Many of the members of the Roseanne cast recently reunited at the TV Land Awards. Their sitcom was honored with the Innovator Award and Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Sara Gilbert, Michael Fishman, Martin Mull, Johnny Galecki, Alicia Goranson, and Sarah Chalke appeared on-stage to accept the honor.
Last week, we gave you an update on some of the cast members. Here’s what the rest of the performers have been doing.
Johnny Galecki (David Healy) — The actor has been quite busy since the end of Roseanne. Galecki has appeared in such diverse films as National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Bounce, Vanilla Sky, The Opposite of Sex, and Suicide Kings. Last year, he starred on Broadway in The Little Dog Laughed as a male prostitute, a role that required full-frontal nudity. On television, Galecki had a recurring role as the half-brother of the title characters on Hope & Faith and guest-starred on other shows like My Name is Earl, LAX, and The Norm Show (alongside Roseanne costar Laurie Metcalf). He currently stars on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The sitcom was created by Chuck Lorrie who was a co-executive producer on Roseanne for a couple seasons. Galecki can next be seen in the upcoming Hancock movie with Will Smith.
Natalie West (Crystal Anderson) — She was an original castmember and remained a regular for four seasons. After that, she became a recurring guest-star and appeared on three episodes. West has done work in a couple of films in recent years like Life Sentence and The Poker House. She predominately works on stage with theatre groups like the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. In recent years, West has appeared in productions of Nickel and Dimed, Side Man, The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Guys, The God of Hell, and How I Learned to Drive.
Glenn Quinn (Mark Healy) — The Dublin-born actor co-owned a James Bond-style nightclub called Goldfingers. He was cast as a series regular on Angel in 1999 but his character was killed off after nine episodes. It’s been rumored that the actor had been fired because of an addiction to alcohol and drugs but show producers have said that the exit was planned from the beginning. On December 2, 2002, Quinn died unexpectedly from a heroin overdose while staying with a friend in North Hollywood. He was just 32. Fishman set up a memorial fund in Quinn’s name and a January 2003 Angel episode was dedicated to his memory.
Estelle Parsons (Bev Harris) — Parsons has had an extensive performing career and, before Roseanne, she appeared in such memorable films as Bonnie and Clyde, The Front Page, and Dick Tracy. Since the ABC sitcom ended, she’s had guest-starring roles on TV shows like Touched by an Angel, Law & Order: SVU, and Frasier. Parsons has mainly focused on stage work and has appeared on Broadway in plays like Salome and Morning’s at Seven. In 2004, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. Parsons is currently performing in the Tony-winning play August: Osage County on Broadway.
Sandra Bernhard (Nancy Bartlett) – A longtime stand-up comic, Bernhard returned to the stage when the sitcom ended. In 1998, while pregnant with her daughter, she starred in a one-woman show on Broadway called I’m Still Here… Damn It! After the birth of her child, Bernhard continued to do stand-up and appeared on TV series like Law & Order: SVU, The L Word, and Crossing Jordan. In 2006, she debuted her Everything Bad & Beautiful show Off-Broadway. Bernhard was at the center of controversy that year after she made some controversial comments on The View. The author of four collections of essays, Bernhard continues to tour in the US and UK and has released many comedy albums.
Martin Mull (Leon Carp) — This guy is like the Energizer Bunny — he just keeps going and going and going. A veteran comedian, Mull has appeared on dozens and dozens of television shows since Roseanne ended. He’s had regular or recurring roles on The Ellen Show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Life with Bonnie, The War at Home, and animated series like Danny Phantom and American Dad!. Mull is an accomplished artist and a book of his work, Painting, Drawing and World, was published in 1995. Divorced twice, Mull is currently married to composer/singer Wendy Haas and they have a daughter together.
Roseanne had one of the stranger series finales in television history. (If you don’t remember it, you can catch-up here.) We caught up with Mull at the recent TV Land Awards and asked him how he might have ended the show, favorite TV characters he’s played, and about working with Fred Willard (his Leon character’s husband). Take a look…
What are the main cast doing these days? Head over here to find out.
Given the recent events of Roseanne Barr’s social media rant, ABC has terminated the Roseanne show. What about the other actors/actresses that are caught in the crossfire.. I hope they are compensated for the balance of their contract….
I really like the first 3 seasons best then the show went down hill when so many began turning to the same partners and Dan died. I guess he was getting tired of the show and wanted to move on. I think everyone was getting tired and bored but only remained for a job. Sometimes I think series should only run for 4 seasons and close up shop and move on. The early Roseanne episodes are classics and good memories of good times
Rosanne is a brilliant writer and comedian. Was the show perfect? Nope. Were the episodes when her last name was Arnold particularly bad? Yes. Was the ending controvercial and unexpected? Yes. The way she rolls the plight of the poor, blue collar families with social issues and comedy is astounding. I was Darlene. I get it. I struggled to pull myself from that plight. It doesn’t matter that the details don’t line up. It’s the message that matters. Rosey always thought that the girls were with the wrong boys and that’s why she switched them in the story. I think… Read more »
I to love love the Roseanne show.Iv always watched it the egg shirt I woquld.love to know what it means to.Anyways I love Dan Conner.John (goodman.In everythiing he plays
michael…Dan did die in the end…when Roseanne is narrating in the final episode she states that everything was just one of her stories she wrote…they lost Dan when he suffered the heart attack…Becky was actually with David, Darlene and Mark were together etc…
David and Darlene got married Dan had a heart attack. Then they won the lottery and Dan used the money to help his mentally ill mother thats when he was written off the show for several episodes but he came back and roseanne found out that Dan almost had an affair with his mothers nurse. At this time the actor who was playing Dan was wanting off the show. When Darlene had her baby it got sick and thats when Dan came back and fixed his married to Roseanne. Thats how the show ended.
Gina Dan didn`t Die at the end
Michael, Dan did die at the end. In the very last episode, it was revealed that Dan died when he had his heart attack. It was also revealed that Jackie was a lesbian, Darlene married Mark, Becky married David and that Bev was still straight. Basically everything up to David’s entrance in the show, because unreal because it was Roseanne’s writing.
I was wondering if anyone knew the significance of the Chicken/ Egg shirt featured on so many of the episodes? Was it just a prop? An inside joke? I just recently became a roseanne fan after watching the ENTIRE series with a friend of mine. She doesn’t have a clue either, but we love it! Found it here for anyone else that is interested:
http://www.cafepress.com/dd/32778260
Thanks for your help!
xox
There was no real significance, Roseanne just loved them because they were so gaudy and and she was really hoping they’d take off and she would see the public wearing them everywhere
Oh lord how we all couldn’t wait for rosranne nite at our house,when my kids were small!! But honestly the last year was embarassing. Winning the lottery should have stopped there. But hey, you do what you want when you’re the boss right. But the old ones are classic, totally. 5 stars!!!
Yes, I agree the new Becky seem fake! Ijs
I love, love, LOVE Roseanne. I’m watching it right now, as a matter of fact. I have to agree with Gina. Dan always reminded me a lot of my own dad. It really sucks that they killed off his character. If the Conner’s hadn’t won the lottery, I think the show would’ve lasted much longer. I mean it was still ok, but the blue collar episodes were MUCH better.
Oh, and the original Becky was better! Just sayin. lol
I agree with you completely on all of that. My dad is a LEANER version of Dan. Very much into sports, yet laid back, close with his kids, great sense of humor, but very protective of his family and has a great set of values. On a ironic note, I from the Quad Cites. One of the towns mentioned often(including where Roseanne/Jackie were supposedly raised is part of the Quad Cities. Moline, Illinois. I have been to moline a zillion times. I have been to all the towns in Illinois that they mentioned. I even have been to all the… Read more »
i love roseanne too. the ending was very good for the more cooky last season. it is very believable that a woman that has spent all of her life with her high scool sweetheart, do something to reason with the loss of her husband so suddenly and tragically. her being a writer on the show found that as an outlet for the loss of her husband. so yes,bring ing the truth to the show as it rang true, and to so many of us raised similiar to the blue collar, it is perfectly reasonable.
No the ending wasn’t reasonable or fe asible. I am a HUGE Roseanne fan. However, the last season you could tell Roseanne got way to much through of her own thought process on the shows. Things got way out of hand and to the point of it being illogical. However, is it likely for someone to become a writer, and write fictional events like she claimed? Sure. However, way before Dan’s heart attack, you have to remember how old Darlene was when Becky and Mark started dating. I believe she was 11 or 12. Mark was already much older then… Read more »
I think Roseanne was one of the funniest thing coming down the pike! Still do. If I could change anything about the last season, especially towards the end, I would have had the family go to Chicago. Andy (Jackie’s son) and Jerry (Roseanne’s son) get sick and they have to go to the hospital. Who should happen to be one of the doctors on duty but George Clooney in a guest appearance. (Remember, at the time, he played Dr. Doug Ross, a pediatrician on E/R, based in CHICAGO.) Booker tells Jackie that after Wellman’s closed up he went back to… Read more »
I love Roseanne.
I still watch it every chance I get.
I did not care for the ending of killing off Dan-I loved his character and the actor.