Alicia Linda "Lecy" Goranson (; born June 22, 1974) is an American actress. She plays
Becky Conner in the television sitcoms ''
Roseanne
''Roseanne'' is an American sitcom television series created by Matt Williams and Roseanne Barr which aired on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May 22, 2018. The show stars Barr as Roseann ...
'', which debuted in 1988, and ''
The Conners
''The Conners'' is an American television sitcom created for ABC as a renamed direct continuation of the sequel to the series ''Roseanne''. The series is produced by Werner Entertainment, with Bruce Helford serving as showrunner and features ac ...
''.
She has also had supporting roles in the films ''
How to Make an American Quilt
''How to Make an American Quilt'' is a 1995 American drama film based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Whitney Otto. Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, the film features Winona Ryder, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Nelligan and Alfre Woodar ...
'' (1996), ''
Boys Don't Cry'' (1999), and ''
The Extra Man'' (2010).
Career
''Roseanne''
Goranson studied acting in Chicago and subsequently landed the role of Becky Conner. It was only the second time she ever auditioned for any part. She played the character for five seasons, exiting the series in 1992, several episodes into the fifth season, to attend
Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...
. Her academic schedule allowed her to continue appearing part-time as Becky. Under her new arrangement, the show's producers and writers wrote scenes for Becky sparingly. Goranson's exit resulted in Becky's
eloping with her boyfriend Mark.
During the following season, the producers wanted to bring back the character. Goranson was still unavailable, so
Sarah Chalke
Sarah Louise Christine Chalke (; born August 27, 1976) is a Canadian actress and model. She is known for portraying Elliot Reid on the NBC/ABC comedy series '' Scrubs'', the second Becky Conner on the ABC sitcom ''Roseanne'', Stella Zinman on ...
auditioned and won the role.
Chalke played Becky for the remainder of the sixth season and all of the seventh season. When the show reached its eighth season, Goranson was able to play Becky again while still attending college, replacing Chalke. Goranson appeared in the show's eighth season, but by mid-season she had scheduling conflicts with school again. On two occasions Goranson had to pull out of episodes in which the Becky character was necessary: Darlene's wedding and a family trip to
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
. Chalke played Becky for these episodes. Toward the season's end, Goranson returned to play Becky. When the series was renewed for a ninth season, Goranson, who was still in school, declined to continue in the role in order not to cause scheduling conflicts. Chalke returned for the ninth season, which was her last appearance in that role. Chalke did appear in season 10 as the new character Andrea who attempts to enlist Becky as a surrogate mother.
The appearances by Goranson vs. Chalke became a running gag. Goranson's first re-appearance was marked with a, "Where the hell have you been?" comment from several cast members while in character. Similarly, Chalke's sporadic appearances during Season 8 would be played for humor with an, "Aren't you glad you're here this week?" remark from Roseanne. There was even a glimpse into the future where a grown-up and somewhat catatonic
DJ, played by
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, an ...
instead of
Michael Fishman
Michael Aaron Fishman (born October 22, 1981) is an American actor, writer, and producer known for playing D.J. Conner on the long-running series ''Roseanne'' and its spin-off show, ''The Conners''.
Early life
Fishman was born in Los Angeles C ...
, repeatedly uttered to a psychiatrist (referring to Becky), "They say she's the same, but she isn't the same". One episode ended with both Beckys performing a parody of the opening theme of ''
the Patty Duke Show
''The Patty Duke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Sidney Sheldon and William Asher. The series ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, to April 27, 1966.
The series was developed as a vehicle for teenage star Patty Duke, who had w ...
'', with similar music and lyrics to the "identical cousins song", and an appearance by
William Schallert
William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on ''Richard Diamond, Private ...
, who played the father on that show.
Post-''Roseanne''
![Lecy Goranson as Roz Chapman on Dale Radio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Lecy_Goranson_as_Roz_Chapman_on_Dale_Radio.jpg)
After the initial run of ''Roseanne'', Goranson had several small roles in films and has guest starred in ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''
Sex and the City
''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City (newspaper column), newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the ...
'', ''
Damages
At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognised at ...
'' and ''
Fringe
Fringe may refer to:
Arts
* Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe"
* Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival
* Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre
* The Fringe, the ...
''. In her post-Roseanne film roles, she is normally credited as Alicia rather than Lecy Goranson. She played the part of Sandra in ''
The Extra Man'' which opened in limited release on July 30, 2010.
''Roseanne'' revival and ''The Conners''
On April 28, 2017, it was announced that a
revival of ''Roseanne'' was in the works with most of the original cast and some of the original producers slated to return. In May 2017, it was confirmed that Goranson would be returning in the role of Becky. Chalke would also appear, playing a different role. The revival of ''Roseanne'' premiered on March 27, 2018, on ABC. On May 29, 2018, in the wake of controversial remarks made by
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom '' Roseanne'' (1988– ...
on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
regarding
Valerie Jarrett
Valerie June Jarrett ( Bowman; born November 14, 1956) is an American businesswoman and former government official. She currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Obama Foundation. She previously served as the Senior Advisor to the Pre ...
(an advisor of former president
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
), ABC cancelled the revival after a single season.
On June 21, 2018, ABC announced a spin-off from ''Roseanne'', entitled ''
The Conners
''The Conners'' is an American television sitcom created for ABC as a renamed direct continuation of the sequel to the series ''Roseanne''. The series is produced by Werner Entertainment, with Bruce Helford serving as showrunner and features ac ...
'', with all the original cast of ''Roseanne'' to return, except for Barr herself. The new show premiered on October 16, 2018.
Personal life
Goranson was born in Evanston, Illinois, to Stephen Goranson, who worked for the
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
, and Linda Goranson, who taught English at
Evanston Township High School
Evanston Township High School (ETHS) District 202, is a four-year public high school occupying a campus in Evanston, Illinois, a north suburb of Chicago along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS was established in 1883 and serves the city of Evanston ...
.
She has an older brother named Adam.
Her mother died in January 2020.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goranson, Lecy
1974 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
American child actresses
American film actresses
American television actresses
Evanston Township High School alumni
Actresses from Evanston, Illinois
Vassar College alumni
American people of Swedish descent
American people of Croatian descent
American people of Polish descent