John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is a
Golden Globe- and
Emmy-winning
American actor. He is well known for his deep, booming voice and his intimidating size.
Biography
Early life
Goodman was born in
Affton, Missouri, the son of Virginia, a store clerk and waiter who worked at Jack and Phil's Bar-B-Que, and Leslie Goodman, a
postal worker[www.fansofjohngoodman.com/bio.html] who died from a
heart attack in 1955.
[John Goodman Biography (1952-)][John Goodman Biography - Yahoo! Movies][1] He has a sister, Elisabeth, and a brother, Leslie. Goodman went to
Affton High School and won a football scholarship at
Southwest Missouri State University, now called
Missouri State University.
[Stated in interview on Inside the Actors Studio] He pledged the
Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, but was not formally initiated until several decades later. During his college stint he got injured, ending his football career. He decided to become an
actor, leaving Missouri for
New York in 1975.
He performed
off Broadway, in dinner theatres, gas station bathrooms and in television commercials before getting character roles in movies during the early 1980s.
One of his earliest roles was
Pap Finn in the Broadway musical
Big River, and he can be heard on the
original cast album.
