Walton Sanders Goggins Jr. (born November 10, 1971) is an American actor. He has starred in various television series, including The Shield (2002–2008), Justified (2010–2015), Vice Principals (2016–2017), The Righteous Gemstones (2019–2025), Invincible (2021–present), Fallout (2024–present), and The White Lotus (2025). He was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Justified and The White Lotus, and for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Fallout.
Walton Goggins | |
|---|---|
 Goggins in 2025 | |
| Born | Walton Sanders Goggins Jr. November 10, 1971 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 1 |
Goggins starred in and co-produced the Academy Award–winning short film The Accountant (2001). He has also featured in feature films, such as Predators (2010), Lincoln, Django Unchained (both 2012), The Hateful Eight (2015), Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Tomb Raider, and Ant-Man and the Wasp (all 2018).
Early life
Goggins was born on November 10, 1971, in Birmingham, Alabama, the son of Janet Long and Walton Goggins Sr. He was raised in Lithia Springs, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. He attended and graduated from Lithia Springs High School, and then attended Georgia Southern University for a year.
As he has described in interviews, a young Goggins twice had two front teeth knocked out: first, as a fifth-grader at sports practice in 1979, when he was accidentally struck in the mouth by a baseball, and after their successful reinsertion, a year and a half later he knocked them out again after hitting his face diving into a pool's shallow end. He then spent his high school years wearing a removable dental bridge (something he says he used to comic effect).
Career
Goggins moved to Los Angeles at nineteen, working at LA Fitness and a valet parking business while taking acting classes and auditioning. After starring in a few roles in Georgia, he met Ray McKinnon while filming Murder in Mississippi.
Goggins played Shane Vendrell in the FX drama series The Shield. He formed the production company Ginny Mule Pictures, which produced four films: The Accountant (a short film which won an Academy Award for Live Action Short Film), Chrystal (Sundance Dramatic Competition), Randy and the Mob, and That Evening Sun (which won the South by Southwest Special Jury Prize). They later created the drama series Rectify. Goggins was set to play the lead and AMC had bought the pilot script, written by McKinnon, a role which went to Aden Young, when the series later went to Sundance TV.
Goggins had a major supporting role as a deadly death row inmate being hunted by the titular antagonists in the film Predators. He played Boyd Crowder in the pilot episode for the FX drama series Justified. Before Goggins was cast, Boyd was intended to die in the pilot episode, but Graham Yost kept the character when the character scored highly with test audiences. Goggins joined the main cast for the second season in May 2010. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role on Justified. In 2011, he appeared in "Code of the West", a commercial for Ram Truck's "Guts & Glory" campaign. He appeared in Cowboys & Aliens as Hunt, a bandit formerly in the employ of the protagonist. He played a sadistic overseer and slave fighting trainer in the western film Django Unchained.
Goggins played a transgender sex worker in the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy. He previously worked with the show's creator, Kurt Sutter, when the latter was a writer and executive producer on The Shield. The name "Venus Van Dam" is a play on the undercover name "Cletus Van Damme" used by The Shield character Shane Vendrell. He played Chris Mannix in The Hateful Eight and Lee Russell in the HBO dark comedy series Vice Principals.The New York Times critic Mike Hale wrote, "Walton Goggins makes a habit of being the best thing about the television shows he's in."
In 2018, Goggins played Lawrence in Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Mathias Vogel in Tomb Raider, and Sonny Burch in Ant-Man and the Wasp. That same year, he made a guest appearance in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory as a jealous husband. In 2019, he played the lead character in the CBS sitcom The Unicorn and starred in the comedy series The Righteous Gemstones, alongside Vice Principals costar Danny McBride. In 2020, Goggins voiced part of the true crime podcast Deep Cover: The Drug Wars.
Goggins was cast as Jay Whittle / The Hero in the Amazon Prime Video comedy miniseries I'm a Virgo. In 2024, he played Cooper Howard / The Ghoul in the Amazon Prime Video drama series Fallout, and Peter Tomarken in The Luckiest Man in America, based on an actual incident involving a contestant on the Tomarken-hosted game show Press Your Luck.
The actor designed a series of active eyewear which he promoted in a co-branded commercial with GoDaddy that aired during Super Bowl LIX in 2025. This was his first appearance in a Super Bowl commercial.
Goggins joined the ensemble cast for the third season of the anthology series The White Lotus.
Personal life
In 2001, Goggins married Leanne Knight. Although estranged, they remained married until she died from suicide on November 12, 2004. Goggins married filmmaker Nadia Conners in August 2011 and they have a son together.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Mr. Saturday Night | Shaky Kid | Uncredited |
| Forever Young | Gate MP | ||
| 1994 | The Next Karate Kid | Charlie | |
| 1997 | The Apostle | Sam | |
| Switchback | Bud | ||
| 1998 | Major League: Back to the Minors | Billy "Downtown" Anderson | |
| 1999 | Wayward Son | Plantation Owner | |
| 2000 | Red Dirt | Lee Todd | |
| Shanghai Noon | Wallace | ||
| The Crow: Salvation | Det. Stan Roberts | ||
| 2001 | The Accountant | Tommy O'Dell | Short film; also co-producer |
| Daddy and Them | Tommy Christian | ||
| Joy Ride | Cop | Uncredited | |
| 2002 | The Bourne Identity | Research Tech | |
| 2003 | House of 1000 Corpses | Steve Naish | |
| Apple Jack | Moe Danyou | Short film | |
| 2004 | Chrystal | Larry | Also producer |
| 2005 | The World's Fastest Indian | Marty | |
| 2006 | The Architect | Joe | |
| 2007 | Randy and the Mob | Tino Armani | Also producer |
| 2008 | Winged Creatures | Zack | |
| Miracle at St. Anna | Captain Nokes | ||
| 2009 | That Evening Sun | Paul Meecham | Also producer |
| Damage | Reno Paulsait | ||
| 2010 | Predators | Stans | |
| 2011 | Cowboys & Aliens | Hunt | |
| Straw Dogs | Daniel Niles | ||
| 2012 | Lincoln | Clay Hawkins | |
| Django Unchained | Billy Crash | ||
| 2013 | Officer Down | Det. Nick Logue / Angel | |
| G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Warden Nigel James | ||
| Machete Kills | El Camaleón 1 | ||
| 2015 | Mojave | Jim | |
| American Ultra | Laugher | ||
| Diablo | Ezra | ||
| The Hateful Eight | Captain Chris Mannix | ||
| 2017 | Three Christs | Leon | |
| 2018 | Maze Runner: The Death Cure | Lawrence | |
| Tomb Raider | Mathias Vogel | ||
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | Sonny Burch | ||
| 2019 | Them That Follow | Lemuel | |
| Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Old Chattanooga Beer | Voice cameo; extended cut | |
| 2020 | Words on Bathroom Walls | Paul | |
| John Bronco | John Bronco | Short film | |
| Fatman | Skinny Man | ||
| 2021 | Spirit Untamed | Hendricks | Voice |
| John Bronco Rides Again | John Bronco | Short film | |
| 2022 | Dreamin' Wild | Joe Emerson | |
| 2024 | The Uninvited | Sammy | |
| The Luckiest Man in America | Peter Tomarken | ||
| Queen of the Ring | Jack Pfefer | ||
| TBA | Painter | TBA | Post Production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–1992 | In the Heat of the Night | Football Teammate / Darrell / Robbie Jeffries / Garth Warkins | 4 episodes |
| 1990 | Murder in Mississippi | Lyle | Television film |
| 1992 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Mike Muchin | Episode: "The Pit and the Pendulum" |
| Stay the Night | Wayne Seagrove | Television film | |
| 1993 | I'll Fly Away | Langley | Episode: "What's in a Name?" |
| Queen | Young Man #1 | Episode: "Part I" | |
| Renegade | Lance McBride | Episode: "Wheel Man" | |
| 1995 | JAG | Communications Officer | Episode: "Desert Son" |
| 1996 | High Tide | Bad Guy / Treasure Hunter | Episode: "A Three Hour Tour" |
| Pacific Blue | Harv | Episode: "Captive Audience" | |
| Humanoids from the Deep | Rod | Television film | |
| The Sentinel | Mick | Episode: "True Crime" | |
| The Cherokee Kid | Jim Bob / Carver Gang | Television film | |
| 1998 | NYPD Blue | Terry | Episode: "Honeymoon at Viagra Falls" |
| 2000 | Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder | Almanzo Wilder | Television film |
| 2001 | Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man | Billy Weber | Television film |
| 2002 | Beyond the Prairie, Part 2: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder | Almanzo Wilder | Television film |
| 2002–2008 | The Shield | Shane Vendrell | 87 episodes |
| 2004 | Hawaii | Agent Davis | Episode: "Lost and Found" |
| 2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Marlon Frost | Episode: "Empty Eyes" |
| 2009 | Criminal Minds | John Cooley | Episode: "Demonology" |
| CSI: Miami | Sean Echols | Episode: "Dissolved" | |
| 2010–2015 | Justified | Boyd Crowder | 74 episodes |
| 2012 | Unsupervised | Bruce Lindsay | Voice; episode: "The Magic of Science" |
| 2012–2014 | Sons of Anarchy | Venus Van Dam | 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Community | Mr. Stone | Episode: "Cooperative Polygraphy" |
| 2016–2017 | Vice Principals | Lee Russell | 18 episodes |
| 2017 | American Dad! | Enoch | Voice; episode: "A Nice Night for a Drive" |
| 2017–2018 | Six | Richard "Rip" Taggart | 11 episodes |
| 2018 | L.A. Confidential | Detective Jack Vincennes | Unaired pilot |
| 2018 | The Big Bang Theory | Oliver | Episode: "The Separation Triangulation" |
| 2019 | Deep State | Nathan Miller | 8 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2019–2025 | The Righteous Gemstones | Baby Billy Freeman | 24 episodes |
| 2019–2021 | The Unicorn | Wade Felton | 31 episodes; also producer |
| 2021 | Squidbillies | Bubba | Voice; episode: "Let'er R.I.P." |
| 2021–present | Invincible | Cecil Stedman | Voice; 21 episodes |
| 2022 | The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey | Dr. Rubin | Miniseries; 5 episodes |
| 2022–2023 | George & Tammy | Earl "Peanutt" Montgomery | Miniseries; 6 episodes |
| 2023 | I'm a Virgo | Jay Whittle / The Hero | 5 episodes |
| Justified: City Primeval | Boyd Crowder | Episode: "The Question" | |
| 2024–present | Fallout | Cooper Howard / The Ghoul | 13 episodes |
| 2024 | What If...? | Sonny Burch | Voice; episode: "What If... 1872?" |
| 2025 | The White Lotus | Rick Hatchett | 8 episodes |
| 2025 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Walton Goggins/Arcade Fire" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom | Border World Pilot |
| 2007 | The Shield | Det. Shane Vendrell |
| 2017 | Prey | Aaron Ingram |
| 2025 | Fallout 76 | Cooper Howard / The Ghoul |
Awards and nominations
| Organizations | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actor Awards | 2026 | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series | The White Lotus | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Pending | ||||
| Astra TV Awards | 2024 | Best Actor in a Streaming Drama Series | Fallout | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | 2015 | Best Acting Ensemble | The Hateful Eight | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | 2011 | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Justified | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |||
| Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series | Sons of Anarchy | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Justified | Nominated | ||
| Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series | Sons of Anarchy | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Vice Principals | Won | ||
| 2019 | Best Actor in a Comedy Series | The Unicorn | Nominated | ||
| Gotham TV Awards | 2024 | Outstanding Performance in a Drama Series | Fallout | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2026 | Best Supporting Actor on Television | The White Lotus | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Film Awards | 2015 | Ensemble | The Hateful Eight | Won | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 2019 | Best Original Song in a TV Show/Limited Series | The Righteous Gemstones | Nominated | |
| Newport Beach Film Festival | 2019 | Ensemble Cast | Them That Follow | Won | |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2011 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Justified (episode: "The I of the Storm") | Nominated | |
| 2024 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Fallout (episode: "The Ghouls") | Nominated | ||
| 2025 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | The White Lotus (episode: "Amor Fati") | Nominated | ||
| San Diego Film Critics Society | 2012 | Best Ensemble Performance | Django Unchained | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | 2011 | Best Supporting Actor –Television | Justified | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Best Supporting Actor – Television | The Righteous Gemstones | Nominated | ||
| 2023 | Best Supporting Actor – Television | Nominated | |||
| Saturn Awards | 2016 | Best Supporting Actor | The Hateful Eight | Nominated | |
| Slamdance Film Festival | 2001 | Spirit of Slamdance | The Accountant | Won | |
| SXSW Film Festival | 2009 | Best Ensemble Cast | That Evening Sun | Won | |
| TCA Awards | 2009 | Individual Achievement in Drama | The Shield | Nominated |
Footnotes
- (shared with Joseph Stephens, Danny McBride, Edi Patterson and Jennifer Nettles)
- (shared with Ray McKinnon and Lisa Blount)