The Tragic, True Story Of Goldberg From The Mighty Ducks

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This article includes mentions of violence and substance abuse.

Several accomplished child and teen stars in the entertainment industry experienced significant personal and career struggles in their adult years, from finding it difficult to land major acting roles or release hit songs to drinking too much, using drugs, and falling into homelessness. Many celebrities have even had run-ins with the law. For actor, comedian, writer, and producer Shaun Weiss, the journey has been very harrowing (and well documented) as he has faced all of the above, and more.

Weiss is mostly known for playing Greg "Goldie" Goldberg, the lovable, wisecracking goalkeeper (then defenseman) in Disney's hockey film trilogy, "The Mighty Ducks", which were released between 1992 and 1996 and starred Emilio Estevez, Joshua Jackson, and Lane Smith, among others. However, Weiss's career timeline also included appearances on TV series like "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," "Mr. Rhodes," "The King of Queens," and "Freaks and Geeks." After a long hiatus from the industry while overcoming numerous challenges, he has turned his life around. For one, he came back to the big screen and starred in the award-winning 2025 horror movie, "Deformelody: An American Nightmare." He has also been using his voice to advocate for recovery and support his struggling peers. Still, Weiss' tragic story, from his parents' deaths to his current romantic relationship, is one to revisit.

Shaun Weiss, the youngest of five children, was born on August 27, 1979, in Montvale, New Jersey, to Charles Weiss and Rajpattie Weiss. The latter became his manager early on, which introduced, from the outset, a level of complexity to their relationship. When he was five, she accompanied him to his first casting call and secured him a talent agent. With that, his career took off following a series of commercials. Before he knew it, he was playing Elvis on the popular children's comedy series "Pee-wee's Playhouse," and Rajpattie moved with him and Charles to Los Angeles. 

Shaun landed more roles and was bringing money into the household, which his mother would often tap into and spend on getaways to Las Vegas. Though he's claimed he'd never harbored resentment toward her, his older half-sister, Loretta, has maintained a neutral viewpoint. As she told Sports Illustrated in 2022, "All the problems he faced later, you can probably trace back to our mother."

In 2008, Rajpattie succumbed to a heart attack, which, indeed, triggered Shaun's self-destructive cycle; he turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism. "From the day she died, I think I stayed very intoxicated — I'm not exaggerating — I stayed drunk for about three years, bottle to bottle ... until I pickled my insides," he recalled on the "Recovery Matters Podcast" in 2023. At the time, he could barely ingest anything else — even drinking water was painful for his throat.

A once-popular child star who disappeared from the big screen, struggling to land meaningful acting roles in adulthood, Shaun Weiss was eager to take on new challenges. He co-produced and co-wrote the 2012 horror movie "Encounters," directed and co-written by Robert Mishovski and starring Tobi-Wan Rodriguez, Jaime Tracy Lopez, Steve Perse, and Pamela Cohen.

Unfortunately, it was exclusively met with negative reviews on various platforms. To begin with, the plot itself was far from groundbreaking: Distressed by the tragic death of his sister, a grief-stricken brother gathers his girlfriend, best friend, and two psychics at a haunted cabin to uncover the truth behind her murder. Audiences tore the film apart on Letterboxd, with one review reading, "The screaming and yelling makes this unwatchable." Another viewer wrote, " ... None of these people can act, this feels like something they're subjecting a college improv group to." For their part, an IMDb user renamed the movie "Enclownters," labeling it a "farce" and lamenting the subpar performances and extremely unlikable characters. Simply put, "Encounters" left no positive impact and fell short of reviving Weiss' glory days — a setback he could have probably done without.

In 2014, Shaun Weiss was navigating a difficult period. Thus, he made an effort to relaunch his career by transitioning into stand-up comedy. In parallel, he was also planning on chronicling his nationwide tour in a documentary titled "Back on the Map." Unfortunately, the Kickstarter campaign he launched at the time, which set the goal to $21,000, barely managed to raise $210 from six backers. "I'm reaching out today because I'd like your support — I'm counting on your support," he said in the pitch video. "I'm going across the country, and perhaps internationally, to meet up with some of my lifelong fans, people that have gotten in touch with me over Facebook throughout the years, and people who say that the roles I've played have had an effect on their life." He was referring to those who were motivated to become hockey players or summer camp counselors after watching him in "The Mighty Ducks" and "Heavyweights," respectively.

Citing Jerry Seinfeld's 2002 documentary "Comedian" as his inspiration for this revival project, Weiss also stated that he was aiming for a six-month-long tour and was feeling both excited and nervous, vowing to take part in any activities his fans would select. Even though "Back on the Map" failed to secure funding and was cancelled, Weiss more or less fulfilled his dream years later, when he opened for Russell Peters in April 2022. He also launched his official comedy website, shaunweiss.com, in 2023.

Shaun Weiss' relationship with his mother, Rajpattie Weiss, may have been a tad complicated, but he enjoyed a more relaxed rapport with his father, Charles Weiss. In fact, in the decade following Rajpattie's death, he made his diabetic dad's care his top priority, taking on odd jobs in the industry every now and then. Meanwhile, he developed a dependency on Charles' painkillers, which inadvertently helped him overcome his alcohol addiction.

Sadly, in 2016, his dad passed away from congenital heart disease – the catalyst behind Shaun's rapid decline. At the time, the actor was already having trouble booking significant parts and was barely able to make ends meet. As a result, he took a minor telemarketing job and resorted to selling some of his precious personal items (including film keepsakes, like his Goldberg jersey from "The Mighty Ducks") to help pay for his dad's burial. To make matters worse, he was also dealing with a distressing breakup and a failed television project. Frustrated, grieving, battling substance dependency, and strapped for cash, it was only a matter of time before he hit rock bottom.

Shaun Weiss has had multiple run-ins with the law over the years, especially in 2017. His legal troubles began back in 2013, when his ex-girlfriend, Sonja Dimitrievska, filed a temporary restraining order against him, alleging that he had punched her, scared her with a machete, and even attempted to urinate on her. She also claimed he had a history of physical violence against her in their two-year relationship, mainly when he was drunk. Nevertheless, the court dismissed the case after Dimitrievska failed to appear for the scheduled hearing.

Fast-forward to July 2017, Weiss was booked for petty theft after stealing $151 worth of merchandise from an electronics store. The judge sentenced him to 150 days in LA County Jail, and his manager, Don Gibble, told TMZ at the time he was hoping Weiss would take advantage of his confinement to focus on his stand-up comedy writing. However, the actor ended up serving only 12 days as part of measures to ease jail overcrowding.

That could have been the end of his law entanglements, but he was booked again just a few days later in Burbank on charges of methamphetamine possession. Plus, he had credit cards in his possession that were not in his name; they belonged to a friend who would later refuse to press charges. Weiss' bail was set at $20,000 and then reduced by half, and he was sentenced to 90 days in Burbank City Jail.

Shaun Weiss' run-ins with the law continued on August 4, 2018, when he was booked for public intoxication in Oroville, in Northern California. The then-38-year-old was in the company of three other people outside a local shop when they aroused suspicion with bizarre use of their flashlights. After being held for a few hours at the Butte County Jail (just long enough for him to come to his senses), he was let go without being charged.

Then, on January 26, 2020, the "Heavyweights" star broke into the garage of a California home and ransacked a car. The Marysville Police Department arrested Weiss, but the officers failed to recognize him at first because of his disheveled look and erratic, drug-induced behavior. They were eventually able to identify him through his driver's license and released an official statement on Facebook that said, "Weiss forced entry to gain access into the vehicle by shattering a window ... Weiss displayed symptoms of being under the influence of methamphetamine and said he did not reside at this residence." The actor was taken to Yuba County Jail and booked for residential burglary and being under the influence of meth. A disappointed fan then commented under the Facebook post, "Heartbreaking to see what he looks like now. He was one of my favorite child actors. Always funny. How does this happen?"

Shaun Weiss' life hit a devastating low point when he was struggling with substance abuse while living on the streets of Los Angeles. Around the time of his arrest in 2020, after losing his home, his situation deteriorated as his dual addiction to methamphetamine and heroin intensified. As a result, he stole around $1,000 worth of electronics daily to afford his drugs, eventually lost his teeth, and dropped an alarming amount of weight. 

As his concerned friend, actor and producer Drew Gallagher, told CBS News in January 2020, "He's not just some junkie who loves getting high more than having a lustrous career. It's that he's mentally ill." Gallagher also claimed that a female family member abandoned Weiss the night of his 2020 arrest, after being unable to help him. "He had nobody," said the friend. "He's in pajamas. She just dumped him outside a Salvation Army at night." Gallagher also revealed that Weiss constantly had to protect his few belongings from other homeless individuals and that, like his late father, he suffered from diabetes and also needed money for essential medication.

"The Mighty Ducks" alum went to great lengths to score some cash for drugs, including pawning the possessions of his few supportive friends in the industry. For instance, during the time he was occupying a spot in a public park, he stole "Heavyweights" writer and producer Judd Apatow's PowerBook, which was worth $5,000 — the same laptop that was apparently used for writing the script of the 2005 comedy movie "The 40-Year-Old Virgin."

Shaun Weiss' bouts of homelessness, legal troubles, addictions, and significant weight and tooth loss made it challenging for him to land memorable acting roles or secure related jobs in the industry over the years. Following his portrayal of Sean on five episodes of "Freaks and Geeks," he was only cast in a few minor roles, such as a delivery man on "City Guys," a store clerk on "The King of Queens," and a bus driver in "Drillbit Taylor," alongside Owen Wilson.

The gap in his career between 2016 and 2023 is quite noticeable, especially when he was excluded from "The Mighty Ducks" 2021 TV reboot, "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers." Before that, Weiss portrayed Denny in the 2016 award-winning dramedy, "Mad," and himself in the short film, "Netflix & Chill," the same year. He also tried to get back in the spotlight with the comedy web series, "Why Not Weiss," as well as the fantasy dramatization of his life, "Blessed," opposite Drew Gallagher and Aaron Schwartz.

Sadly, Weiss wouldn't book another role until his sobriety was confirmed, when he was cast as a Vietnam veteran in the 2023 award-winning hippie movie "Jesus Revolution." He also played a town local in the 2024 horror-mystery flick "Huggin Molly." Fortunately, in 2025, having completely overcome addiction, Weiss starred as a serial killer in Joshua Rivera's "Deformelody: An American Nightmare." The independent film earned three awards, hopefully paving the way for a lasting career revival.

Perhaps Shaun Weiss' biggest personal accomplishment is not only staying sober since his 2020 burglary arrest, but also transforming into a passionate advocate for recovery — not to mention actively trying to help other former young stars in a similar predicament, such as "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" alum Tylor Chase. To that effect, he's been on several podcasts and interviews to candidly discuss his own challenges, and it's clear that the journey back up was anything but simple.

The actor first checked himself into rehab in August 2018, admitting to his concerned fans in a Facebook post (via CNN), "My spirit was, until recently, depleted, weak, and shrouded by darkness ... In the midst of my most challenging times, your support is giving me the strength I need to embark down the long road to recovery ... I'm determined to return to my old self." His "Mighty Ducks" co-star, Aaron Lohr, drove him to the facility himself, but, sadly, it wasn't long before his relapse.

It wasn't until the Marysville residential burglary and the subsequent court-mandated treatment that Weiss firmly committed to a fresh start, which included reconstructive dental surgery. On January 25, 2022, he proudly shared on Instagram that he had been sober for two years and encouraged others to seek help. For their part, his followers reacted with overwhelming positivity and support.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Shaun Weiss' long-term sobriety and the revival of his career in both comedy and acting haven't exempted him from other hardships. On the romance front, he has been dating his girlfriend, Shannon Ready, for years. In December 2024, the elated couple announced in a Facebook post that they were expecting their first child, "The BEST Christmas present EVER!" — due in August 2025. The actor's fans were overjoyed, with one writing, "Your story is inspiring and I'm so happy for you." Another penned, "Man I love to see your life turn around!!" Weiss even told TMZ that they were opting for the name Charlie, in memory of Weiss' dad, regardless of the baby's gender.

Sadly, in February 2025, Weiss broke the news that Shannon had suffered a miscarriage and they were now focused on her wellbeing. He told TMZ at the time that the deeply disappointed couple would definitely try to get pregnant again and that the prospect of parenthood would give him a renewed sense of purpose.

"The Mighty Ducks" alum has weathered many hardships for decades, but his prospects seem to be improving now, and he's paying it forward by speaking out for recovery as well as donating the proceeds from his signed merchandise to young actors trying to break the cycle of addiction.