- Born
- Birth nameCaryn Elaine Johnson
- Nicknames
- Da Whoop
- Shuttle Head
- Height5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
- Whoopi Goldberg was born Caryn Elaine Johnson in the Chelsea section of Manhattan on November 13, 1955. Her mother, Emma (Harris), was a teacher and a nurse, and her father, Robert James Johnson, Jr., was a clergyman. Whoopi's recent ancestors were from Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. She worked in a funeral parlor and as a bricklayer while taking small parts on Broadway. She moved to California and worked with improv groups, including Spontaneous Combustion, and developed her skills as a stand-up comedienne. Goldberg came to prominence doing an HBO special and a one-woman show as Moms Mabley. She has been known in her prosperous career as a unique and socially conscious talent with articulately liberal views. Among her boyfriends were Ted Danson and Frank Langella. Goldberg was married three times and was once addicted to drugs.
Goldberg had her first big film starring role in The Color Purple (1985). She received much critical acclaim, and an Oscar nomination for her role and became a major star as a result. Subsequent efforts in the late 1980s were, at best, marginal hits. These movies mostly were off-beat to formulaic comedies like Burglar (1987), The Telephone (1988) and Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986). She made her mark as a household name and a mainstay in Hollywood for her Oscar-winning role in the box office smash Ghost (1990). Whoopi Goldberg was at her most famous in the early 1990s, making regular appearances on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). She admitted to being a huge fan of the original Star Trek (1966) series and jumped at the opportunity to star in "Star Trek: The Next Generation".
Goldberg received another smash hit role in Sister Act (1992). Her fish-out-of-water with some flash seemed to resonate with audiences and it was a box office smash. Whoopi starred in some highly publicized and moderately successful comedies of this time, including Made in America (1993) and Soapdish (1991). Goldberg followed up to her success with Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), which was well-received but did not seem to match up to the first.
As the late 1990s approached, Goldberg seemed to alternate between lead roles in straight comedies such as Eddie (1996) and The Associate (1996), and took supporting parts in more independent minded movies, such as The Deep End of the Ocean (1999) and How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998). Goldberg never forgot where she came from, hosting many tributes to other legendary entertainment figures. Her most recent movies include Rat Race (2001) and the quietly received Kingdom Come (2001). Goldberg contributes her voice to many cartoons, including The Pagemaster (1994) and Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990), as Gaia, the voice of the earth. Alternating between big-budget movies, independent movies, tributes, documentaries, and even television movies (including Theodore Rex (1995)).
Whoopi is accredited as a truly unique and visible talent in Hollywood. Perhaps she will always be remembered as well for Comic Relief, playing an integral part in almost every benefit concert they had. Whoopi is also the center square in Hollywood Squares (1998), sometimes hosts the Academy Awards, and is an author, with the book "Book."- IMDb Mini Biography By: Scott msa0510@mail.ecu.edu
- SpousesLyle Trachtenberg(October 1, 1994 - October 26, 1995) (divorced)David Claessen(September 1, 1986 - October 4, 1988) (divorced)Alvin Martin(1973 - January 20, 1983) (divorced, 1 child)
- Children
- ParentsEmma Johnson (Harris)Robert James Johnson Jr.
- RelativesAmara Skye Dean(Grandchild)
- Deep husky voice
- Dreadlocks and no eyebrows
- The role of Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
- Often wears wire-rimmed sunglasses
- As of 2023, she is one of only six actresses who have won an Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy, also known as the EGOT. The other five in order are: Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn, Whoopi, Jennifer Hudson and Viola Davis.
- Has performed all her own singing in the Sister Act movies. Her co-stars have claimed that they were surprised at her vocal ability.
- Dropped out of high school and became addicted to heroin. She ended up marrying her drug counselor. She cleaned up and later divorced him. In 1974, she moved to California and helped found the San Diego Repertory Company, where she used the name, Whoopi Cushion. Before making it as an actress, she worked as a bank teller, a bricklayer and in a mortuary.
- Michael J. Fox accompanied her to the 1986 Academy Awards when she was nominated for The Color Purple (1985).
- 1994: Became the very first woman to host the Academy Awards solo.
- [on critics, on the Queen Latifah Show (1999)] You can say whatever you want about me, but talk about my daughter and I'll beat your ass up.
- [while hosting the The 71st Annual Academy Awards (1999)] A Bug's Life (1998). Wasn't that the Linda Tripp Story?
- My family is Jewish, Buddhist, Baptist and Catholic. I don't believe in man-made religions.
- I'm a big old egotistical baby and that's okay. I can accept it.
- [on Alice Walker, author of "The Color Purple", on her efforts to get a role in the film (The Color Purple (1985)) that was made from it] I told her I would play a Venetian blind, dirt on the floor, anything.
- The View (1997) - $2,000,000 /year (2007)
- Theodore Rex (1995) - $7,000,000
- Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) - $7,000,000
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