John Goodman: New Orleans' Favorite Adopted Son

New Orleans' Favorite Adopted Son

John Goodman isn't from New Orleans. He was born in Missouri, raised in the Midwest, and became famous playing a furniture store owner from Lanford, Illinois, on Roseanne. But at some point in the late 1980s, he came to New Orleans, fell in love with the city, and never really left. And New Orleans adopted him right back.

Goodman and his wife Annabeth Hartzog met while he was filming in New Orleans in 1989. They bought a house in the Garden District — eventually purchasing Trent Reznor's former home — and have lived there for more than three decades. For most of that time, Goodman has been one of the most visible and beloved residents in the city, a man who walks through the Quarter and gets waves from people who treat him like a neighbor, not a movie star. Because in New Orleans, he is a neighbor.

His connection to the city goes beyond real estate. Goodman appeared in HBO's Treme as Creighton Bernette, an English professor and blogger raging against the failures of the post-Katrina recovery. The performance was deeply felt — you could tell Goodman wasn't just acting. He was channeling the anger and heartbreak of watching the city he loved get abandoned by the people who were supposed to help.

He voiced a character in The Princess and the Frog, Disney's love letter to New Orleans. He's appeared in recovery commercials for Louisiana after Katrina. He shows up at Saints games. He eats at the neighborhood restaurants. He is, by every measure that matters to New Orleanians, one of us.

New Orleans has a long tradition of adopting people who choose the city. You don't have to be born here to be from here — you just have to love it, live it, and show up when it matters. John Goodman has done all three for more than thirty years. The Garden District is home, and New Orleans is lucky to have him.