Roseanne's Eldest Daughter

Background:

“I still look back and think what kind of an education that I got as an actor to be around these people at that age. I mean-- it was a gift!” Alicia Goranson (on playing Becky in “Roseanne”)

American TV, stage and film actress Alicia Goranson rose to prominence playing Becky Conner on the well-known, long running sitcom “Roseanne” during the show's first to fifth season (1988-1992) and the eight season (1995). The role, which she alternately played with Sarah Chalke, brought Goranson two Young Artist nominations and a TV Land Award. After leaving “Roseanne,” she guested in “Sex and the City,” “Law & Order: SVU” (both 2004) and more recently, “Fringe” (2009). On the movie front, Goranson is perhaps best recalled for her portrayal of Candace in Kimberly Peirce's commercially and critically hit independent film “Boys Don't Cry” (1999). She will costar in the comedy “The Extra Man” (2010). Goranson's theater credits include “King Lear,” “The Fourth Sister” and “Good Thing.”

Lecy

Childhood and Family:

Alicia Lynelle Goranson was born on June 22, 1974, in Evanston, Illinois. Her father is an employee at the EPA and her mother is a high school English teacher. She began acting on TV at age 14 and quit in 1992 to attend Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. She majored in English with a concentration in poetry. She joined the rugby team while in college.

Currently living in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn, New York, Alicia, known by family and friends as Lecy, relocated to Brooklyn right after college. She can play mandolin and guitar.

The Extra Man

Career:

14 year old Alicia Goranson experienced a big break when she landed the role of Becky Conner, the oldest of Roseanne and Dan's children, on the sitcom “Roseanne,” which ran on ABC for nine seasons from 1988 to 1997. Joining the cast since its debut on October 18, 1988, she played the quite smart, somewhat hot headed daughter throughout the first four seasons and left the show in 1992 when she pursued her education at Vassar College. When she was absent, Becky was told in the story that she marries and moves away to live with her husband Mark Healy (played by Glenn Quinn). In the next season (season 6), Becky was brought back to the show with Sarah Chalke replacing the unavailable Goranson in the role. During her first tenure on the show, Goranson was handed two Young Artist nominations for Best Young Actress Featured, Co-starring, Supporting, Recurring Role in a Comedy or Drama Series or Special (1989) and Best Young Actress Supporting Role in a Television Series (1990).

Meanwhile, Goranson continued to hone her craft by starring in a number of stage productions and student films at Vassar. She also directed “Tableau Vivant,” an original performance piece for the Women's Ensemble Theater at Vassar College.

In 1995, Goranson made her feature film acting debut in “How to Make an American Quilt,” a comedy/drama directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse and adapted into screenplay by Jane Anderson based on Whitney Otto's novel of the same name. She was cast as a young version of Ellen Burstyn's character, Hy. The film starred Winona Ryder as Finn Dodd, Anne Bancroft as Glady Joe Cleary, Kate Nelligan as Constance Saunders and Alfre Woodard as Marianna, to name a few.

Goranson returned to “Roseanne” for the season 8, taking back the role from Chalke. She appeared continuously at the start, but by the mid season she had left the show occasionally, with again Chalke taking over the role during her off. In total, Goranson filmed 11 out of 25 episodes and Chalke did five episodes. For the ninth and final season, Goranson decided to leave the “Roseanne” permanently.

In 1999, Goranson resumed her film career by having a famous supporting role of Candace in the critically acclaimed independent drama “Boys Don't Cry,” based on the true story of transgender man Brandon Teena, who was raped and murdered by his male friends after they discovered he had a female genital organ. Directed by Kimberly Peirce and starring Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena, the film was also considered a hit at the box office by grossing over $11 million with an original budget of approximately $2 million. Apart from acting, Goranson also performed the song “Bluest Eyes In Texas” for the film's soundtrack.

Goranson found herself performing on stage during the early 2000s. She played Liz in “Good Thing” at Theatre St. Clements in New York from December 2001 to January 2002. In August 2002, she essayed the role of Cordelia/Fool in William Shakespeare's “King Lear” at Pettoranello Gardens Amphitheater in Princeton, New Jersey. Later that same year, in November, she was cast as Tania in “The Fourth Sister,” a play by Janusz Glowacki, at NYC's Vineyard Theater.

Back to screen in 2004, Goranson made a guest appearance as Amber (birth mother) in the HBO popular comedy/drama series “Sex and the City.” She next appeared as Rosalin Silvo in episode “Poison” of NBC's legal drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” She also played Joyce in “Death 4 Told” segment “The Psychic.” In the next year, Goranson starred as Myra in the comedy film “Love, Ludlow,” opposite David Eigenberg. The film was directed and written by Adrienne Weiss and David Paterson, respectively, and premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Two years later, she played Candace Monroe in the short film “The Perfect Dress.”

In 2008, Goranson won an Innovator Award from the TV Land Awards for her work in “Roseanne.” She shared the honor with costars such as Roseanne, Sarah Chalke, Michael Fishman, Johnny Galecki, Sara Gilbert, John Goodman and Martin Mull.

Recently, Goranson was featured as tattoo girl in the 2009 episode “Inner Child” of the J.J. Abrams-created science fiction series “Fringe,” which debuted on Fox in September 2008.

The Evanston, Illinois native will portray Sandra in the upcoming film “The Extra Man,” based on the novel of the same name by Jonathan Ames. The comedy, directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, is set to be released in 2010. Paul Dano, John C. Reilly, Kevin Kline and Katie Holmes are also scheduled to act in the film.

Awards:

• TV Land: Innovator Award, “Roseanne,” 2008