Roseanne actors and actresses - How their lives have changed | Gallery

By Bryanne Salazar 9:15am PDT, Mar 22, 2018

On March 27, 2018, our favorite '80s and '90s sitcom, "Roseanne," is coming back to ABC for a nine-episode run. Not only are most of the original cast members returning, but they've even added a few new faces. In honor of the reboot, Wonderwall.com is taking a look at the show's original actors and actresses to see how their lives have changed over the years. Keep reading to see who's coming back, who's not and who passed away before their time…

Comedian Roseanne Barr starred as Roseanne Conner on the ABC comedy "Roseanne" from 1988 to 1997. The matriarch of the Conner clan was known for her brash sense of humor and tell-it-like-it-is attitude.

Although she played a wife who despised housework on "Roseanne," the real Roseanne Barr is no stranger to hard work. In fact, long before the show aired its finale, Roseanne had positioned herself as a big-screen star with roles in films like "She Devil" and "Look Who's Talking Too." After her series ended in 1997, she hosted her own daytime talk show, "The Roseanne Show," which ended in 2000, and followed that with numerous TV and film appearances (including in "Cecil B. DeMented" and "Home on the Range") as well as another talk show in 2003 (which ended the same year). Not surprisingly, Roseanne returned to TV in 2011, but this time with the docu-series "Roseanne's Nuts," which featured her and her partner, Johnny Argent, as they ran a macadamia nut farm in Hawaii. Perhaps her biggest claim to fame since leaving her award-winning comedy series happened in 2012 when she ran for president of the United States. She said she did it because she wanted to highlight how challenging it was for third-party candidates to get their names on the ballot. In 2015, she released the documentary "Roseanne For President," which detailed her experiences as a candidate. Although Roseanne's acting credits span decades, her return to "Roseanne" in 2018 will be her first character role in nearly three years.

John Goodman starred as Roseanne's husband, Dan Conner, on "Roseanne" from 1988 to 1997. Though Dan actually died on the original series' finale, his character is being resurrected for the 2018 reboot.

Like co-star Roseanne Barr, John Goodman was already a regular face on the big screen before "Roseanne" came to an end in 1997. The award-winning actor was most famously in "Raising Arizona" before transitioning to more serious roles in films like "The Babe" (about the life of baseball great Babe Ruth) and "Argo" (which led to a SAG Award win). In addition to TV and movies, John also has experience as a theater actor with stage credits in Broadway productions like "Waiting For Godot" and "The Front Page." Over the years, John's had co-starring roles in some of the biggest films, like "The Big Lebowski," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" "Monsters Inc." (he's Sully!), "Flight" and "10 Cloverfield Lane." Of course, John also kept his foot in the world of television with appearances on series like "The West Wing," "Treme" and "Community." In 2007, John won an Emmy for his work on the drama "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." After a busy 2017 with roles in several films, such as "Once Upon a Time in Venice" and "Atomic Blonde," John's returning to both the big and small screens with the sci-fi thriller "Captive State" and, of course, "Roseanne." He's been married to wife Anna Beth, with whom he has a daughter, since 1989.

Laurie Metcalf (right) starred as Roseanne's sister, Jackie, on "Roseanne" from 1988 to 1997. Jackie was neurotic and inflexible, which was a hilarious contrast to impulsive and carefree Roseanne.

Laurie Metcalf has enjoyed a long and successful career on the screen as well as on the stage. Since 1984, Laurie's appeared in numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway productions including 2008's "November," which earned her a Tony nomination, and 2017's "Misery," in which she played the terrifying Annie Wilkes. After she left "Roseanne" in 1997, Laurie continued to work in theater, TV and films. Some of her most noted roles since include Carolyn Bigsby on "Desperate Housewives," Bobette Buffkin on "Easy Money" and Sheldon's mom, Mary Cooper, on "The Big Bang Theory." In 2017, Laurie starred in Greta Gerwig's indie dramedy "Lady Bird" alongside Saoirse Ronan, which earned her two SAG Award nominations and an Oscar nod. Laurie's also a noted voice actress who's played Andy's mom in every "Toy Story" movie, including the newest one coming to theaters on June 21, 2019. In 2014, Laurie and her husband of nine years, Matt Roth (who also appeared on "Roseanne" and "Desperate Housewives"), divorced. They share three children. Laurie also has a daughter from a previous marriage.

Lecy Goranson (left) starred as Roseanne and Dan Conner's oldest daughter, Becky, on "Roseanne" from 1988 to 1993. She left the series at the end of Season 4 to attend Vassar College but returned for the eighth season before departing once and for all.

Today, Lecy Goranson goes by Alicia Goranson (her real name) and while she doesn't have a ton of post-"Roseanne" acting credits, the few she has acquired are impressive nonetheless. In 1999, Alicia co-starred in the Oscar-winning biopic "Boys Don't Cry" alongside Hilary Swank. Her next on-screen role wouldn't be until 2004 — a guest spot on HBO's "Sex and the City." In 2016, Alicia famously appeared alongside her "Roseanne" replacement, Sarah Chalke, on an episode of "Inside Amy Schumer." Over the years, Alicia has also worked as a tarot card reader in Brooklyn. In addition to returning as Becky for the "Roseanne" reboot, Alicia has roles in two other films in 2018: the comedy "Hurricane Bianca: From Russia with Hate" and the drama "Buck Run."

Sara Gilbert starred as the Conners' challenging, back-talking middle daughter, Darlene, on "Roseanne" from 1988 to 1997.

It turns out the "Roseanne" reboot was actually Sara Gilbert's idea. As the story goes, Sara — who's a current co-host on "The Talk" — was doing a skit with her former TV dad, John Goodman, and realized their old sitcom could resonate with audiences today. Three weeks later, ABC approved the deal and the wheels were in motion to bring back "Roseanne" with a modern twist. In addition to her hosting gig, Sara's also appeared alongside her former TV aunt, Laurie Metcalf, on several episodes of "The Big Bang Theory." Prior to that, she'd had recurring roles on shows like "Welcome to New York," "24" and "Bad Teacher." Not only has she worked as an actress, but since 2011, she's also been a producer on "The Talk" (she's also a producer on the "Roseanne" reboot). In 2010, Sara came out as a gay woman during a press conference and in 2014, she married former 4 Non Blondes singer and songwriter Linda Perry. The couple share one son. Sara also has two older children from a previous relationship.

Michael Fishman played D.J., the youngest member of the Conner family, on the comedy series "Roseanne" from 1988 to 1997. Michael was only 6 when was cast.

After leaving "Roseanne" in 1997, Michael Fishman appeared in a few small roles on shows like "Seinfeld" and "Walker, Texas Ranger" but never managed to regain his former TV success. In 2001, after appearing in "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," Michael took a sabbatical from Hollywood and focused on his marriage to Jennifer Briner, the mother of his two children. In 2016, Michael — who's also worked behind the scenes as a producer on several projects — made his return to acting with a role in the sports comedy "Undrafted." In 2018, along with returning as D.J. in the "Roseanne" reboot, Michael has a part in the action film "Adi Shankar's Gods and Secrets."

In 1993, Sarah Chalke joined the cast of "Roseanne" as Lecy Goranson's replacement in the role of Becky Conner. Sarah remained on the show until Lecy returned to reclaim her role during Season 8. When Lecy left (again), Sarah stepped in as Becky one more time for the final season.

Although Sarah Chalke only appeared on "Roseanne" for three seasons, the accomplished actress was a beloved cast member and is still considered a part of their TV family. Since the original actress who portrayed Becky on the series, Alicia Goranson, is reclaiming her role in the "Roseanne" reboot, Sarah's been given a new (although still important) role: She's playing Andrea, the surrogate hired by Becky to carry her baby. After leaving "Roseanne" in 1997, Sarah was famously cast in the comedy series "Scrubs," where she played Dr. Elliot Reid for nine years. From 2008 to 2014, Sarah also appeared on the hit comedy "How I Met Your Mother." From 2013 to 2017, Sarah voiced the character Beth Smith on the animated series "Rick and Morty." In addition to appearing on "Roseanne" in 2018, Sarah is also returning to the comedy series "Speechless" alongside Minnie Driver for one episode. Since the early 2000s, Sarah's been in a long-term relationship with lawyer Jamie Afifi. They share two children.

Johnny Galecki starred on "Roseanne" as Darlene's boyfriend (and, later, husband), David Healy, from 1992 to 1997. On the show, David's older brother Mark was Darlene's sister Becky's rough-edged boyfriend. The two came from a troubled home, leading David to eventually move in with the Conners.

Johnny Galecki is one of the rare child stars who managed to not only continue his career into adulthood but find even more success. After leaving "Roseanne" in 1997, Johnny (who once dated his TV girlfriend Sara Gilbert in real life before she told him she was gay) went on to star in films like "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "Bounce," "Vanilla Sky" and "Hancock." Since 2006, Johnny's starred as Leonard Hofstadter on the award-winning comedy series "The Big Bang Theory." Though he's not listed in the "Roseanne" reboot's credits, we still have our fingers crossed he'll make a cameo. Since 2015, he's been dating Ariella Nicole. Prior to that relationship, Johnny famously dated his "Big Bang" co-star Kaley Cuoco.

Glenn Quinn played bad boy Mark Healy, Becky Conner's boyfriend (and, later, husband), on "Roseanne" from 1990 to 1997. Mark was responsible for introducing his brother, David, to Becky's sister, Darlene.

Another star who won't be returning to the "Roseanne" reboot is Glenn Quinn. Sadly, it's not because Glenn wasn't a beloved cast member, but because he died from an opioid overdose in 2002 at age 32. Before his passing, Glenn had a recurring role as Allen Doyle, the half-demon psychic and servant of The Powers That Be, on the sci-fi drama "Angel." His last film role was in the 2002 indie crime comedy "R.S.V.P."

Estelle Parsons played Roseanne and Jackie's mom, Beverly Harris, on "Roseanne" from 1989 to 1997. Beverly was funny and witty but known to take underhanded jabs at her daughters when she didn't like what they were doing.

Estelle Parsons, 90, had a long career before "Roseanne" and continued her success for many years after the series ended. After making her acting debut in 1963, Estelle found fame with roles in films like "Bonnie and Clyde" (for which she won a best supporting actress Oscar) and "Rachel, Rachel" (for which she received a second Oscar nod) before landing her role as Roseanne's mom, Beverly Harris, in 1989. From there, Estelle made appearances on shows like "Touched By An Angel," "Frasier" and "The Good Wife." Since 1956, Estelle's also been a regular face in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions like "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany" and "The Velocity of Autumn" (both of which earned her Tony nominations). In 2017, Estelle worked as a producer on the Off-Broadway play "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot." Her last on-screen role was in two episodes of the Netflix original series "Grace and Frankie." Although Estelle isn't currently listed as a returning cast member on the 2018 "Roseanne" reboot, reports have confirmed she will be making a guest appearance on the show.

Comedian and actress Sandra Bernhard (right) starred as Roseanne Conner's best friend, Nancy Bartlett, on "Roseanne" from 1991 to 1997. Nancy's character was, like Sandra, bisexual.

Sandra Bernhard might not be a top-billed performer anymore, but she's steadily worked in Hollywood since ending her run on "Roseanne" in 1997. In addition to appearing in films like "Playing Mona Lisa" and "Zoolander," Sandra's had roles on numerous TV shows such as "The L Word," "Switched At Birth," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and "2 Broke Girls." In 2017, Sandra appeared on two episodes of the comedy series "Broad City." Like Estelle Parsons, Sandra's not currently listed as a "Roseanne" reboot cast member but has confirmed she will be making an appearance on the show.

Martin Mull (right) played Leon, Roseanne Conner's former boss and, later, friend on "Roseanne" from 1991 to 1997. Leon, who was gay, married his partner, Scott (played by Fred Willard, left), on the show.

By the time Martin Mull left "Roseanne" in 1997, he'd already had a career in Hollywood that spanned more than 20 years. Immediately after the series ended, Martin picked up a new regular gig as Principal Willard Kraft on the family comedy series "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch." He continued with numerous guest roles on various shows, including a recurring role on "The Ellen Show" with Ellen DeGeneres. From 2004 to 2007, Martin voiced the character Vlad on the animated series "Danny Phantom" and from 2005 to 2011, he voiced Father Donovan on "American Dad!" Perhaps Martin's most notable roles since "Roseanne" have been as Gene Parmesan on "Arrested Development" and as Russell on "Two and a Half Men." In 2016, Martin appeared on four episodes of "Veep" and later was cast as a recurring character on the Netflix series "The Ranch" alongside Ashton Kutcher. In 2018, he has a role in the biographical comedy "A Futile and Stupid Gesture" and will appear in the TV movie "The Cool Kids." Martin's currently not slated to reprise his role as Leon on the "Roseanne" reboot. He's been married to musician Wendy Haas since 1989.