Characters in the Roseanne television series
Encyclopedia
A list of major characters in Roseanne
, the television series.
. Birthdate: May 8, 1953. Roseanne, in a takeoff of her stand-up comedic and presumed real-life persona, is a bossy, loud, caustic, overweight, and dominant woman. She constantly tries to control the lives of her sister, husband, children, co-workers, and friends. Despite her dominating nature, Roseanne is a loving mother who works hard and makes as much time for her kids as possible. She and her younger sister Jackie are the daughters of Beverly and Al Harris. Roseanne is married to Dan Conner and, when the series begins, they have three children: Becky, Darlene and David Jacob ("D.J."); a fourth child, Jerry Garcia, is born late in the series. She and her family deal with the many hardships of poverty, obesity, and domestic troubles with humor. She has always had troubles with weight, inspiring an episode in which she and Dan try to lose weight. She works at the Wellman Plastics factory at the beginning of the show's run and quits that job after a conflict with the new egotistical domineering boss, Mr. Faber; she leads a walkout that includes most of her friends. She has several periods of unemployment and holds jobs as a fast-food employee, a telemarketer, a bartender, and a shampoo woman/hair sweeper at a beauty salon. Subsequently, she works for several years as a waitress in the luncheonette at Rodbell's department store located in the Lanford Mall (much to the chagrin of daughters Becky and Darlene, who regularly hang out there). She eventually co-owns a successful restaurant called the Lanford Lunch Box with Jackie, her mother Bev, Nancy, and her former boss from the luncheonette, Leon, after Bev sells her share in the restaurant to him. Roseanne and Jackie, in the last years of the show, win a lottery in excess of $108,000,000. This allows them to live the high life. Eventually, at the end of the series, it is revealed that she didn't win the lottery at all and that most of what had happened on the show in the final season was actually from a book of her own writing. She also reveals that Dan died from a heart attack at the end of the previous season.
. Birthdate: November 6, 1951. Dan Conner is the husband of Roseanne and father of Becky, Darlene, DJ and Jerry. In the beginning of the series, Dan was an easy-going, drywall
contractor.
During the final episode, when Roseanne reveals that the entire series was written as a book based on her life and family, she changed certain elements of what she hadn't liked; most notably, Dan had actually died after having his heart attack. The potential absence of Dan from all or most of the next season prompted Phil Rosenthal of the Los Angeles Daily News
to describe it as a rare occasion where ending the show would be preferred to doing without. Robinson described Goodman's potential absence as leaving a tremendous void, owing to his ability to make those acting with him better. The revelation that Dan actually died and the latter part of the series being a work of fiction was not well received.
In an article about television dads, The Post and Courier editor Mindy Spar began discussing how '90s TV dads became goofier than dads from earlier decades, calling Dan more like one of the children than the father. IGN
editor Edgar Arce called Dan Conner a prototypical everyman.
An article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
praised the relationship between Dan and Roseanne, calling their relationship realistic, commenting that while they mock each other, viewers can feel their love while they deal with the kinds of problems real families face. During the final season, Dan and Roseanne live apart after Dan cheats on Roseanne. Daily News editor David Bianculli stated that while they were the most entertaining and realistic couples on television, they were one of the least during their separation.
. Birthdate: c. 1956. Jackie is Roseanne's younger sister by three years. In the episode "Labor Day," it is revealed that Jackie's real name may have originally been Marjorie, as her mother reveals that Roseanne couldn't pronounce it, and wound up calling her "My Jackie", thus leading to Jackie's name. Jackie is an intelligent, warm, highly sensitive underachiever with chronic low self-esteem. Roseanne seems to be in charge of Jackie's life, which is a frequent cause of conflict between the two; however, Jackie sometimes enjoys having Roseanne mother her, especially when Jackie feels vulnerable. Jackie's character seems to become more animated and colorful as the series progresses. Jackie holds numerous jobs: working in the Wellman Plastics factory for several years until the walkout, then becoming a police officer until she is injured on the job, and later a truck driver, then opening the Lanford Lunch Box with Roseanne and Nancy (her mother is a silent partner). Jackie often comes up with seemingly off-the-wall "crazy" ideas, but it turns out that many of her unconventional ideas actually work. Her romantic relationships are frequently unstable, including one where she dates a man named Fisher and becomes the victim of domestic violence
. However, she eventually marries Dan's co-worker Fred, who impregnated her after a one-night stand. Jackie gives birth to their son, Andy, two months before she marries Fred. At one point Jackie, unhappy with the self-absorbed couch potato Fred, starts going out with another couple, which then becomes one man. Dan sees her, warns her about Fred's possible reaction, but later accidentally blurts it out to Fred. Fred returns home upset, accuses Jackie of "adultery" and refuses to speak to her. Roseanne, with Bev's help, has Fred realize that his accusations against Jackie are unjustified, and he goes back. However, at this point Jackie is realizing that she's happier being single. The marriage proves to be short-lived because Jackie finds Fred boring, petty, and self-centered and they fall out of love. Jackie is crushed by the divorce at first, but moves on to become a successful single mom to Andy. Despite Jackie's apparent flightiness in the early episodes, Jackie is actually the backbone of the Conner/Harris family in many ways, as Roseanne admits in the last episode. In the final episode, it is also revealed that the character of Jackie had been a lesbian
the entire time, and that Roseanne knew but had simply always pictured Jackie with a man.
(Seasons 1-5 and 8), and Sarah Chalke
(Seasons 6, 7 and 9). Born March 15, 1975, Becky, the oldest of Roseanne and Dan's kids, is quite bright and an overachiever, but is also somewhat quick-tempered and sometimes angry with her parents and younger sister Darlene. She dates her rebellious biker boyfriend Mark Healy against her parents' wishes and then, at age 17, leaves home to marry him and move to Minneapolis. Later, Becky and Mark return home to live with Roseanne and Dan and then move out again into a trailer. In the final episode, it is revealed that she is pregnant with the couple's first child.
During the show's fifth season actress Lecy Goranson left to attend Vassar College
. At first, her character Becky is merely absent from the show, explained in the story when she marries and moves away to live with her husband Mark. During the sixth season, however, the show's producers recast Becky with actress Sarah Chalke
.
Because cast and crew believed that the eighth season of Roseanne would be its last, Goranson had signed back on only for that season. These changes are addressed within the show and become a running gag throughout season 8 as both Goranson and Chalke continue to alternate in the role of Becky, depending on Goranson's availability. During season eight, Goranson is credited in the opening sequence as a full-time cast member, and appears in 11 out of 25 episodes. Sarah Chalke makes five appearances and is credited as a guest star. In the show's ninth season, Chalke replaces Goranson full-time, and no further "inside-jokes" about Becky's casting are made.
At the end of the Season 9 finale, it is hinted that Becky is pregnant. She did not want to mention it to the family because of Darlene having her baby and not wanting to steal the attention by announcing it to the family. In the same episode, it is also revealed that Becky had actually been dating David all along in "real life," but was written in Roseanne's book as having been with Mark instead, as Roseanne felt it made more sense.
. Born in 1977, Darlene in the early seasons is a "tomboy
" who loves sports and has trouble in school, but during high school she becomes moody, artistic, an animal rights
activist, and a vegetarian to more closely match the real-life views and personality of Sara Gilbert
. During her freshman year of high school, she begins dating David, coincidentally the younger brother of Becky's husband, Mark. Darlene possesses the same sarcasm and domineering attitude as her mother, often causing the two to clash. Her bossy nature is best seen with David, who usually gives in to her will. Darlene is a very talented writer. Along with David's artistic talents, they begin working seriously on a graphic novel
, and Darlene eventually applies for and is awarded early admission and a scholarship to an exclusive art school in Chicago before she finishes high school, which Roseanne allows her to attend after realizing it is her only chance to get out of Lanford and make a better life for herself as the writer Roseanne never was able to be. While in college, she meets a boy named Jimmy, whom she dates while still with David. David is aware she was dating Jimmy, and eventually tells her she has to choose between them. She chooses Jimmy. Later he dumps her because he couldn't get close to her. Darlene realizes she still loves David after going to a movie together and Roseanne talks the two of them into reconciling. Darlene later becomes pregnant by David at Disney World and the two marry soon after. She eventually finishes art school and later gives birth to her daughter, Harris Conner Healy.
Harris is born about three months prematurely and almost doesn't survive; David and Darlene must decide whether to keep her on the breathing machine or take her off and let nature take its course; the two decide she should get a chance to "experience life without being hooked up to all those machines," and surprisingly Harris pulls through. In the series finale, it is revealed that Darlene had actually been dating Mark all along in "real life", but was written in Roseanne's book as having been with David instead, as Roseanne felt it made more sense.
for the remainder of the series. Born in 1981, DJ is the youngest Conner child, and is frequently taunted by his sisters and peers. He is portrayed as being something of a simpleton in school and abnormal, for instance peeking at both Darlene and Becky naked at different times. In the first episode of season three, it is stated that while Becky and Darlene were planned pregnancies for the Conners, DJ was a "surprise".
. David is Mark's younger brother, having first appeared in "The Bowling Show" (Episode 4.14), when his first name was indicated to be Kevin. However, whereas Mark is a rebellious delinquent, David is friendlier to the Conners, soft-spoken, artistic, and intelligent. He later enters a relationship with Darlene and collaborates with her by illustrating graphic novels that she writes, though he tends to be the more submissive one in the relationship. His well-behaved manner is endearing to the Conner family, who think of him as part of the family and jokingly refer to him as being more welcome in the family than Darlene. He moves in with the Conners after Roseanne, herself a victim of child abuse
, sees how abusive David's mother is to him. David and Darlene break up three times throughout the course of the show, each for a longer period of time than the last; they always end up back together. Eventually David gets Darlene pregnant; causing them to decide to get married. David always tells the truth, as pointed out by Roseanne in an episode where David is down in the basement playing Monopoly
(she believed he and Darlene were having sex until DJ came in holding a Monopoly box). She then tells David not to tell her or Dan the truth, explaining that they "raised three kids through lies and did just fine." In the series finale, Roseanne reveals that David had actually been dating Becky in "real life", and that Roseanne simply wrote his relationship as being with Darlene because she felt it made more sense.
. Crystal was a neurotic but goodhearted friend of Roseanne and Jackie from childhood who later became Dan's stepmother, despite being roughly his age. A self-described "doormat" when it comes to men, she speaks with a Southern accent despite having grown up in Lanford because her father was from Arkansas. Crystal refers to most of her young life as a great tragedy, having been kicked out by her mother at age sixteen and being forced to live with an aunt. She had previously married in May of the year she graduated high school (age eighteen) but her first husband died just a year later and she soon found herself married to another man, whom she later divorced. Crystal grieved the death of Sonny through several years and couldn't look past it. She also bore a son named Lonnie with Sonny. Crystal worked at the Wellman Plastics factory with Roseanne and Jackie and quit in order to start a successful cosmetics sales career. Crystal married two times before marrying Dan's father, Ed (against Dan's strong disapproval), and bore two children, Little Ed and Angela with him. Their marriage is perceived to be happy, with Ed's absences creating most of the conflict. A regular cast-member for the first four seasons, Crystal appears as an occasional recurring character afterward.
. Mark dates and later elopes with Becky, much to the Conners' consternation. Despite Mark's tough-guy image, he is rarely seen to engage in criminal activity, except for the episode where he is intoxicated at the Lobo Lounge and punches through the glass of the bar's jukebox, and another time when he punches out Becky's verbally abusive boss at the Buy & Bag market, and when he moons photographers swarming the house after the Conners win the lottery. Mark is strongly disliked by Roseanne for his condescending attitude toward her. Dan initially dislikes Mark also, his riding a British Triumph motorcycle rather than an American Harley Davidson causing particular tension. However he soon respects Mark's work ethic and hires him as a mechanic both at his bike shop and his truck-inspection office. Mark later proves himself to be a responsible, though dim-witted, husband and earns Roseanne's and the family's grudging respect. He has a younger brother, David, who dates (and later marries) Darlene and also two little sisters, Lisa and Nikki, who are much younger and appear briefly in the episode "No Place Like Home for The Holidays" from the 5th Season and are mentioned later to have moved with their dad when their parents divorced. In the series finale, Roseanne reveals that Mark had actually been dating Darlene in "real life", and that Roseanne simply wrote his relationship as being with Becky because she felt it made more sense.
. Bev is the mother of Roseanne and Jackie and the wife of Al, as well as the daughter of Nana Mary. She has a half-sister named Sonya. She is overbearing and shrill and is avoided by all members of her family. She nags them with her shockingly whiny voice, often with good intentions but coming off the wrong way (in a discussion with Fred at the end of an episode, she tells him her attitude is an act). The family (especially Jackie) tries to avoid spending any time with Beverly, as she is quick to inadvertently criticize how people live their lives (after going back and forth playing tricks on each other in one Halloween episode, Roseanne ultimately gets the upper hand by having a fake phone conversation with Bev in front of Dan where she agrees to let her mother stay for three weeks). She is very traditional and conservative, as opposed to her daughters' more liberal and feminist philosophies. She proves herself generous with the wealth she receives from her husband's alimony, constantly giving financial gifts to the family to bail them out. She even provides the seed money for the Lanford Lunch Box and insists on staying on as a partner, but is later forced out because Roseanne and Jackie do not want to work with her. As revenge, she sells her share of the restaurant to Roseanne's ex-boss and rival, Leon Carp, effectively making him their new partner. During the show's final season, she comes out
as a lesbian (according to one of Roseanne's fictional twists on her family, along with winning the lottery), this is revealed in the finale in which Roseanne states that her mother is not a lesbian but that her sister is; she just thought it'd be interesting to put a radical twist on the character of her Mother, who lived her life according to her husband's rules, and because she wished her mother had a better sense of herself as a woman. Bev's relationship with her own mother is very similar to the one her daughters have with her.
. Leon, originally as Roseanne's boss at Rodbell's Luncheonette and later as her business partner in The Lanford Lunchbox, is portrayed as a foil to Roseanne; they have a contentious, though occasionally friendly, relationship. As a gay man, he is occasionally seen dating many men and having romantic troubles; however, he later marries his life partner Scott (Fred Willard
) in a very public ceremony. In the series finale, they announce their plans to adopt a little girl. He is especially upset when Roseanne wins the lottery, but Roseanne and Jackie end up relinquishing control of the restaurant to Leon and Nancy. Leon is a Republican
, and holds George H. W. Bush
in high regard. He also is shown throughout the series' run to be a fan of Liza Minnelli
, as well as Broadway
musicals.
. Nancy is the part owner of the Lanford Lunch Box. She is married to Arnie but later comes out
as a lesbian
after he leaves her, then admits to being bisexual. She frequently is seen dating women; her first girlfriend Marla is played by Morgan Fairchild
. Nancy is never ashamed of her promiscuity, nor does she ever show any self-consciousness of her unusual behavior. In fact, she is one of the most self-confident of all the characters in the series, often even more than Roseanne. Her tendency toward self-absorption seems to only be quelled while dating a woman or being around Jackie. Nancy turns out to be a loyal and good friend to both Roseanne and Jackie throughout the series, although she doesn't hesitate to reprimand them for their selfishness and cruelty when they treat their mother, Bev, so harshly that Bev ends up crying about it for days afterward, while Nancy supports her.
. Fred is a mechanic who works at the garage with Dan and is introduced to Jackie, leading to a one-night stand
, accidental impregnation, and marriage. It takes a lot of encouragement for Jackie to eventually warm up and face the fact that Fred is the father of her child and therefore a part of their life (in the beginning, Jackie is still healing from her trauma with Fisher and is fearful of getting too close to another man). Fred at first assumes that Jackie's just putting him off lightly and initially doesn't understand that Jackie has been through a very traumatic experience that is not easily healed in addition to her dysfunctional childhood. Fred, being very conventional, is shocked by the Conners and Harrises' unconventional ways and cannot understand the whole subculture of Jackie's family. These two aspects, and his having very few of the same interests as Jackie, lead to the dissolution of his marriage to Jackie. Despite their attempts to make their marriage work, Jackie and Fred break up when they discover how incompatible they are.
. Arnie is the overweight, jovial friend of Dan. Originally, he was written as a relative stranger to both Roseanne and Jackie, although this was later retconned, and he was subsequently written as having gone to high school with them. He frequently cheats on the women he dates and is very ill-mannered. However, Arnie always tries to be a good friend to Dan. He marries Nancy but leaves her, claiming to be abducted by aliens (later played upon in the fourth-season finale's end-credit sketch, where he is seen conversing with aliens on a spaceship). Before he and Nancy are engaged, he has a one-night stand with a drunk Jackie. Arnie is often seen wearing a yellow University of Iowa
sweatshirt (Tom Arnold attended the University of Iowa in real life). He is last seen in season 5, where he unsuccessfully tries to win Nancy back, even after finding out that she is a lesbian. Tom Arnold appears in the ending credits of a later episode, but is now playing Jackie Thomas (in his role on The Jackie Thomas Show
), and none of the characters seem to recognize him.
. Ed is Dan's father, a charming, traveling salesman who always brings presents for the grandchildren. Dan has a troubled past with his father, but he is well liked by everyone else. Ed never makes any blatant attempt on the show to anger Dan on purpose, but he often baits his son covertly (e.g., when Ed begins to date Crystal and when Dan questions him on it, Ed makes a rude crack about Dan being "interested" in Crystal). It usually doesn't take long for Dan to become annoyed at his father's presence. He is portrayed as irresponsible and neglectful of his first family, though it is later revealed he justified his actions in reference to raising Dan by reconciling his frequent commitment of Dan's mother to a mental institution with his desire to provide Dan with at least one stable parent as he would often be gone on sales trips during Dan's adolescence. He marries and has two children with Crystal, even though she is considerably younger than he is.
. Al is Roseanne and Jackie's physically abusive father who has a mistress for over 20 years. Upon his death, Roseanne meets with his mistress, Joan, who doesn't know of Al's abuse of his family, as Al had led her to believe that Roseanne and Jackie were ungrateful to him despite his doing so much for them. Despite his violent nature, Al possesses a highly humorous nature that, in his passing, Roseanne thanks him for after reading a list of many things she hates him for doing to her and Jackie.
of the Grateful Dead
. Roseanne's pregnancy in the seventh season was to coincide with her real-life pregnancy, made possible via fertility drugs and methods in a clinic (which Roseanne explains at the end of an episode in which she does not appear due to her pregnancy). Also, Roseanne explains at the end of the season 8 Halloween episode, her character became pregnant three months before the actress. Roseanne's labor was to occur during a Grateful Dead concert; however, because of Jerry Garcia's death in 1995, that was changed. Before Jerry's birth, it is understood that Roseanne's baby will be a girl. However, during the end credits following the birth episode, Roseanne explains to the audience that she wanted the baby's gender to be the same as her real-life child's.
. Nana Mary is Beverly's mother, and grandmother of Roseanne and Jackie who first appears in season three at a family barbecue. She has another daughter named Sonya. She makes several appearances from season three onwards, mostly during family occasions. She is a brash, outspoken, and lovable pensioner who gambles with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Unlike Bev, she is popular with the family. She also disagrees with her daughter on certain situations (such as siding with Jackie when Bev tries to get her to marry Fred, and revealing that she had two abortions, upsetting Bev who is against the idea). She outsmarts and drives Bev crazy, much to the amusement of Roseanne and Jackie, who usually endure the same torment from their own mother. Her character is often a comic relief for the family, as well as offering a balance between Roseanne and Jackie's relationship with their mother, and Bev's relationship with Nana Mary. She was promiscuous in her younger days and claims to have dated Pablo Picasso
and Louis Armstrong
. Mary had Bev with another man before marrying her deceased husband, Marvin. She tells Bev she was very young when she was born, and doesn't know who the father is, avoiding the subject whenever Bev brings it up. She is a big fan of a local radio call-in show that revolves around sex, and states, "If I don't call, they worry." Nana Mary's last appearance is in mid season nine, in which she finally has a heart-to-heart with her daughter, thus, closing the story on their relationship. Despite her absence, Bev goes on to appear at other family occasions, including the birth of her great-granddaughter.
and Debbie Reynolds
. She is the mother of Dan Conner, and the ex-wife of Ed Conner. In Season Two she is introduced in, "We Gather Together", as a friendly, eccentric brunette woman who loves her son and her new boyfriend, as well as her successful career owning a travel agency. It's later revealed that she has a history of mental illness which Dan's father hid from him. She returns in person in season 9, angry at her son for putting her away, seemingly trying to kill him.
Her nurse at the mental institution is who Dan had a relationship with while being married to Roseanne.
Roseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
, the television series.
Roseanne Harris Conner
Played by Roseanne BarrRoseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
. Birthdate: May 8, 1953. Roseanne, in a takeoff of her stand-up comedic and presumed real-life persona, is a bossy, loud, caustic, overweight, and dominant woman. She constantly tries to control the lives of her sister, husband, children, co-workers, and friends. Despite her dominating nature, Roseanne is a loving mother who works hard and makes as much time for her kids as possible. She and her younger sister Jackie are the daughters of Beverly and Al Harris. Roseanne is married to Dan Conner and, when the series begins, they have three children: Becky, Darlene and David Jacob ("D.J."); a fourth child, Jerry Garcia, is born late in the series. She and her family deal with the many hardships of poverty, obesity, and domestic troubles with humor. She has always had troubles with weight, inspiring an episode in which she and Dan try to lose weight. She works at the Wellman Plastics factory at the beginning of the show's run and quits that job after a conflict with the new egotistical domineering boss, Mr. Faber; she leads a walkout that includes most of her friends. She has several periods of unemployment and holds jobs as a fast-food employee, a telemarketer, a bartender, and a shampoo woman/hair sweeper at a beauty salon. Subsequently, she works for several years as a waitress in the luncheonette at Rodbell's department store located in the Lanford Mall (much to the chagrin of daughters Becky and Darlene, who regularly hang out there). She eventually co-owns a successful restaurant called the Lanford Lunch Box with Jackie, her mother Bev, Nancy, and her former boss from the luncheonette, Leon, after Bev sells her share in the restaurant to him. Roseanne and Jackie, in the last years of the show, win a lottery in excess of $108,000,000. This allows them to live the high life. Eventually, at the end of the series, it is revealed that she didn't win the lottery at all and that most of what had happened on the show in the final season was actually from a book of her own writing. She also reveals that Dan died from a heart attack at the end of the previous season.
Dan Conner
Played by John GoodmanJohn Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
. Birthdate: November 6, 1951. Dan Conner is the husband of Roseanne and father of Becky, Darlene, DJ and Jerry. In the beginning of the series, Dan was an easy-going, drywall
Drywall
Drywall, also known as plasterboard, wallboard or gypsum board is a panel made of gypsum plaster pressed between two thick sheets of paper...
contractor.
During the final episode, when Roseanne reveals that the entire series was written as a book based on her life and family, she changed certain elements of what she hadn't liked; most notably, Dan had actually died after having his heart attack. The potential absence of Dan from all or most of the next season prompted Phil Rosenthal of the Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Daily News
The Los Angeles Daily News is the second-largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a branch of Colorado-based MediaNews Group....
to describe it as a rare occasion where ending the show would be preferred to doing without. Robinson described Goodman's potential absence as leaving a tremendous void, owing to his ability to make those acting with him better. The revelation that Dan actually died and the latter part of the series being a work of fiction was not well received.
In an article about television dads, The Post and Courier editor Mindy Spar began discussing how '90s TV dads became goofier than dads from earlier decades, calling Dan more like one of the children than the father. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Edgar Arce called Dan Conner a prototypical everyman.
An article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a daily newspaper located in Sarasota, Florida.It is owned by The New York Times Company, who purchased it in 1982, and part of its regional news group. Along with Comcast, the newspaper operates a local 24-hour...
praised the relationship between Dan and Roseanne, calling their relationship realistic, commenting that while they mock each other, viewers can feel their love while they deal with the kinds of problems real families face. During the final season, Dan and Roseanne live apart after Dan cheats on Roseanne. Daily News editor David Bianculli stated that while they were the most entertaining and realistic couples on television, they were one of the least during their separation.
Marjorie "Jackie" Harris
Played by Laurie MetcalfLaurie Metcalf
Lauren Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf is an American actress. She is widely known for her performance as Jackie Harris on the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Mary Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, the voice of Mrs. Davis in the Toy Story film series and as Debbie Salt in Scream 2...
. Birthdate: c. 1956. Jackie is Roseanne's younger sister by three years. In the episode "Labor Day," it is revealed that Jackie's real name may have originally been Marjorie, as her mother reveals that Roseanne couldn't pronounce it, and wound up calling her "My Jackie", thus leading to Jackie's name. Jackie is an intelligent, warm, highly sensitive underachiever with chronic low self-esteem. Roseanne seems to be in charge of Jackie's life, which is a frequent cause of conflict between the two; however, Jackie sometimes enjoys having Roseanne mother her, especially when Jackie feels vulnerable. Jackie's character seems to become more animated and colorful as the series progresses. Jackie holds numerous jobs: working in the Wellman Plastics factory for several years until the walkout, then becoming a police officer until she is injured on the job, and later a truck driver, then opening the Lanford Lunch Box with Roseanne and Nancy (her mother is a silent partner). Jackie often comes up with seemingly off-the-wall "crazy" ideas, but it turns out that many of her unconventional ideas actually work. Her romantic relationships are frequently unstable, including one where she dates a man named Fisher and becomes the victim of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
. However, she eventually marries Dan's co-worker Fred, who impregnated her after a one-night stand. Jackie gives birth to their son, Andy, two months before she marries Fred. At one point Jackie, unhappy with the self-absorbed couch potato Fred, starts going out with another couple, which then becomes one man. Dan sees her, warns her about Fred's possible reaction, but later accidentally blurts it out to Fred. Fred returns home upset, accuses Jackie of "adultery" and refuses to speak to her. Roseanne, with Bev's help, has Fred realize that his accusations against Jackie are unjustified, and he goes back. However, at this point Jackie is realizing that she's happier being single. The marriage proves to be short-lived because Jackie finds Fred boring, petty, and self-centered and they fall out of love. Jackie is crushed by the divorce at first, but moves on to become a successful single mom to Andy. Despite Jackie's apparent flightiness in the early episodes, Jackie is actually the backbone of the Conner/Harris family in many ways, as Roseanne admits in the last episode. In the final episode, it is also revealed that the character of Jackie had been a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
the entire time, and that Roseanne knew but had simply always pictured Jackie with a man.
Rebecca "Becky" Conner Healy
Played alternately by Lecy GoransonAlicia Goranson
Alicia Linda Goranson , better known as Lecy Goranson, is an American actress. At age 14, she was cast in the role of Becky Conner in the television sitcom Roseanne, which debuted to great success in 1988....
(Seasons 1-5 and 8), and Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke is a Canadian-American actress known for portraying Dr. Elliot Reid on the NBC/ABC comedy Scrubs, "Second Becky" Conner Healy on Roseanne, and Stella Zinman in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother...
(Seasons 6, 7 and 9). Born March 15, 1975, Becky, the oldest of Roseanne and Dan's kids, is quite bright and an overachiever, but is also somewhat quick-tempered and sometimes angry with her parents and younger sister Darlene. She dates her rebellious biker boyfriend Mark Healy against her parents' wishes and then, at age 17, leaves home to marry him and move to Minneapolis. Later, Becky and Mark return home to live with Roseanne and Dan and then move out again into a trailer. In the final episode, it is revealed that she is pregnant with the couple's first child.
During the show's fifth season actress Lecy Goranson left to attend Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
. At first, her character Becky is merely absent from the show, explained in the story when she marries and moves away to live with her husband Mark. During the sixth season, however, the show's producers recast Becky with actress Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke is a Canadian-American actress known for portraying Dr. Elliot Reid on the NBC/ABC comedy Scrubs, "Second Becky" Conner Healy on Roseanne, and Stella Zinman in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother...
.
Because cast and crew believed that the eighth season of Roseanne would be its last, Goranson had signed back on only for that season. These changes are addressed within the show and become a running gag throughout season 8 as both Goranson and Chalke continue to alternate in the role of Becky, depending on Goranson's availability. During season eight, Goranson is credited in the opening sequence as a full-time cast member, and appears in 11 out of 25 episodes. Sarah Chalke makes five appearances and is credited as a guest star. In the show's ninth season, Chalke replaces Goranson full-time, and no further "inside-jokes" about Becky's casting are made.
At the end of the Season 9 finale, it is hinted that Becky is pregnant. She did not want to mention it to the family because of Darlene having her baby and not wanting to steal the attention by announcing it to the family. In the same episode, it is also revealed that Becky had actually been dating David all along in "real life," but was written in Roseanne's book as having been with Mark instead, as Roseanne felt it made more sense.
Darlene Conner Healy
Played by Sara GilbertSara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert is an American actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner from 1988–1997 in the U.S. sitcom Roseanne.-Early life:Gilbert was born Sara Rebecca Abeles in Santa Monica, California. Her parents are Barbara Crane and Harold Abeles. Her two older siblings, Melissa Gilbert and...
. Born in 1977, Darlene in the early seasons is a "tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
" who loves sports and has trouble in school, but during high school she becomes moody, artistic, an animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
activist, and a vegetarian to more closely match the real-life views and personality of Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert is an American actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner from 1988–1997 in the U.S. sitcom Roseanne.-Early life:Gilbert was born Sara Rebecca Abeles in Santa Monica, California. Her parents are Barbara Crane and Harold Abeles. Her two older siblings, Melissa Gilbert and...
. During her freshman year of high school, she begins dating David, coincidentally the younger brother of Becky's husband, Mark. Darlene possesses the same sarcasm and domineering attitude as her mother, often causing the two to clash. Her bossy nature is best seen with David, who usually gives in to her will. Darlene is a very talented writer. Along with David's artistic talents, they begin working seriously on a graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
, and Darlene eventually applies for and is awarded early admission and a scholarship to an exclusive art school in Chicago before she finishes high school, which Roseanne allows her to attend after realizing it is her only chance to get out of Lanford and make a better life for herself as the writer Roseanne never was able to be. While in college, she meets a boy named Jimmy, whom she dates while still with David. David is aware she was dating Jimmy, and eventually tells her she has to choose between them. She chooses Jimmy. Later he dumps her because he couldn't get close to her. Darlene realizes she still loves David after going to a movie together and Roseanne talks the two of them into reconciling. Darlene later becomes pregnant by David at Disney World and the two marry soon after. She eventually finishes art school and later gives birth to her daughter, Harris Conner Healy.
Harris is born about three months prematurely and almost doesn't survive; David and Darlene must decide whether to keep her on the breathing machine or take her off and let nature take its course; the two decide she should get a chance to "experience life without being hooked up to all those machines," and surprisingly Harris pulls through. In the series finale, it is revealed that Darlene had actually been dating Mark all along in "real life", but was written in Roseanne's book as having been with David instead, as Roseanne felt it made more sense.
David Jacob "D. J." Conner
Played by Sal Barone in the pilot, and Michael FishmanMichael Fishman
Michael Aaron Fishman is an American actor best known for playing D.J. Conner on the long-running series Roseanne. -Personal life:...
for the remainder of the series. Born in 1981, DJ is the youngest Conner child, and is frequently taunted by his sisters and peers. He is portrayed as being something of a simpleton in school and abnormal, for instance peeking at both Darlene and Becky naked at different times. In the first episode of season three, it is stated that while Becky and Darlene were planned pregnancies for the Conners, DJ was a "surprise".
David Healy
Played by Johnny GaleckiJohnny Galecki
John Mark "Johnny" Galecki is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as David Healy in the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and as Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.-Early life:Galecki was born in Bree, Belgium, of...
. David is Mark's younger brother, having first appeared in "The Bowling Show" (Episode 4.14), when his first name was indicated to be Kevin. However, whereas Mark is a rebellious delinquent, David is friendlier to the Conners, soft-spoken, artistic, and intelligent. He later enters a relationship with Darlene and collaborates with her by illustrating graphic novels that she writes, though he tends to be the more submissive one in the relationship. His well-behaved manner is endearing to the Conner family, who think of him as part of the family and jokingly refer to him as being more welcome in the family than Darlene. He moves in with the Conners after Roseanne, herself a victim of child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
, sees how abusive David's mother is to him. David and Darlene break up three times throughout the course of the show, each for a longer period of time than the last; they always end up back together. Eventually David gets Darlene pregnant; causing them to decide to get married. David always tells the truth, as pointed out by Roseanne in an episode where David is down in the basement playing Monopoly
Monopoly (game)
Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
(she believed he and Darlene were having sex until DJ came in holding a Monopoly box). She then tells David not to tell her or Dan the truth, explaining that they "raised three kids through lies and did just fine." In the series finale, Roseanne reveals that David had actually been dating Becky in "real life", and that Roseanne simply wrote his relationship as being with Darlene because she felt it made more sense.
Crystal Anderson Conner
Played by Natalie WestNatalie West
Natalie Marla West is an American actress.West is best known for her role as Crystal Anderson Conner, Roseanne's friend and Dan's stepmother, on the 1988-1997 ABC sitcom Roseanne...
. Crystal was a neurotic but goodhearted friend of Roseanne and Jackie from childhood who later became Dan's stepmother, despite being roughly his age. A self-described "doormat" when it comes to men, she speaks with a Southern accent despite having grown up in Lanford because her father was from Arkansas. Crystal refers to most of her young life as a great tragedy, having been kicked out by her mother at age sixteen and being forced to live with an aunt. She had previously married in May of the year she graduated high school (age eighteen) but her first husband died just a year later and she soon found herself married to another man, whom she later divorced. Crystal grieved the death of Sonny through several years and couldn't look past it. She also bore a son named Lonnie with Sonny. Crystal worked at the Wellman Plastics factory with Roseanne and Jackie and quit in order to start a successful cosmetics sales career. Crystal married two times before marrying Dan's father, Ed (against Dan's strong disapproval), and bore two children, Little Ed and Angela with him. Their marriage is perceived to be happy, with Ed's absences creating most of the conflict. A regular cast-member for the first four seasons, Crystal appears as an occasional recurring character afterward.
Mark Healy
Played by Glenn QuinnGlenn Quinn
Glenn Martin Christopher Francis Quinn was an Irish actor in television and film, known for playing Mark Healy in the American sitcom Roseanne, and Doyle, a half-demon, on the 1999–2004 television series Angel, a spin-off series of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Early life:Quinn...
. Mark dates and later elopes with Becky, much to the Conners' consternation. Despite Mark's tough-guy image, he is rarely seen to engage in criminal activity, except for the episode where he is intoxicated at the Lobo Lounge and punches through the glass of the bar's jukebox, and another time when he punches out Becky's verbally abusive boss at the Buy & Bag market, and when he moons photographers swarming the house after the Conners win the lottery. Mark is strongly disliked by Roseanne for his condescending attitude toward her. Dan initially dislikes Mark also, his riding a British Triumph motorcycle rather than an American Harley Davidson causing particular tension. However he soon respects Mark's work ethic and hires him as a mechanic both at his bike shop and his truck-inspection office. Mark later proves himself to be a responsible, though dim-witted, husband and earns Roseanne's and the family's grudging respect. He has a younger brother, David, who dates (and later marries) Darlene and also two little sisters, Lisa and Nikki, who are much younger and appear briefly in the episode "No Place Like Home for The Holidays" from the 5th Season and are mentioned later to have moved with their dad when their parents divorced. In the series finale, Roseanne reveals that Mark had actually been dating Darlene in "real life", and that Roseanne simply wrote his relationship as being with Becky because she felt it made more sense.
Beverly Lorraine Harris
Played by Estelle ParsonsEstelle Parsons
Estelle Margaret Parsons is an American theatre, film and television actress and occasional theatrical director.After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program Today and made her stage debut in 1961...
. Bev is the mother of Roseanne and Jackie and the wife of Al, as well as the daughter of Nana Mary. She has a half-sister named Sonya. She is overbearing and shrill and is avoided by all members of her family. She nags them with her shockingly whiny voice, often with good intentions but coming off the wrong way (in a discussion with Fred at the end of an episode, she tells him her attitude is an act). The family (especially Jackie) tries to avoid spending any time with Beverly, as she is quick to inadvertently criticize how people live their lives (after going back and forth playing tricks on each other in one Halloween episode, Roseanne ultimately gets the upper hand by having a fake phone conversation with Bev in front of Dan where she agrees to let her mother stay for three weeks). She is very traditional and conservative, as opposed to her daughters' more liberal and feminist philosophies. She proves herself generous with the wealth she receives from her husband's alimony, constantly giving financial gifts to the family to bail them out. She even provides the seed money for the Lanford Lunch Box and insists on staying on as a partner, but is later forced out because Roseanne and Jackie do not want to work with her. As revenge, she sells her share of the restaurant to Roseanne's ex-boss and rival, Leon Carp, effectively making him their new partner. During the show's final season, she comes out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as a lesbian (according to one of Roseanne's fictional twists on her family, along with winning the lottery), this is revealed in the finale in which Roseanne states that her mother is not a lesbian but that her sister is; she just thought it'd be interesting to put a radical twist on the character of her Mother, who lived her life according to her husband's rules, and because she wished her mother had a better sense of herself as a woman. Bev's relationship with her own mother is very similar to the one her daughters have with her.
Leon Carp
Played by Martin MullMartin Mull
Martin Mull is an American actor who has starred in his own television sitcom and acted in prominent films. He is also a comedian, painter, and recording artist...
. Leon, originally as Roseanne's boss at Rodbell's Luncheonette and later as her business partner in The Lanford Lunchbox, is portrayed as a foil to Roseanne; they have a contentious, though occasionally friendly, relationship. As a gay man, he is occasionally seen dating many men and having romantic troubles; however, he later marries his life partner Scott (Fred Willard
Fred Willard
Fred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
) in a very public ceremony. In the series finale, they announce their plans to adopt a little girl. He is especially upset when Roseanne wins the lottery, but Roseanne and Jackie end up relinquishing control of the restaurant to Leon and Nancy. Leon is a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, and holds George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
in high regard. He also is shown throughout the series' run to be a fan of Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
, as well as Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musicals.
Nancy Bartlett Thomas
Played by Sandra BernhardSandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard is an American comedian, singer, actress and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy in which she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is number 97 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of...
. Nancy is the part owner of the Lanford Lunch Box. She is married to Arnie but later comes out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
after he leaves her, then admits to being bisexual. She frequently is seen dating women; her first girlfriend Marla is played by Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies...
. Nancy is never ashamed of her promiscuity, nor does she ever show any self-consciousness of her unusual behavior. In fact, she is one of the most self-confident of all the characters in the series, often even more than Roseanne. Her tendency toward self-absorption seems to only be quelled while dating a woman or being around Jackie. Nancy turns out to be a loyal and good friend to both Roseanne and Jackie throughout the series, although she doesn't hesitate to reprimand them for their selfishness and cruelty when they treat their mother, Bev, so harshly that Bev ends up crying about it for days afterward, while Nancy supports her.
Fred
Played by Michael O'KeefeMichael O'Keefe
Michael Raymond O'Keefe is an American film and television actor.- Early life :O'Keefe was born Raymond Peter O'Keefe, Jr. in Mount Vernon, New York, the oldest of seven children in a devoutly Roman Catholic Irish American family. His father was a law professor at Fordham University, as well as...
. Fred is a mechanic who works at the garage with Dan and is introduced to Jackie, leading to a one-night stand
One-night stand
Originally, a one-night stand was a single theatre performance, usually by a guest performer on tour, as opposed to an ongoing engagement. Today, however, the term is more commonly defined as a single sexual encounter, in which neither participant has any intention or expectation of a relationship...
, accidental impregnation, and marriage. It takes a lot of encouragement for Jackie to eventually warm up and face the fact that Fred is the father of her child and therefore a part of their life (in the beginning, Jackie is still healing from her trauma with Fisher and is fearful of getting too close to another man). Fred at first assumes that Jackie's just putting him off lightly and initially doesn't understand that Jackie has been through a very traumatic experience that is not easily healed in addition to her dysfunctional childhood. Fred, being very conventional, is shocked by the Conners and Harrises' unconventional ways and cannot understand the whole subculture of Jackie's family. These two aspects, and his having very few of the same interests as Jackie, lead to the dissolution of his marriage to Jackie. Despite their attempts to make their marriage work, Jackie and Fred break up when they discover how incompatible they are.
Arnold Shemp Thomas
Played by Tom ArnoldTom Arnold (actor)
Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...
. Arnie is the overweight, jovial friend of Dan. Originally, he was written as a relative stranger to both Roseanne and Jackie, although this was later retconned, and he was subsequently written as having gone to high school with them. He frequently cheats on the women he dates and is very ill-mannered. However, Arnie always tries to be a good friend to Dan. He marries Nancy but leaves her, claiming to be abducted by aliens (later played upon in the fourth-season finale's end-credit sketch, where he is seen conversing with aliens on a spaceship). Before he and Nancy are engaged, he has a one-night stand with a drunk Jackie. Arnie is often seen wearing a yellow University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
sweatshirt (Tom Arnold attended the University of Iowa in real life). He is last seen in season 5, where he unsuccessfully tries to win Nancy back, even after finding out that she is a lesbian. Tom Arnold appears in the ending credits of a later episode, but is now playing Jackie Thomas (in his role on The Jackie Thomas Show
The Jackie Thomas Show
The Jackie Thomas Show is an American sitcom that aired on the ABC network from December 1992 to March 1993. The series received widespread attention due to its creators Roseanne Arnold, then starring in the fifth season of her top-rated comedy Roseanne, and her husband and Roseanne co-producer Tom...
), and none of the characters seem to recognize him.
Ed Conner
Played by Ned BeattyNed Beatty
Ned Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
. Ed is Dan's father, a charming, traveling salesman who always brings presents for the grandchildren. Dan has a troubled past with his father, but he is well liked by everyone else. Ed never makes any blatant attempt on the show to anger Dan on purpose, but he often baits his son covertly (e.g., when Ed begins to date Crystal and when Dan questions him on it, Ed makes a rude crack about Dan being "interested" in Crystal). It usually doesn't take long for Dan to become annoyed at his father's presence. He is portrayed as irresponsible and neglectful of his first family, though it is later revealed he justified his actions in reference to raising Dan by reconciling his frequent commitment of Dan's mother to a mental institution with his desire to provide Dan with at least one stable parent as he would often be gone on sales trips during Dan's adolescence. He marries and has two children with Crystal, even though she is considerably younger than he is.
Al Harris
Played by John RandolphJohn Randolph (actor)
John Randolph was an American film, television and stage actor.-Early life:Randolph was born Emanuel Hirsch Cohen in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants Dorothy , an insurance agent, and Louis Cohen, a hat manufacturer...
. Al is Roseanne and Jackie's physically abusive father who has a mistress for over 20 years. Upon his death, Roseanne meets with his mistress, Joan, who doesn't know of Al's abuse of his family, as Al had led her to believe that Roseanne and Jackie were ungrateful to him despite his doing so much for them. Despite his violent nature, Al possesses a highly humorous nature that, in his passing, Roseanne thanks him for after reading a list of many things she hates him for doing to her and Jackie.
Andy Harris
Jackie and Fred's son, born in 1994 on the episode "Labor Day". Jackie breastfeeds Andy at the altar while marrying Fred ("Altar Egos"). Andy was the ring bearer in Darlene and David's wedding ("The Wedding"). Jackie likes to dress him up in outfits Fred deems to be feminine. DJ makes it a point to spend time with Andy because he doesn't have any siblings. Andy and Jerry are like brothers and take naps together in the same crib, like their mothers, Jackie and Roseanne did.Jerry Garcia Conner
Played by Cole and Morgan Roberts. Born in 1995, Jerry is the family's baby, born to Roseanne and Dan when they are in their forties. His name is a tribute to Jerry GarciaJerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
. Roseanne's pregnancy in the seventh season was to coincide with her real-life pregnancy, made possible via fertility drugs and methods in a clinic (which Roseanne explains at the end of an episode in which she does not appear due to her pregnancy). Also, Roseanne explains at the end of the season 8 Halloween episode, her character became pregnant three months before the actress. Roseanne's labor was to occur during a Grateful Dead concert; however, because of Jerry Garcia's death in 1995, that was changed. Before Jerry's birth, it is understood that Roseanne's baby will be a girl. However, during the end credits following the birth episode, Roseanne explains to the audience that she wanted the baby's gender to be the same as her real-life child's.
Nana Mary
Played by Shelley WintersShelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
. Nana Mary is Beverly's mother, and grandmother of Roseanne and Jackie who first appears in season three at a family barbecue. She has another daughter named Sonya. She makes several appearances from season three onwards, mostly during family occasions. She is a brash, outspoken, and lovable pensioner who gambles with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Unlike Bev, she is popular with the family. She also disagrees with her daughter on certain situations (such as siding with Jackie when Bev tries to get her to marry Fred, and revealing that she had two abortions, upsetting Bev who is against the idea). She outsmarts and drives Bev crazy, much to the amusement of Roseanne and Jackie, who usually endure the same torment from their own mother. Her character is often a comic relief for the family, as well as offering a balance between Roseanne and Jackie's relationship with their mother, and Bev's relationship with Nana Mary. She was promiscuous in her younger days and claims to have dated Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
and Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
. Mary had Bev with another man before marrying her deceased husband, Marvin. She tells Bev she was very young when she was born, and doesn't know who the father is, avoiding the subject whenever Bev brings it up. She is a big fan of a local radio call-in show that revolves around sex, and states, "If I don't call, they worry." Nana Mary's last appearance is in mid season nine, in which she finally has a heart-to-heart with her daughter, thus, closing the story on their relationship. Despite her absence, Bev goes on to appear at other family occasions, including the birth of her great-granddaughter.
Audrey Conner
Played by Ann WedgeworthAnn Wedgeworth
Ann Wedgeworth is a Tony award winning American actress, best known for her role as Lahoma Vane Lucas on the daytime dramas Another World and Somerset .-Early life:...
and Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
. She is the mother of Dan Conner, and the ex-wife of Ed Conner. In Season Two she is introduced in, "We Gather Together", as a friendly, eccentric brunette woman who loves her son and her new boyfriend, as well as her successful career owning a travel agency. It's later revealed that she has a history of mental illness which Dan's father hid from him. She returns in person in season 9, angry at her son for putting her away, seemingly trying to kill him.
Her nurse at the mental institution is who Dan had a relationship with while being married to Roseanne.
Minor/recurring characters
- Art played by Dan ButlerDan ButlerDaniel Eugene "Dan" Butler is an American playwright and actor known for his role as Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe on the TV series Frasier.- Life and career :...
- a divorced accountant that Roseanne & Jackie sell a motorcycle to, and provides tax services to Lanford Custom Cycle.
- Bob played by John McConnellJohn McConnell (actor)John "Spud" McConnell , is an American actor and radio personality based in New Orleans, Louisiana.McConnell is a character actor who has appeared in more than 40 films, ranging from obscure independent films to major cinematic release movies John "Spud" McConnell (born November 13, 1958), is an...
- Lonnie Anderson played by Kristopher Kent Hill
- Bob played by John McConnell
- Crystal's first son.
- Kathy Bowman played by Meagen FayMeagen FayMeagen Fay is an American actress.A native of Chicago, in the early 1980s Fay was a featured cast member at The Second City. Her first television role was in the 1987 television series Ohara....
- Kathy Bowman played by Meagen Fay
- Roseanne's wealthy and tense neighbor.
- Jerry Bowman played by Danton StoneDanton StoneDanton Stone is an American veteran stage, film and television actor.-Stage plays:*Fifth of July *Angels Fall *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest...
- Jerry Bowman played by Danton Stone
- Kathy's laid back husband.
- Booker Brooks played by George ClooneyGeorge ClooneyGeorge Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
- Booker Brooks played by George Clooney
- The original foreman at Wellman.
- Debbie played by Melora WaltersMelora WaltersMelora Walters is an American actress.-Personal life:Walters was born in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia to American parents. She was partly raised there and in Holland. Walters attended high school at Lake Forest Academy-Ferry Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois...
- Fisher played by Matt RothMatt Roth (actor)Matthew Roth is an American actor. He had a recurring role on Roseanne as Jackie's abusive boyfriend, Fisher from 1992-1993.He joined the cast of Desperate Housewives in fall 2006 as new neighbor Art Shephard....
- Debbie played by Melora Walters
- Jackie's abusive boyfriend.
- Sylvia Foster played by Anne Faulkner
- George played by Joseph Gordon-LevittJoseph Gordon-LevittJoseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films....
- Vonda Green played by Charlayne WoodardCharlayne WoodardCharlaine "Charlayne" Woodard is an American film, stage and television actress and playwright. She has written four plays, titled Pretty Fire, Neat, In Real Life, which she starred in, and "Flight"....
(credited as Charlaine Woodard) - Gary Hall played by Brian KerwinBrian KerwinBrian Kerwin is an American actor.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kerwin won the Theatre World Award in 1988 for the off-Broadway play Emily. His Broadway theatre credits include the 1997 revival of The Little Foxes and the Elaine May comedy After the Night and the Music in 2005...
- Heather played by Heather MatarazzoHeather MatarazzoHeather Amy Matarazzo is an American actress. Her breakthrough role was as a geeky girl in the film Welcome to the Dollhouse . She played Lilly in The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement...
- D.J.'s girlfriend
- Iris played by Lori Tan Chinn
- works at the salon
- Marla played by Morgan FairchildMorgan FairchildMorgan Fairchild is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies...
- Marla played by Morgan Fairchild
- One of Nancy's girlfriends
- Marsha played by Elizabeth FranzElizabeth FranzElizabeth Franz is an American stage and television actress.-Life and career:Franz was born Betty Jean Frankovich in Akron, Ohio, the daughter of a factory worker....
- Marsha played by Elizabeth Franz
- works at the salon
- Anne-Marie Mitchell played by Adilah Barnes
- Roseanne's childhood friend. She has a son that is Lonnie's age.
- Chuckie Mitchell played by James Pickens Jr.
- Anne-Marie's husband who occasionally worked with Dan.
- Mr. Parkin played by Stan FrebergStan FrebergStanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
- Mr. Parkin played by Stan Freberg
- A highly qualified man that is frequently unemployed due to various incidents with The Conners.
- Scott played by Fred WillardFred WillardFred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
- Scott played by Fred Willard
- A probate attorney that marries Leon.
- Stinky played by Matthew Fishman
- Roseanne's youngest child in an alternate reality, in the place of Jerry.
- Charlotte Tilden played by Mara HobelMara HobelMara Hobel is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of young Christina Crawford in the film Mommie Dearest...
- Charlotte Tilden played by Mara Hobel
- Daughter of Ty Tilden, resembling Roseanne and Darlene.
- Molly Tilden played by Danielle HarrisDanielle HarrisDanielle Andrea Harris is an American film and television actress, best known as a scream queen for her roles in several horror films, four of them in the Halloween series: in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers as Jamie Lloyd and in Halloween and...
- Molly Tilden played by Danielle Harris
- Daughter of Ty Tilden that flirted with David, resembling Jackie and Becky.
- Ty Tilden played by Wings HauserWings HauserWings Hauser is an American actor, director and film writer.-Life and career:Hauser was born Gerald Dwight Hauser in Hollywood, California, the son of Geraldine and Academy Award-winning director and producer Dwight Hauser...
- Ty Tilden played by Wings Hauser
- a neighbor of Roseanne that moved into Kathy's old house. He is a struggling single father of two daughters and owns a Winnebago.
- Bonnie Watkins played by Bonnie BramlettBonnie BramlettBonnie Bramlett is an American singer and sometime actress known for her distinctive vocals in rock and pop music. This began in the mid 1960s as a backing singer, forming the husband-and-wife team of Delaney & Bonnie, and continuing to the present day as a solo artist.-Life and career:Bramlett...
(credited as Bonnie Sheridan)
- Bonnie Watkins played by Bonnie Bramlett
- Roseanne's coworker at Rodbell's who enjoys traveling by motorcycle with her husband Duke.
- Meg Wellman played by Debra MooneyDebra MooneyDebra Mooney is an American actress known for her role as Edna Harper on the TV series Everwood.Mooney was born Debra Vick in Aberdeen, South Dakota, the daughter of Isabel and Henry M. Vick.- Filmography :...
- Meg Wellman played by Debra Mooney
- Owner of the Wellman factory who believes that she and Roseanne are good friends, despite constantly calling her "Roxanne Conway".
- Ziggy played by Jay O. SandersJay O. SandersJay Olcutt Sanders is an American character actor.Sanders was born in Austin, Texas, to Phyllis Rae and James Olcutt Sanders. He is noted for playing Mob lawyer character Steven Kordo in the 1986–88 NBC detective series Crime Story...
- Ziggy played by Jay O. Sanders
- Old friend that helps Dan open Lanford Custom Cycle, but then disappears.