who played dan connor's father on roseanne
List of Roseanne characters Ed Conner is played by Ned Beatty. Ed is Dan's father, a charming traveling salesman who always brings presents for the grandchildren. Dan has a troubled history with his father, but he is well liked by everyone else. Despite a stained relationship with his son, Ed is well-meaning and likable. Ed never purposely attempts to anger Dan, but he often baits his son covertly (e.g., when Dan questions Ed dating Crystal, Ed makes a rude crack about Dan being "interested" in Crystal). It usually takes little time for Dan to become annoyed by his father's presence. Ed is portrayed as being irresponsible and neglectful of his first family, though it is later revealed that his wife's (Dan's mother) mental illness contributed to their strained marriage and resulted in her frequent commitment to mental institution. All this was unknown to Dan until Crystal revealed it to Roseanne. Ed hoped to provide Dan with at least one stable parent as he would often be gone on sales trips during Dan's adolescence. He wants to learn from his past actions and be a better father and husband. He loves his son despite their troubled relationship, and also loves the rest of his family. He marries Crystal and has two children with her (Ed Jr. and Angela), who are considerably younger than their half-brother, Dan.