To say that Walton Goggins has been bursting with excitement about his role as Rick in The White Lotus season three is an understatement. The actor - who forms the season three cast along with the likes of Natasha Rothwell, Lisa Manobel, Carrie Coon, Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola, Arnas Fedaravičius and Leslie Bibb - called The White Lotus a 'movable beast' and his experience on the HBO series as a 'f**king ride'.
Want to know more about Walton, who plays the mysterious and uptight Rick during this Thailand-set season? We've got you covered.
Who is Walton Goggins?
Walton is an American, Emmy-nominated actor. He was born in Alabama but raised more than 250 miles away in Georgia, where he also ended up attending university for a year.
The actor - whose mum and dad divorced when he was three - says he was 'mostly raised by extraordinary, highly dysfunctional, crazy Southern women.' And while Walton didn't act in high school, he grew up watching an aunt perform on stage and was drawn into the 'bohemian lifestyle' and 'reaction from audiences'.
He recalled to Vulture of seeking out acting opportunities, 'I went to this casting director’s office in Atlanta, a woman named Chez Griffin - I didn’t have an appointment, so my mother drove me down there, I was only 14 - and I knocked on her door and said, “I want to talk to Chez. My name is Walton Sanders Goggins Jr. I don’t need an appointment. Just tell her.” And she came out and said, “Okay, who is this kid?” I told her, “I don’t know how to do this, but I know that I’ve had an interesting life, and I know that I feel things deeply. With some guidance and help, I can do this.” And she said okay. Then I started working in Georgia, and did a movie in 1990 called Murder in Mississippi.'
How old is Walton Goggins?
Born on 10 November 1971, Walton is 53 years old.
Which TV shows and films are Walton Goggins best known for?
For his role as career criminal Boyd Crowder in Justified, Walton received a nod for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2011. Then last year, he was nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actor category for his role in Fallout - an Amazon Prime adaptation of the popular game franchise. As well as small-screen roles in titles such as The Shield and Vice Principals, Walton also co-produced the Academy Award–winning short film The Accountant, in which he also starred.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight are other titles that appear on his filmography.
Is Walton Goggins married?
Before meeting wife Nadia Connors, Walton was previously married to Leanne Goggins, a dog-walking business owner who hailed from Canada. Walton and Leanne are believed to have met in 2000 before tying the knot a year later, however, their marriage was plagued with issues - allegedly including the fact that Leanne didn't enjoy living in Los Angeles. They separated and remained estranged until her death by reported suicide in 2004.
In a rare disclosure about the impact her death had on him, Walton said in 2019, 'I drifted for upwards of three years after that. It took me a really long time to come back from it. If it weren’t for the people in my life that cared about me, that stepped in and helped me understand that life goes on, I don’t know what would have happened.'
Unbeknownst to Walton in 2005, he was set up on a blind date with Hollywood writer and director Nadia Conners by a close friend. Walton approached the date thinking it was a business dinner to raise money for a film, but instead he spent the whole evening talking to Nadia.
He recalled, 'I didn’t talk to anyone there that I was supposed to talk to, and at the end of it [Nadia] said, "You’re going to take me home, right?" And I said "Uh, yes." When I got her home she said, "You’re going to ask for my number, right?" I said, "Of course I am."
Six months of dating later, Nadia discovered that Walton had no idea their initial meet-up was a blind date scenario, as his friend never divulged the information.
The pair got married in 2011 and recently moved to Hudson Valley from LA - a milestone they documented for their Instagram followers.
Their collaborative post read, 'Took me a couple of days to post this. A bit embarrassed to be quite honest by all this good fortune. Especially in light of so many that have lost so much. I’ve never been the guy that says look at me. But we did work hard on this home, on this move, on creating this new life. The process damn near killed me. We risked it all. But here we are.
'If you ever wondered, “How does that crazy f**ker Walton Goggins live?” Well this is it. My family will have these images and stories for a lifetime. I love you @nadiasomerset.'
Do Walton Goggins and Nadia Conners have children?
Yes, they have a 14-year-old son, Augustus.
In September, proud mum Nadia marked his next academic year, writing, 'First day of 8th grade!! We are so proud of you Augustus!! You have become an extraordinary person, a deep-feeling human, and already a scintillating intellectual!! We love you. @waltongogginsbonafide There is nothing like watching you walk into school… backpack on and ready for the year ahead.'
What happened to Walton Goggins' teeth?
Walton had his two front teeth knocked out when he was at school. He recalled in 2016, 'I showed up late to baseball practice in 5th grade, and I had to take a lap and I was running to centrefield and all I heard was "Walton". And I turn around and I caught a baseball right in my mouth and literally my two front teeth were on the ground next to me.'
While the teeth healed and the roots connected, it wasn't the last time Walton endured the pain of losing teeth. He added, 'Everything was fine until a year and a half later, I dove off into the shallow end of a pool and hit the bottom and knocked them out again.'
What is Walton Goggins' net worth?
Thanks to his long-spanning acting career, Walton is believed to have amassed a net worth of $12 million.
Millie Payne is a News and Entertainment Writer for Grazia. She has specialised in showbiz interviews, features, articles and roundups for over three years and loves combining her love for writing, talking and all things popular culture.