Shaun Weiss Biography: Age, Height, Girlfriend, Actor Career, Mighty Ducks Goldberg, Heavyweights, Recovery & 2026 Update

Shaun Weiss is an American actor and stand-up comedian best known as Greg “Goldberg” Goldberg, the lovable goalie in Disney’s The Mighty Ducks trilogy, and Josh Burnbalm in Heavyweights. Born August 27, 1978 in Montvale, New Jersey, he went from child star earning $60,000 a week to homelessness and meth addiction, then to nearly six years sober by 2026. In 2023–2026 he rebuilt with Jesus Revolution, Huggin Molly, 2025 horror Deformelody: An American Nightmare, stand-up, and recovery advocacy, including offering detox help to former child star Tylor Chase in December 2025.

Quick Facts

Related names: Emilio Estevez (Mighty Ducks coach Bombay), Joshua Jackson (Mighty Ducks co-star), Ben Stiller (Heavyweights co-star), Judd Apatow (Heavyweights director), Kenan Thompson (Mighty Ducks peer), Danielle Fishel (Pod Meets World host), Tylor Chase (former child star he offered to help 2025).

Early Life & Education

Shaun Herman Weiss was born August 27, 1978 in Montvale, New Jersey, the youngest of five kids to Charles and Rajpattie Weiss. He is of Jewish descent. At age 5 his mother took him to a Manhattan casting call. He booked a talent agent and Jell-O commercials. She later moved with him to Los Angeles and acted as his manager. He attended Pascack Hills High School in New Jersey while working as a child actor. Early jobs included Elvis on Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

By 13 he was Goldberg. Teachers worked around shooting. He has said he never used drugs while working – trouble came later when work dried up and boredom left a void. Both parents have since passed, including his father Charles, whose name he and Shannon picked for a future baby.

Career Journey

Child Star – Mighty Ducks and Heavyweights (1992–1997)

Weiss stole scenes as goalie Greg Goldberg in The Mighty Ducks (1992), D2 (1994) and D3 (1996). Originally hired for one line as Atuk, his part grew because of comic timing. The tie-to-the-net scene – teammates firing pucks until he learns it doesn’t hurt – became iconic. He then played overweight camp kid Josh in Judd Apatow’s Heavyweights (1995) with Ben Stiller. TV spots followed: Boy Meets World, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Mr. Rhodes, The King of Queens, and recurring freak Sean in Freaks and Geeks (2000). Commercials for Captain Morgan, Castrol, Verizon and Mobile ESPN paid bills.

Lost Years – Addiction and Arrests (2017–2020)

After work slowed, Weiss fell into meth and heroin use, homelessness in California, and viral mugshots. July 2017: 150 days for petty theft (served 12 for overcrowding). August 2017: 90 days for meth possession in Burbank. August 2018: public intoxication in Oroville, released without charge, entered rehab. January 2020: burglary while high in Marysville, garage break-in. Court-ordered treatment after that arrest became the turning point. Dental damage from use required $100,000 reconstructive surgery over two years.

Sobriety and Comeback (2020–Present)

Sober since January 2020, Weiss shared two years sober in Jan 2022, five years in April 2025, six years in Jan 2026. Fan letters about Heavyweights helping overweight kids kept him going. He told Pod Meets World April 2025 and People that public support made him not want to let people down. Return roles: Vietnam vet in Jesus Revolution (2023, first role in 14 years), town local in Huggin Molly (2024), serial-killer lead in indie horror Deformelody: An American Nightmare (2025, three festival wins). He now earns via stand-up, conventions, Cameo and shaunweiss.com merch, donating stand-up proceeds to help child actors avoid drugs. In Dec 2025 he offered Tylor Chase a ready detox bed at Eleven 11 Recovery and long-term help.

Career Stats

• Films: He has 10+ film credits including all three Mighty Ducks movies, Heavyweights, Drillbit Taylor as a bus driver, Jesus Revolution, Huggin Molly and Deformelody.
• TV: He earned 12+ TV credits including Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Boy Meets World, a recurring role on Freaks and Geeks, King of Queens and Sabrina.
• Stand-up: He tours clubs from 2023–2026 and donates 100% of proceeds to child-actor charities on select dates.
• Sobriety: He holds 6 years sober from Jan 2020 to Jan 2026.
• Years Active: He has worked 40 years from 1985 to present.

Personal Life

• Partner: He shares a long-term relationship with girlfriend Shannon Ready, who stayed with him through recovery.
• Children: He has no children yet after announcing a pregnancy on Dec 25, 2024 due Aug 2025, mourning a miscarriage in Feb 2025, and planning to try again with the name Charlie for his dad.
• Parents: He lost both parents, including mom Rajpattie who served as his first manager and dad Charles.
• Residence: He lives in sober living in San Fernando Valley while seeking his own apartment.
• Health: He suffered a hip injury in fall 2021 and completed extensive dental reconstruction from 2021–2023.

Dating History and Affairs

• Shannon Ready (2020–present): He met Shannon during his recovery years, went public in 2022 posts, shared Christmas 2024 baby news, mourned a Feb 2025 loss, and remains together.
• Past: He kept his dating life private during his child-star years with no confirmed public relationships before Shannon.

Controversies

All controversies relate to addiction-era arrests listed above (2017–2020 theft, possession, intoxication, burglary). No new legal issues since Jan 2020. None through 2026 for new crimes – story is now recovery advocacy.

Awards & Achievements

• 2025: He earned 3 festival wins as the lead in Deformelody: An American Nightmare.
• 2023: He made a comeback in Jesus Revolution, a $54M box-office faith hit.
• 2022: He was featured in a Sports Illustrated Daily Cover comeback story.
• 1990s: He belonged to the Mighty Ducks franchise that grossed $50M+ across three films.
• 2025–2026: He works as a recovery advocate cited by People and CinemaBlend for helping peers.

Physical Statistics

• Height: He stands 5 ft 6 in (168 cm).
• Weight: He weighs around 141 lbs (64 kg after regaining healthy weight in 2022).
• Build: He has a stocky, former goalie build.
• Hair: He has brown hair, balding, and often wears a cap.
• Eyes: He has brown eyes.

Quotes

“When I started getting this kind of support from people and I started doing better, it became a thing where I didn’t want to let anybody down.”

— Shaun Weiss, People / Pod Meets World, April 2025

“When that stuff went away, it definitely created an enormous void that I had difficulty filling.”

— Shaun Weiss, Pod Meets World, April 14, 2025

Favorites

• Role: He loves Goldberg most and still signs “Goldberg” for fans free when he can.
• Food: He favors Brent’s Deli in the Valley, which hosted his SI interview.
• Comedy heroes: He cites Ben Stiller and the Judd Apatow set from Heavyweights.
• Team: He stays loyal to the Mighty Ducks cast and their Ducks Fly Together motto.

Earnings

Estimated Net Worth (2026): ~$500,000. Sources: residuals from Mighty Ducks trilogy and Heavyweights, comeback fees (Jesus Revolution, Huggin Molly, Deformelody), stand-up, conventions, Cameo, autograph sales. Peak child pay was $60,000 a week, lost during addiction years.

Interesting Facts

• He debuted at age 8 playing Elvis on Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
• He was hired for one line and stayed for three movies as Goldberg.
• His teammates really tied him to the net for the famous scene.
• He learned fans wrote that Heavyweights helped them accept being overweight.
• He completed a 2-year dental rebuild with surgery every 3 months.
• He donates stand-up money to child actors.
• He offers free autographs when he can because he dislikes charging fans.
• He wants the baby name Charlie for his late dad regardless of gender.

Did You Know Already?

• He was 5 when his mom got him an agent from a Manhattan open call.
• He limped into his famous deli interview with a hip injury from falling out of bed.
• His viral 2020 mugshot led to a national wave of support that aided his recovery.
• He secured a detox bed for Tylor Chase in Dec 2025 within hours of a viral video.
• He credits the Isha Foundation as a sobriety game-changer in a Jan 2026 post.

Social Media Links

• Official site: shaunweiss.com
• Instagram: @shaunweiss (reported)
• Cameo: cameo.com/shaunweiss
• IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm0919169
• Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_Weiss

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

From Mighty Ducks icon to mugshot to mentor, Shaun Weiss turned fan love into six years sober and a real comeback. If you found this biography helpful, please share it with Shaun Weiss fans!