex Carson
John Goodman is an actor that has appeared in a staggering number of memorable roles. Though the absolute most popular of these has to be the role of Dan Connor that he originated on Roseanne. John is still at it today, and he’s looking better than ever after suffering a health scare in the 2000s. Join Facts Verse as we explore how after John Goodman’s transformation, he is a completely different man.
John Goodman Wanted to Play Football
John Goodman was born on June 20, 1952, in the state of Missouri. During his youth, John always had an interest in the arts. But he never saw a future for himself in the world of Hollywood. Instead, John believed that his future stardom was going to be in the world of American football. John began playing football seriously during his high school years. The future celebrity attended a high school by the name of Affton High School. Where he was one of the most prominent members of the school’s football team. As a result of his high-school football success, John Goodman was able to secure himself a college scholarship. However, he took a year off from his education before enrolling in Missouri State University and picking the football back up.
Tragically, John Goodman suffered an injury during his days playing football for Missouri State University. And he subsequently had to turn his hopes away from a future career in football. Thankfully, John had a second passion to fall back on, and that second passion was acting! All of the time that John had previously spent practicing football now went into honing his acting craft. And he started becoming more and more involved the school’s drama program. John ended up receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the college. And got to act alongside such fellow future stars as Tess Harper and Kathleen Turner during his time in Missouri State University’s drama program. According to John, he’s still good friend with both Kathleen and Tess to this day.
It was in the year 1975 the John Goodman got his very first professional acting gig. Everyone has to start somewhere, and John Goodman got his start taking a giant bite out of a Whopper for a Burger King commercial. While this first gig may have left quite a bit to be desired for the burgeoning star. More meaty roles would come his way later on. As John Goodman waited for the role that was going to make him a star. He worked menial jobs in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen district. There, he worked as both a bouncer and a waiter. Join Facts Verse as we explore how after John Goodman’s transformation, he is a completely different man.
John’s Big Break Came on Television
Nearly a decade after his very first professional acting gig, John Goodman received the role that would go on to bring him some significant attention from people in the entertainment industry. This role was a fairly prominent turn in the 1983 made-for-television feature The Face of Rage.
Not long after appearing in The Face of Rage, John Goodman received the role that has really come to considered the actor’s big break. Of course, that would be the role of Dan Conner in the hit sitcom Roseanne. Roseanne appeared on the ABC network in 1988, and proved a starring vehicle for popular comedian Rose Barr. John played Rose’s wife on the series, though Rose’s real-life husband was fellow comedian Tom Arnold.
Roseanne became a gigantic hit for the ABC network. And it made huge starts out of both it’s namesake comedian and John Goodman himself. The popularity that John received from his role in the series allowed him to become a pretty big film star over the course of the 1990s. In 1987, a year prior to the premiere of Roseanne. John could be seen acting in the classic comedy Raising Arizona. Which was an early feature from cult film directors the Coen Brothers. John and the Coen Brothers still have a close working relationship to this day. And John has gone on to appear in many more films from the cult-favorite directors. Some of the other popular features from the directors that John has appeared in include Barton Fink and The Big Lebowski. Join Facts Verse as we explore how after John Goodman’s transformation, he is a completely different man.
John Goodman Loved Playing Fred Flintstone
While John Goodman has always been able to find cult success via working with the likes of the Coen Brothers. He transitioning into acting in mainstream blockbuster features during the 1990s. This occurred thanks to his aforementioned turn as Dan Conner in Roseanne. After a bit part as an exterminator in the Steven Spielberg-produced Arachnophobia. John Goodman cemented his status as a blockbuster film star with his appearance in The Flintstones.
1994’s The Flintstones was a live-action blockbuster film adapted from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon of the same name. When the film was announced, fans of the cartoon were incredibly curious about who would end up being cast in the lead role of Fred Flintstone. John Goodman proved the perfect fit. And ended up being one of the only aspects of the much-derided film that audiences universally liked.
The poor critical reception of The Flintstones did nothing to hurt John’s career. And the actor has continued to find incredible success in the entertainment industry to this day. However, that doesn’t mean that the actor’s time in the spotlight has been completely stress free. In fact, it seems that, for the first several decades of John’s career, he was a functioning alcoholic that was prone to overeating to alleviate his depression. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! Also, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
John Suffered from Alcoholism for Decades
By the mid-2000s, Roseanne had been off the air for nearly a decade and John Goodman had made his complete transition into being one of the most revered film stars of modern times. However, he has never been afraid to return to television when an appropriate opportunity presents itself. In 2007, John was set to receive an Emmy Award for a guest-starring turn that he made in the dramatic series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Though John was in a good place in his career at this point. He wasn’t in a very good place personally. The actor was heavier than he had ever been, and he had never been slim. In addition to weighing nearly 400 pounds, John was also knee-deep in drink.
As it turns out, John Goodman has always had a fairly hard time controlling himself when it comes to both alcohol and food. The food part should come as no surprise to those that have been following the actor’s career, as the actor has always been significantly on the heavier side. However, the star has fairly successfully managed to keep his battles with substance abuse away from the prying eyes of the public, for the most part. Part of the reason that you don’t hear many people talking about John’s past alcoholism is that the actor seems to have put his struggles with the bottle completely behind him. John’s decision to say goodbye to alcohol came as a result of his aforementioned Emmy win.
For whatever reason, John Goodman proved incredibly nervous the night before the ceremony in which he was set to receive his Emmy Award for the aforementioned guest-starring turn in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. In order to calm his shaky nerves, John turned to his good, old friend the bottle. However, after downing a significant amount of alcohol. John claimed that he looked down and realized that his hands still hadn’t stopped their shaking. Typically, shaking occurs as a withdraw symptom, and it should abate once the alcoholic gets their fix. However, when an alcoholic’s body becomes too out of whack, their hands may still continue to shake no matter how much they consume. Join Facts Verse as we explore how after John Goodman’s transformation, he is a completely different man.
John Eventually Realized That He Needed Help
As John Goodman looked down at his shaky hands, he came to the realization that he really needed help. According to John, he called up his wife and told her about his problem. His wife then went about finding a rehab for her husband to stay in, and that was that. John Goodman has claimed that alcoholism plagued him for three decades before he was finally able to let go of the massive demon. After checking into rehab following this 2007 episode, John has remained sober.
Not only is John Goodman currently sober, but he has also lost a significant amount of weight since entering into his new period of sobriety! It seems that John’s cycle of alcohol abuse played a significant part in the actor’s overeating. Once he got rid of the alcohol, he ended up having a much easier time keeping his eating under control. Join Facts Verse as we explore how after John Goodman’s transformation, he is a completely different man.
Today, John Goodman is 70 years old, though he looks better than he has at any previous time in his career! Since forgoing alcohol consumption in the 2000s, John has lost nearly 200 pounds! The actor is now down to a healthy weight, and he’s also getting plenty of work done in the entertainment industry. John is currently a leading actor on two hit shows. With those two shows being The Conners and The Righteous Gemstones. The Conners was originally conceived as a reboot of Roseanne. Though the namesake female comedian was fired from the series after only one season.
This prompted a name change from Roseanne to The Conners, and also made room for John to take an increased role. While The Conners is a family-friendly comedy, John’s work on HBO series The Righteous Gemstones showcased the actor’s penchant for darker humor. John also continues to appear in notable feature films all the time. With some of the many blockbuster films that the actor has appeared in over the past few years including Kong: Skull Island and 16 Cloverfield Lane. Join Facts Verse as we explore how after John Goodman’s transformation, he is a completely different man.
John Goodman gave up alcohol and overeating during the mid-2000s, and he’s lost 200 pounds since! Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that John Goodman’s first professional acting gig was in a Burger King commercial. And that he is still hard at work today? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
