Jordan Karlesson
In more ways than one, John Goodman is one of the giants of Hollywood. In fact, he has been so for almost 40 years. The only fact about the versatile actor that is more impressive, perhaps, is his prolificacy during that long span.
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For his own part, though, Goodman would probably say that his greatest achievement is his only child, Molly Evangeline Goodman. Now in her early 30s, it appears that she is pursuing a career in the film industry as well.
Here, we introduce you to Molly — but first, give a lengthy and yet still brief overview of John Goodman’s truly unmatched list of acting accomplishments.
John Goodman’s Incomparable Career
John Goodman’s career is, in a word, illustrious. After making his big-screen debut all the way back in 1983 with a part in Eddie Macon’s Run, he’s amassed a dizzying number of credits — more than 100 films, by our count.
In fact, from the time he began his film career through 2019, he only let one year elapse — 1995 — in which he didn’t appear in a movie.
And that’s not to mention his host of TV credits. Like the 220 episodes of Roseanne in which he portrayed the titular character’s husband. Or the 13 episodes of Saturday Night Live that he’s hosted, making him the runner-up only to Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.
Or his myriad other roles in shows like The Righteous Gemstones, Treme, Center of the Universe, Damages, Alpha House, and the Roseanne sequel The Conners.
For a larger-than-life actor, it seems physically impossible that the 70-year-old has accomplished so much in his career.
He dreaded the derisive label of “character actor” by co-starring in Roseanne, landing seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations along the way. And he immortalized his career with a co-starring role in The Big Lebowski, a once-cult favorite Coen Brothers flick that now stands as a culture behemoth.
Goodman also scooped up Emmy noms for two miniseries: his leading role in 1995’s Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long and his supporting part in the following year’s A Streetcar Named Desire. He finally earned the award in 2007 for guesting in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
And, for good measure, he got another Emmy nomination in 2010 by playing a supporting role in You Don’t Know Jack. He’s also racked up Golden Globe Award nominations over the years, winning one for Roseanne in 1994 — but, shockingly, the Academy Awards still haven’t recognized him with as much as a nomination.
What Is John Goodman Up to These Days?
Goodman “slowed down” over the past few years, perhaps due to COVID, by only participating in one movie since 1999. That film was Take Me to the River: New Orleans, a Martin Shore documentary about the city’s music scene, which Goodman narrated.
He also lent his voice to two animated TV shows that are still running: The Freak Brothers, based on an underground comic; and Monsters at Work, part of the Monsters, Inc. franchise. For good measure, he had a voice role in the 2020 sports doc Birds of a Different Game: The 80’s Cardinals.
Meanwhile, The Righteous Gemstones is still an active HBO franchise that features Goodman. And it would be bewildering if he didn’t appear in another film by the Coen Brothers.
The filmmakers are responsible for his unforgettable performances in The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, Inside Llewyn Davis, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?
(In fact, most actors would kill for a résumé consisting of Goodman’s roles in those movies alone.
In recent years, John Goodman has shocked everyone with his tremendous — and tremendously impressive — weight loss.
While his huge size may have helped secure him many of his unique acting roles, Goodman previously revealed to podcaster Marc Maron that he was bullied at school for being large.
Expressnoted earlier this year that Goodman, at his heaviest, weighed at least 400 pounds — or perhaps even 500. The British tabloid called him “absolutely recognizable” after he dropped as many as 200 pounds.
His family is no doubt that its patriarch — also a recovering alcoholic — made critical changes to his health and lifestyle.
John Goodman’s Close-Knit Family
Speaking of which, throughout all his remarkable journeys, wife and clothing line businesswoman Anna Beth Hartzog has stuck by Goodman’s side. The two married in 1989, the same year that saw the release of two films in which he appeared: The Sea of Love and Always.
They have one child together: Molly Evangeline Goodman, born the year after the Goodmans married. And from the looks of it, she might be trying to follow in her father’s impressively huge footsteps.
Vulture reported in October 2012 that Molly is 22 years old and in film school.
She also nabbed a gig working as a production assistant.
According to Yen, Molly got a BA in film and television production from the University of Southern California. The website further said she worked as a set dresser at ABC, but that was based on information from a LinkedIn profile that no longer exists.
Buzz Nigeria further noted that Molly is a producer, script editor, and behind-the-scenes coordinator, although additional information about her serving in those roles is not readily apparent.
“Like her father John Goodman, the 32-year-old Molly is thriving in Hollywood as she has managed to build a blossoming career with a lot of prospects and opportunities for advancement in such a short period of time,” the website said. “Unlike him, however, she is doing it all behind the scenes instead of being in front of a camera.”
If true, it sounds like Molly is already on the path to success. Her father must be proud.
The article’s supposed to be about Molly Evangeline Goodman yet you talk about her father far more than you do her.