John Stephen Goodman is an American actor.
For Disney, he is best known for voicing James P. Sullivan in Disney/Pixar's 2001 film Monsters, Inc. and its 2013 prequel Monsters University, as well as reprising this role in the Pixar video games Monsters, Inc. Scream Arena, Cars: Mater-National Championship, Cars: Race-O-Rama, LEGO The Incredibles, Disney Dreamlight Valley, and in the Disney+ original series Monsters at Work. He also voiced Pacha in The Emperor's New Groove, its 2005 sequel, and the TV series (season 2 only), Baloo in The Jungle Book 2, and Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff in The Princess and the Frog.
Additionally, he starred in various Touchstone Pictures films, such as Ed Munn in Stella, William "Bill" Sanford in Coyote Ugly, Daniel "Big Dan" Teague in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and Graham Bloomwood in Confessions of a Shopaholic.
Goodman was born in Affton, Missouri. His father, Leslie Francis Goodman, was a postal worker who died of a heart attack when John was two years old. Goodman's mother, Virginia Roos (née Loosmore), was a waitress at Jack and Phil's Bar-B-Que, a retail store worker, and also took in laundry to support the family. Goodman has an older brother, Leslie, who is 14 years his senior, and a younger sister, Elisabeth, who was born six months after his father's death. He is of English, German, and Welsh ancestry and was raised Southern Baptist. Goodman described his childhood as alone and withdrawn after his father had died so early and his brother had left to go to college. He was bullied at school for being overweight.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Film | Character | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Emperor's New Groove | Pacha | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Voice |
| 2001 | Monsters, Inc. | James P. "Sulley" Sullivan | Pixar Animation Studios | |
| 2003 | The Jungle Book 2 | Baloo | Disneytoon Studios | Voice (replacing Phil Harris) |
| 2005 | Kronk's New Groove | Pacha | Voice/Straight-to-video | |
| 2006 | Cars | Sulley (cameo as "Sullivan Truck") | Pixar Animation Studios | Voice |
| 2009 | The Princess and the Frog | Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff | Walt Disney Animation Studios | |
| 2013 | Monsters University | James P. Sullivan | Pixar Animation Studios |
Television[]
| Year(s) | Show | Character | Studio | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–2008 | The Emperor's New School | Pacha (season 2) |
Walt Disney Television Animation | Disney Channel/ABC | Voice |
| 2021 | Monsters at Work | James P. Sullivan | Disney+ |
Touchstone Pictures[]
| Year | Film | Character | Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Stella | Ed Munn | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 2000 | Coyote Ugly | William James "Bill" Sanford | Jerry Bruckheimer Films |
| O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Big Dan Teague | Universal Pictures StudioCanal Working Title Films | |
| 2009 | Confessions of a Shopaholic | Graham Bloomwood | Jerry Bruckheimer Films |
Hollywood Pictures[]
|
Year |
Film |
Character |
Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1990 |
Delbert McClintock |
Amblin Entertainment | |
|
Harry Brock |
Touchwood Pacific Partners I |
Video games[]
| Year | Video Games | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Emperor's New Groove | Pacha | (movie stock footage) |
| 2002 | Mike's Monstrous Adventure | James P. Sullivan | Voice |
| Monsters, Inc. Scream Arena | |||
| 2007 | Cars Mater-National | ||
| 2009 | Cars Race-O-Rama | ||
| 2018 | LEGO The Incredibles | ||
| 2023 | Disney Dreamlight Valley |
Accolades[]
| Year | Film | Character | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Monsters, Inc. | James P. "Sulley" Sullivan | World Soundtrack Awards | Best Original Song Written For A Film | Won |
| 2004 | The Jungle Book 2 | Baloo | Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie | Nominated |
| 2010 | The Princess and the Frog | Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff | Black Reel Awards | Best Ensemble | |
| 2013 | Monsters University | James P. Sullivan | Disney Legends Award | Animation (voice) | Won |
Roles[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- He was considered to voice Genie in Aladdin, along with several other actors, but the role was ultimately given to Robin Williams.[citation needed]
- He was also considered for the voice role of Zeus in Hercules, alongside Jim Belushi, Patrick Stewart, and Gregory Peck.[citation needed]
