- This article is about the titular character, for the television series, see Roseanne (TV series).
Roseanne Conner (née Harris; November 3, 1952 - September 25, 2018) was played by the series' star, Roseanne Barr. The Roseanne Conner television character was picked up and inspired from her stand-up comedic persona, along with being inspired by her presumed real-life persona. The character is a bossy, loud, caustic, overweight and dominant woman who appears as the main protagonist of the sitcom. She frequently meddles and tries to control the lives of her husband, daughters, sons, grandchildren, sister and friends. Despite her dominating nature, Roseanne is a loving mother, grandmother, and wife. She works hard and makes as much time for her children, grandchildren and husband as possible. She also deeply cares for her friends and sister.
Biography[]
Roseanne was born on November 3, 1952 to Al Harris and Beverly Harris. She is the granddaughter of Nana Mary. She was married to Dan Conner, and together, they have four children; Becky Healy (née Conner), Darlene Olinsky (née Conner), David Jacob "D.J." Conner and Jerry Garcia Conner. She is the grandmother of Harris Conner Healy, Mark Healy II, Mary Conner, and Beverly Rose Conner. She has a younger sister named Jackie. Growing up, Roseanne and Jackie suffered a lot of abuse (physical, emotional, and verbal) from their father Al, while their mother Beverly stood there and allowed it to happen. They didn't always have the greatest childhood growing up and there were a lot of speculations that was the reason why Roseanne grew up with a food addiction causing her to be overweight and Jackie's unsuccessful relationships with men.
Roseanne, like her family, deals with the many hardships of poverty, weight, and domestic troubles with humor. She has always had troubles with her weight throughout her life.
In 1968, when she was 16-years-old, Roseanne met Dan at a Halloween carnival party at their high school. She was dressed up as Ginger from Gilligan's Island: If They Never Found the Island, and Dan was dressed up as Fred Flintstone. Roseanne and Dan graduated from high school in 1970. Shortly after high school, they got married and moved into their house (714 Delaware St.) On March 15, 1975, they welcomed their first child, a girl, named Rebecca "Becky" Conner-Healy. On April 14, 1977, they welcomed their second child, a daughter, Darlene Conner-Olinsky. On December 15, 1981, Roseanne and Dan welcomed their third child, a son named David Jacob "D.J." Conner. D.J. was the youngest and only boy for a long while until Roseanne found out in 1995, that she and Dan were expecting their fourth and final child Jerry Conner on Halloween.
At the beginning of the show's run, Roseanne was working at a plastics factory called Wellman Plastics Factory with her sister Jackie, her best friends Crystal Anderson, Vonda Green, and a good friend Sylvia Foster. After working there for 11 1/2 years, a new boss, Keith Faber came in as their new boss (replacing Booker Brooks) and he was very egotistical and domineering. He would always make fun of Roseanne because of her weight. One day at work, Roseanne had enough of Faber and his mean ways, so she staged a walk-out. Roseanne, Jackie, Vonda, Crystal, and Sylvia all quit. She had several periods of unemployment and held jobs such at Bucky Burger where she had to work for a teenager named Brian Cayman (who went to school with Becky). She ended up getting fired when she told Brian she couldn't work weekends. She also worked at Art's Beauty Shop, where she swept hair up and answered telephones. She was later promoted to shampoo woman along with her other duties. After her job at the salon, she got a job as a waitress at their local mall luncheonette at Rodbell's Department Store. She worked there for a few years with her friend Bonnie Watkins. They ended up closing the restaurant down and turned it into a bargin bin.
In the episode Thanksgiving '91, Roseanne, Jackie, and Nanna Mary find out that their father Al was having an affair with a woman named Joan Crinshaw from Kansas City. They later find out that the affair had been going on for 20 years. They first meet Joan in the episode Kansas City, Here We Come. Where they stopped at Joan's apartment on their way to drop off a load when Jackie was a truck driver.
In the Season 5 episode 16 Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, Joan calls Roseanne to inform her of Al's death. He was a traveling salesman and while he was on the road, he suffered from a heart attack. Joan and Beverly eventually meet again face-to-face at the funeral home where they hold services. By this time, Beverly and Al had already been divorced and he was living with Joan this entire time.
Between 1991 and 1992, Roseanne and Dan owned a bike shop called Lanford Custom Cycle where Dan, and Becky's boyfriend Mark Healy would do repairs on motorcycles and other bikes. In the episode Take My Bike ... Please! Roseanne and Dan fell behind on their bills, Dan and Roseanne were forced to close the doors in the summer of 1992. From 1992 to 1993, Roseanne, Jackie and their friend Nancy Bartlett (with the financial help of Roseanne and Jackie's mom Beverly), were able to start a restaurant called The Lanford Lunch Box where they sold cold beverages, chips, coffee, and their best seller; loose-meat sandwiches.
After a few years, Beverly sold her share to Roseanne's nemesis and old boss Leon Carp. When Roseanne and Jackie decided they wanted out of the restaurant business, they decided to sell their shares to Nancy and Leon.
The Conners[]
At the beginning of the series of the show, Roseanne took a job as an Uber driver.
Because of Roseanne's age and health issues, she ended up having knee problems. Although surgery to fix her knee seemed to be expensive, she began an addiction to pain killers. She was able to have the knee surgery after all due to being later granted the necessary money from the government.
Shortly after having her knee surgery, Roseanne unexpectedly died from an accidental overdose of an opioid drug, leaving Dan, Jackie, and the rest of the family devastated.
Personality[]
Roseanne is loud, outspoken, confrontational and very devious when she wanted to be. But nonetheless she was loving, hardworking and very protective of her family and friends.
Appearance[]
Roseanne stands between 5'4" and 5'5", brown hair, brown eyes and is overweight.
Relationships[]
Al Harris - Father (deceased)
Beverly Harris - Mother
Nana Mary - Maternal Grandmother
Jackie Goldufski - Sister
Ed Conner - Father-in-law
Audrey Conner - Mother-in-law (Divorced Dan's mother)
Dan Conner - Husband
Becky Conner - Daughter
Darlene Olinsky - Daughter
D.J. Conner - Son
Jerry Conner - Son
Crystal Anderson - Best friend/Mother-in-law
Lonnie Anderson - Crystal's son/Brother-in-law
Ed Conner Jr. - Ed and Crystal's son/Brother-in-law
Angela Conner - Crystal and Ed's son/Sister-in-law
Bonnie Watkins - Best friend
Nancy Bartlett - Best friend
Arnie Thomas - Friend of Dan's/Nancy's ex-husband
Anne-Marie Mitchell - Friend from high school
List of Appearances[]
Roseanne managed to appear in every single episode of Roseanne. However, in "Single Married Female" from Season 7, she only appears in the closing tag scene.
| Roseanne (TV series) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | # | |
| Season 1 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 23 | ||
| Season 2 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 24 | |
| Season 3 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 25 |
| Season 4 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 25 |
| Season 5 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 25 |
| Season 6 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 25 |
| Season 7 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 26 |
| Season 8 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 25 |
| Season 9 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 24 | |
| Season 10 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 231 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||