Bill Goldberg - Personal Life

Personal Life

Goldberg's mother, Ethel, is a classical violinist, while his father, Jed, a graduate of Harvard University, was an obstetrician and gynecologist. They divorced, and Jed died in late 2006. In addition to playing the violin, Ethel breeds flowers, and once succeeded in creating an award-winning hybrid orchid which she named after Goldberg. Bill is proud of his Jewish heritage and refused to adopt an Anglicized stage name. Goldberg's Jewish ancestors came from Russia and Romania. His Romanian grandfather, Marcel, emigrated from Bucharest and came to America through Ellis Island. His other great-grandfather, Willie, was an immigrant from Russia.

Goldberg was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he had a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel and graduated from Tulsa Edison High School. He acquired a love for football early in life and was a bouncer at age 16.

On April 10, 2005, Goldberg married Wanda Ferraton, a stunt double whom he met while filming Santa's Slay, as stated in that movie's audio commentary. The couple have one son together named Gage Goldberg.

Goldberg is an animal welfare advocate and an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) spokesman, and has addressed the United States Congress in order to raise awareness of illegal animal fighting. Every year, Goldberg also plays golf in the Jimmy V Golf Classic and visits with children in local hospitals who are undergoing cancer treatment.

Goldberg co-owns and operates the "Extreme Power Gym" Muay Thai and Amateur boxing training facility in Oceanside, California. He also owns over 25 vintage cars, including a Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible, Shelby Cobra 427, and a Mustang Boss 429 "Lawman" (one of the two cars used in the Vietnam War to entertain the U.S. Army).

Goldberg has a long scar on the right side of his torso from a tear suffered during a college football game that required surgery to repair. He also acquired a scar on his right forearm from an altercation in WCW which kept him out of action for quite some time due to the surgery needed to fix. He has a large tribal tattoo on his left upper shoulder (which became his professional wrestling logo) and a skull on his right biceps.