Whoopi Goldberg Bio | Wiki
Whoopi Goldberg (Full name: Caryn Elaine Johnson) is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality. She is a recipient of numerous accolades and one of 16 entertainers to win the EGOT, which includes an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award (“Oscar”), and a Tony Award. In 2001, Whoopi received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
She commenced her career on stage in 1983 with her one-woman show, Spook Show, which transferred to Broadway under the title Whoopi Goldberg, running from 1984 to 1985. Whoopi received a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for the recording of the show.
Her film breakthrough came in 1985 with her role as Celie, a mistreated woman in the Deep South. In Steven Spielberg’s period drama film The Color Purple, for which Whoopi won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama.
Whoopi Goldberg Age
Whoopi was born on November 13, 1955, in Chelsea, New York, United States. She is 66 years old.
Whoopi Goldberg Height
She is a woman of average stature and stands at a height of 5 ft 4 in (Approx. 1.62 m).
Whoopi Goldberg Family | Real Name
She was born Caryn Elaine Johnson in Manhattan, New York City to her parents Emma Johnson and Robert James Johnson Jr. Whoopi was raised in a public housing project, the Chelsea-Elliot Houses.
Her mother served as a nurse and teacher whereas her father was a Baptist clergyman. She was raised by a single mom alongside her brother Clyde. On August 29, 2010, her mother, died after having a stroke. In 2015, Whoopi’s brother died of a brain aneurysm
Whoopi Goldberg Spouse | Husband | Partner
Whoopi has been married three times. She first married Alvin Martin from 1973 to 1979, cinematographer David Claessen from 1986 to 1988, and union organizer Lyle Trachtenberg from 1994 to 1995. Whoopi has stated that she has no plans to marry again.
Whoopi Goldberg Daughter | Daughter Father
In 1973, she and her husband Alvin Martin gave birth to a daughter, Alexandrea Martin, who also became an actress and producer. Through her daughter, Whoopi has three grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
Whoopi Goldberg Education
She attended a local Catholic school, St Columba’s. Whoopi’s more recent forebears migrated north from Faceville, Georgia; Palatka, Florida; and Virginia. She dropped out of Washington Irving High School. In the 1970s, she moved to San Diego, California, where she became a waitress, then to Berkeley.
Movies With Whoopi Goldberg
1985: Original Broadway Recording
1985: The Color Purple
1988: Fontaine: Why Am I Straight?
1989: The Long Walk Home
1992: Sarafina
1992: Sister Act – Soundtrack
1993: Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
1994: Corrina Corrina
2001: Call Me Claus
2005: Live on Broadway: The 20th Anniversary Show
Whoopi Goldberg View | The View
On September 4, 2007, Whoopi became the new moderator and co-host of The View, replacing Rosie O’Donnell. Her debut as moderator drew 3.4 million viewers, 1 million fewer than O’Donnell’s debut ratings. However, after 2 weeks, The View was averaging 3.5 million total viewers under Whoopi. She has made controversial comments on the program on several occasions.
On January 31, 2022, Whoopi drew widespread criticism for stating on the show that the Holocaust was not based on race but “about man’s inhumanity to man”. She was subsequently suspended from The View for two weeks over the comments. She won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host.
Whoopi Goldberg In Star Trek
According to an anecdote told by Nichelle Nichols in Trekkies (1997), a young Whoopi was watching Star Trek, and on seeing Nichols’s character Uhura, exclaimed, “Momma! There’s a black lady on television and she ain’t no maid!” This spawned her lifelong Star Trek fandom, and she eventually asked for and received a recurring guest-star role as Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Whoopi Goldberg In Ghost
She played a psychic in the film Ghost (1990) and became the first black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in nearly 50 years. Whooping was also the second black woman to win an Academy Award for acting.
Whoopi Goldberg Ted Danson
Whoopi has been romantically linked to actors Frank Langella and Ted Danson. Ted controversially appeared in blackface during her 1993 Friars Club roast. She wrote some of his jokes for the event and defended Danson after a media furor.
Whoopi Goldberg Color Purple | The Color Purple
Spielberg gave Whoopi the lead role in his film The Color Purple, based on the novel by Alice Walker. It became released in late 1985 and was a critical and commercial success. Film critic Roger Ebert described Whoopi’s performance as “one of the most amazing debut performances in movie history”. It became nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including a nomination for Goldberg as Best Actress.
Whoopi Goldberg Will Smith
In 2022, on The View, Whoopi said that she believes Smith, will bounce back from the controversy surrounding him after he slapped Chris Rock at last weekend’s 94th Academy Awards, comparing him to Louis C.K. and Kanye West being honored at Sunday’s 64th Grammy Awards.
Whoopi Goldberg Net Worth
She earns her wealth from her career, therefore, she has amassed a fortune over the years. Whoopi’s estimated net worth is $45 million.
Is Whoopi Goldberg Married
No. Whoopi has been married three times to Alvin Martin, David Claessen, and Lyle Trachtenberg. She has stated that she has no plans to marry again.