Ginnifer Goodwin has made a huge effort to hone her acting craft. Not only does she have a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts in Acting with honors from Boston University, but she also studied with the Shakespeare Institute and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. She’s done everything from work on stage to the silver screen and voiced animated characters. Goodwin has even sung for a few roles.
She is best known for her role as Snow White in Once Upon A Time, but Goodwin has a pretty varied acting resume behind her. She’s appeared in family-friendly roles (and is set to reprise one of them in Zootopia 2 for Disney), thrillers, dramas, and more soapy TV series. Many of her best roles are actually on television, perhaps because these are projects that allow her to spend a little bit more time with the characters she plays.
10 Ed (2001-2003)
As Diane For 25 Episodes
The television series Ed provides Goodwin with one of her earliest roles. Though she doesn’t appear in the first season, she makes her debut in season 2 as a high school student.
The focus is actually on Tom Cavanaugh’s titular Ed, but the high school students that he crosses paths with in the series provide a window into who he was in high school. Ed is a man who moves from New York where he was working for a high-powered law firm back to his small town. He finds out his wife has been cheating on him the same day he is fired for making a costly mistake while drafting a contract. He decides to reconnect with his roots, both becoming a lawyer in his hometown and buying a bowling alley.
Goodwin’s Diane comes into the series as a friend of Justin Long’s character, the high school student who reminds Ed of himself. Diane is smart and always ready to assert her opinions. She’s a great glimpse at the beginning of the actress Goodwin becomes.
Related Every Justin Long Horror Movie Ranked, Worst To Best
Justin Long recently starred in Barbarian, but it’s not the first time the comedy star jumped into the horror genre, here is each from worst to best.
9 Birds Of America (2008)
As Ida
This is likely one of Ginnifer Goodwin’s movies that not many people have seen since its theatrical gross was only just over $100,000. The movie did show at film festivals but didn’t make much of a splash to a wider audience.
It features Matthew Perry as a man who is trying to become a tenured professor, but he finds his life upended by the two younger siblings he essentially raised following the death of their parents. His little brother is homeless and in trouble with the law while his little sister is an artist who tends to sleep with complete strangers. The little sister is Ginnifer Goodwin.
The movie is very much a quirky comedy of a specific era. Goodwin plays to a specific character type in the movie as the artistic one of the family, but she’s also got some of the best lines of the movie, like “If you are gonna live totally outside the lines, all of the people moving on the inside of them are gonna flatten you.”
8 Tinker Bell And The Legend Of The NeverBeast (2014)
As Fawn
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Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast G Where to Watch
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Director Steve Loter Release Date December 12, 2014 Writers Steve Loter , Tom Rogers , Robert Schooley , Mark McCorkle , Kate Kondell Cast Ginnifer Goodwin , Mae Whitman , Rosario Dawson , Megan Hilty , Pamela Adlon , Lucy Liu Runtime 76 minutes
Tinker Bell might have started as one of the sidekicks of Peter Pan, but she’s been given her own franchise by Disney. Disney created Pixie Hollow as Tinker Bell’s home, complete with a line of movies and games featuring many new fairies created specifically for them. One of those fairies is Fawn, whom Goodwin voices.
This particular Tinker Bell movie is about tolerance and judgment. Fawn is the type of fairy who talks to animals. She befriends an animal called the NeverBeast that others are afraid of. When scout fairies are sent to harm the NeverBeast, Fawn recruits her friends to save her new animal friend, despite their apprehension.
It might be heavier on the lessons about judging others based on their appearance for adults, but it’s still a sweet story with some great voice work by Goodwin, Lucy Liu, Mae Whitman, and more.
7 Robot Chicken (2005-2014)
As Various Characters In 8 Episodes
Robot Chicken Animation Where to Watch
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In this stop-motion animated adult comedy show, a variety of original characters, pop culture icons, and notable real-life figures perform a variety of comedy sketches. At the heart of it all is Robot Chicken, a cyborg chicken reanimated by the fittingly-named Mad Scientist.
Cast Seth Green , David Lynch , Zachary Levi , Katee Sackhoff , Michael Ian Black , Christian Slater , Jamie Kaler Release Date February 20, 2005 Seasons 11 Showrunner Matthew Senreich
Like a lot of the more famous voices who take on roles in the stop-motion animated series, Goodwin doesn’t play the same character over the nine years she appeared in the show. Instead, she played multiple characters and only appeared in eight episodes over that time period.
Some of her most memorable are classic pop culture figures. She is the voice of Amanda Bynes, Pamela Anderson, and The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy Gale, for example. In keeping with her fans believing she has the sweet disposition of a Disney princess after appearing in Once Upon A Time, Goodwin also voiced Peter Pan’s Wendy Darling, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Mulan for the show.
Her varied work playing so many different characters is impressive. That’s especially true since in most of her appearances on the show, she voiced at least three characters in a single episode.
6 He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)
As Gigi
He’s Just Not That Into You PG-13ComedyDocumentaryDramaRomance Where to Watch
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Director Ken Kwapis Release Date February 6, 2009 Writers Abby Kohn , Marc Silverstein , Greg Behrendt , Liz Tuccillo Cast Morgan Lily , Trenton Rogers , Michelle Carmichael , Jasmine Woods , Sabrina Revelle , Zoe Jarman Runtime 129 minutes
Long and Goodwin have some of the best chemistry in the entire movie…
The very quotable He’s Just Not That Into You is not widely regarded as a great rom-com. The idea behind the movie, of exploring how wires get crossed in relationships, is a good one though, and the cast is incredibly talented. However, Goodwin’s part of the movie is the most traditional rom-com storyline, which is why it’s one of her best roles. It shows how great she would be if given the chance to lead a rom-com again.
As Gigi (coincidentally, Goodwin’s real-life nickname), Goodwin plays a young woman who always sees more in a relationship than the men she meets. She ends up becoming incredibly invested in a relationship, or even in a potential relationship, believing someone is interested in her when they really aren’t. She reunites with her Ed co-star Justin Long here as he plays the bartender who helps her understand why all of her relationships don’t work out.
Long and Goodwin have some of the best chemistry in the entire movie, which is why their parts of the story are so fun to watch unfold.
Related What is the best rom-com of all time?
There have been many great romantic comedies over the years, and some of the best include a nice mix of classics with a few more recent entries. My favorites lie mostly between the 1990s and the 2000s. I believe that movies like Notting Hill, (500) Days of Summer, Love Actually, and Pretty Woman are classics. That said, I also have enjoyed more recent movies like About Time and quite fresh entries such as Anyone but You and Palm Springs. Overall, my favorite rom-com has to be Love, Rosie, which made me feel all possible emotions.
5 Pivoting (2022)
As Jodie
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Pivoting is likely one of Goodwin’s lesser-known TV projects, but it’s definitely one of the best. The series sees three women reunite after the death of one of their best friends. Though a therapist warns them all about making big decisions while grieving, they all begin to make more impulsive decisions because life is so short that they want to embrace their lives instead of living in fear.
Goodwin plays a mom who develops a crush on her personal trainer. Her friends are played by Maggie Q and Eliza Coupe. The trio walks a fine line between presenting dramatic material and being funny and entertaining, and they did it well. While the show had modest ratings during airing, it was praised by critics and found an audience on streaming as episodes were available on Hulu after airing on television.
The series only lasted for one ten-episode season on FOX, but it wasn’t because the network didn’t want the show. Though it aired on FOX and had a streaming deal on Hulu, the show was produced by Warner Bros. Television. Following the first season, according to FOX’s president of entertainment, Michael Thorn, a deal couldn’t be made with Warner Bros. to continue the series. He told Deadline, “We had to look at it holistically, not just as a show, but as a business, and in this case, we were sorry not to renew it.”
4 Zootopia (2016)
As Judy Hopps
Zootopia 
4.0 6
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Disney’s Zootopia takes place in the titular city, a place where anthropomorphic animals peacefully coexist. Following Officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), a rabbit, as she strikes up an unlikely partnership with a con artist fox (Jason Bateman). Working together, the pair discover a criminal conspiracy that involves the disappearance of predators, and follow it all the way to the heart of the city.
Director Jared Bush , Rich Moore , Byron Howard Release Date March 4, 2016 Writers Phil Johnston , Jared Bush Cast Octavia Spencer , Bonnie Hunt , Maurice LaMarche , Idris Elba , John DiMaggio , Jason Bateman , Alan Tudyk , Nate Torrence , Katie Lowes , Ginnifer Goodwin , Tommy Chong , Shakira , J. K. Simmons , Jenny Slate , Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister Runtime 108 Minutes Expand
Though many of her fans believe Goodwin has the kind of voice that would be perfect to voice a Disney princess, she did get the chance to voice a very different Disney character in Zootopia. The movie spotlights a world in which different animals live in a human-like society called Zootopia.
Goodwin voices Judy Hopps, a rabbit who happens to be a police officer. She is, in fact, the first rabbit to become a police officer. Though she’s initially placed on parking duty and hustled by a couple of foxes, she has bigger ambitions and volunteers herself to work a much bigger case. Judy ends up having to team up with one of the very foxes who conned her.
The movie is one of the highest-grossing Disney animated movies and has wide critical acclaim. It’s so popular that it garnered a spinoff series on Disney+ and is getting a sequel. Goodwin also earned a Voice Arts Award for her work in the movie.
She reprises the role in video games for Disney and in
Zootopia+
on Disney+.
3 Why Women Kill (2019)
As Beth Ann
Why Women Kill DramaCrimeComedy Where to Watch
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Why Women Kill is a Paramount+ Original series that ran for two seasons. Acting as an anthology series, Why Women Kill follows different women through the decades who dealt with infidelity and other drama in their marriages. The series starred Jack Davenport, Lucy Liu, and Allison Tolman.
Cast Jack Davenport , Kirby Howell-Baptiste , Matthew Daddario , Reid Scott , Veronica Falcón , Allison Tolman , Sadie Calvano , Alexandra Daddario , Jordane Christie , Nick Frost , Lana Parrilla , Sam Jaeger , B.K. Cannon , Lucy Liu , Ginnifer Goodwin Release Date August 15, 2019 Seasons 2 Showrunner Marc Cherry Expand
Goodwin gives one of her best performances here. It’s a shame it’s only 10 episodes.
Why Women Kill is a dark comedy series. It’s an anthology with each season spotlighting different female characters, examining just how far they go before they are pushed over the edge to murder.
Goodwin only appears in the first season of the anthology series, which also acts like its own mini-anthology. The first season follows three different women living in different time periods, but all in the same house. Each of the women discovers that their husband has committed infidelity over the course of the story.
For Goodwin, that happens when she plays Beth Ann Stanton, a housewife in 1963. The relationship between herself and her husband is already strained before she learns that he cheated on her. She spends the bulk of the season befriending the woman he’s cheating on her with without revealing her identity and trying to get her husband to become interested in her again until she finally reaches her breaking point.
Goodwin gives one of her best performances here. It’s a shame it’s only 10 episodes.
Related Why Women Kill: 6 Ways The Finale Was Satisfying (& 6 Things Left Open-Ended)
Why Women Kill kept the audience on the edge of their seats for two seasons, but the Why Women Kill ending had as many questions as answers.
2 Big Love (2006-2011)
As Margene
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Big Love TV-MA Where to Watch
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Big Love is an HBO series that delves into the life of Bill Henrickson, a practicing polygamist in Utah with three wives and seven children. The show explores the complexities of Bill’s family dynamics, his business endeavors, and the societal challenges he faces. Starring Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin, Big Love provides a nuanced perspective on modern polygamy in the United States.
Cast Bill Paxton , Jeanne Tripplehorn , Chloe Sevigny , Ginnifer Goodwin , Amanda Seyfried , Douglas Smith , Grace Zabriskie , Mary Kay Place , Matt Ross , Cassi Thomson , Shawn Doyle , Mireille Enos Release Date March 12, 2006 Creator(s) Mark V. Olsen , Will Scheffer
Before TV audiences got to know her as Mary Margaret, Big Love was the TV project Goodwin was best known for. The series ran for five seasons and was a critical darling after its debut season. Big Love was nominated for a slew of Emmys, Golden Globes, and Satellite awards during its run, but only Chloë Sevigny picked up a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress during its run.
The series focuses on a fundamentalist Mormon family in which a man has multiple wives. Goodwin plays one of those wives, Margene. She is the youngest of the wives and her storyline involves her searching for her purpose beyond her marriage. Though she shares three children with her husband, she also eventually reveals to him that she lied about her age and was only 16 when they married.
Her character doesn’t get as many of the meaty storylines to dive into in the series, but Goodwin is still fantastic in the role, making Margene conflicted and loving in her relationships.
1 Once Upon A Time (2011-2018)
As Snow White/Mary Margaret
Once Upon A Time 3.5 8
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RomanceFantasyAdventure
Once Upon a Time is an adventure fantasy-drama series created for ABC that features fairy tale characters and their Disney incarnations in a modern setting. When Emma Swan and her son Henry accidentally drive into the town of Storybrooke, they soon discover the inhabitants are those from fairy tales, and they have no knowledge of the modern world inhabited by Emma and Henry. Robbed of their pasts and given new identities by the Evil Queen known as Regina, the hope of the town’s residents lie solely in the hands of Emma, who has stronger connections to the town than she knows.
Cast Ginnifer Goodwin , josh dallas , Lana Parrilla , Robert Carlyle , Jennifer Morrison , Jared Gilmore Release Date October 3, 2011 Seasons 7 Showrunner Adam Horowitz
Though she doesn’t appear as a series regular in the final season of
Once Upon A Time
, Ginnifer Goodwin certainly leaves her mark on television with this role.
When Ginnifer Goodwin debuted as Snow White, it was as a woman who knew how to use a bow and arrow and was an active participant in her stories instead of simply the princess enchanted into a deep sleep because of a poisoned apple (though that did come into play). The role of Snow White and her Storybrooke alter ego Mary Margaret is Goodwin’s most iconic to date and one of her best.
She is able to flip from a stereotypical Disney princess to a strong and resourceful woman to a caring teacher in seemingly the blink of an eye. The common trait among all versions of her character is her kindness and belief in the power of love, which seems incredibly apt for a live-action adaptation that turns Disney’s version of fairy tales on their heads.
Though she doesn’t appear as a series regular in the final season of Once Upon A Time, Ginnifer Goodwin certainly leaves her mark on television with this role.