Character actor Brian Goodman's unmistakably tough, rough-hewn exterior seemed to pigeonhole him, automatically lending him to portrayals of cops, army majors, guards, lieutenants, prisoners, and other figures with an aura of menacing imposition. Features that enlisted Goodman spanned a broad spectrum of genres, from prison drama (The Last Castle, 2001) to chase movie (Catch Me If You Can, 2002), to action yarn (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, 2006); the Best Picture nominee Munich (2005) (in which Goodman played a Belligerent American) reteamed the actor with Catch director Steven Spielberg. In 2008, Goodman dramatically expanded his ambitions by co-scripting, directing, and starring in the drama What Doesn't Kill You; an overtly autobiographical piece, it told of two friends (Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffalo) who grow up together in a rough neighborhood and find themselves sucked into a whirlpool of crime and violence and rapidly drawing the attentions of a die-hard police detective (Donnie Wahlberg).
Brian Goodman
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Biography by AllMovie
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Factsheet
- Knew he wanted to be an actor after seeing the docudrama Brian's Song at age 8.
- Lived on the streets of Boston after dropping out of school at age 12.
- Spent five years in prison in the early '90s, and turned to acting following his release.
- Made his film debut in the 1998 drama Southie, about a gang in South Boston.
- Cowrote and directed the semiautobiographical film What Doesn't Kill You, starring Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke, which premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.
- Has landed recurring roles on several prominent series, such as ABC's Lost, Castle and Revenge, as well as TNT's crime-drama Rizzoli & Isles.