John Goodman is one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, but behind his successful career is a love story that began nearly four decades ago.
He met Anna Beth Hartzog at a Halloween party in New Orleans in 1987. She was just 19, and he was in his thirties.
“I couldn’t understand why someone so beautiful was talking to me”, the actor recalled years later.
They got engaged in 1988 and married in November 1989, in a ceremony attended by 650 guests. A year later, their only daughter, Molly, was born.
However, their marriage also went through difficult times. Goodman struggled with alcoholism for years, an addiction that affected his family life.
In 2018, the actor said that after hitting rock bottom, he called his wife for help. Anna Beth made the necessary arrangements for him to enter a rehabilitation center, where he began his recovery.
Goodman has also acknowledged that she was a crucial source of support for their daughter during the years when he couldn’t be as present as he would have liked.
Nearly 37 years after their wedding, they are still together, showing that behind a lasting relationship there are also hardships, commitment, and second chances.