John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He is best known for his role on the television series Roseanne, as well as his film work with the Coen brothers.

Goodman was born in Affton, Missouri, the son of Virginia, a store clerk and waitress who worked at Jack and Phil's Bar-B-Que, and Leslie Goodman, a postal worker who died from a heart attack in 1954. He has a sister, Elisabeth, and two brothers, Jon and Rick, with his extended family living in both St. Louis, MO as well as Miami, FL.

Goodman went to Affton High School where he played football and dabbled in theater. He then won a football scholarship to Southwest Missouri State University, now called Missouri State University. He pledged the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, but was not formally initiated until several decades later. He admittedly "wasted a year in the keg," before discovering Southwest Missouri's unusually well regarded drama program. He studied there with notable actors Kathleen Turner and Tess Harper. During his college stint he got injured, ending his football career. He then decided to become a professional actor, leaving Missouri for New York in 1975.