Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPrimetime EmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalFall TV GuideMost Anticipated This MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayTrending peopleCelebrity news
    IMDb LabsHelp centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Back
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
IMDbPro
Johnny Rzeznik in Treasure Planet (2002)

Biography

Johnny Rzeznik

Overview

  • Born
    December 5, 1965 · Buffalo, New York, USA
  • Birth name
    John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik
  • Height
    6′ (1.83 m)

Mini bio

  • John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik was born in Buffalo, New York, to Edith (Pomeroy) and Joseph Rzeznik, a bar proprietor and postal clerk. He is the youngest of five children, and has Polish (father) and English and German (mother) ancestry. From early on in his life, John found that his parents were constantly arguing due to his father's drinking problem. His father died at the age of 55 as a result of alcohol complications. As the family were trying to come to terms with the death of Joe, John's life was completely shattered just over a year later when his mother died of a sudden heart attack. At the age of 16 John had lost both of his parents and was to be raised by his four older sisters. During this time and while attending high school John's friend introduced him to a hobby which he would stick to for the rest of his life, playing the guitar. After graduating from high school John attended Buffalo State College, only to drop out after his freshman year. It was at this time that he met fellow musician Robby Tacak. Together with drummer George Tutuska the Goo Goo Dolls were born. The Goo Goo Dolls signed to Celluloid by 1985 but didn't gain any success for nine years. During this time the trio released five records and constantly toured. Also John began dating Laurie Farinacci and they married in 1993. The band's 1995 album, "A Boy Named Goo", went double platinum and after hearing their song "Name" the band were asked by music producers to write a song for the upcoming film City of Angels. This song turned out to be "Iris" their most successful hit. The song was featured on their next album "Dizzy up the Girl". The Goo Goo Dolls most recent album is "Gutterflower" released in 2003. John Rzeznik has also written and performed a song for Disney movie "Tresure Planet".
    - IMDb mini biography by: Zak Hamza

Family

  • Spouses
      Melina Gallo(July 26, 2013 - present) (1 child)
      Laurie Farinacci(1993 - 1997) (divorced)
  • Children
      Liliana Rzeznik
  • Parents
      Joseph Rzeznik
      Edith (Pomeroy) Rzeznik
  • Relatives
      Phyllis Rzeznik(Sibling)
      Fran Rzeznik(Sibling)
      Glad Rzeznik(Sibling)
      Kate Rzeznik(Sibling)

Trademarks

  • Distinctive singing voice
  • Messy, blond hair

Trivia

  • Parents both died by the time he was 16; father from complications with alcoholism, mother from a heart attack. Raised by his four older sisters in hometown of Buffalo, New York.
  • Beat a bout of writers block by writing the song 'Iris' after a viewing of City Of Angels.
  • Goo Goo Dolls' song "Broadway" was written about Buffalo, John and Robby's hometown.
  • His father was of Polish descent. His mother's ancestry was English and German.
  • Frontman of rock band Goo Goo Dolls.

Quotes

  • Everything happens for a reason & if you stand right where you are now, & you look down & back to everything. to all the events that lead up to you sitting in this room right now with me, you'll see where the order is & where you are right now is pretty amazing. Where we all are, where I am right now is amazing.
  • I always have this thing; if you write a really cool song, & then you put your leather pants on, you go out, and play, that's cool. That's playing with your image. If you put the leather pants on, & write a song to fit the pants, you're a total poser. You're being more conscious of your image than your craft, or whatever you want to call it, & you really have avoid that.
  • When you find success, suddenly you have to defend your credibility against these idiots who don't know a thing about you.
  • It's better to have a pocket full of regrets than to never have lived.
  • It's such a thrill to perform live. You never know if you're going to get hit with a bottle or a bra.

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More from this person

  • View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro

More to explore

Recently viewed

You have no recently viewed pages
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2026 by IMDb.com, Inc.