Whoopi Goldberg (born Caryn Elaine Johnson November 13, 1955 ) is an Academy Award winning American actress, comedian, radio host, TV personality, game show host and author.
She is one of only ten individuals who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award, counting Daytime Emmy Awards. She is the second African American female performer to win an Academy Award for acting (the first being Hattie McDaniel). She has won two Golden Globe Awards and two Saturn Awards for her performances in Star Trek Generations and Ghost.
On the August 1 2007 broadcast of The View, Barbara Walters introduced her as the show's new moderator as of September 4. Meredith Vieira and Rosie O'Donnell previously held the position.
In October 2007, she announced on Larry King Live that she would be retiring from acting because she is no longer sent scripts: "You know, there's no room for the very talented Whoopi. There's no room right now in the marketplace of cinema. Being a Black intellectual with a Jewish surname finally caught up to me," Goldberg told King.
Two hundred (200) episodes of this syndicated show were produced in 1992 and 1993. This was a talk show with Whoopi Goldberg interviewing Hollywood, political, etc. celebrities. The show was seen five days a week. Written by J.E. McKillop
Whoopi Goldberg was born in the Chelsea section of Manhattan in 1955 as Caryn Elaine Johnson. 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. She 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. She was married three times and was once addicted to drugs. Whoopi Goldberg first came to prominence with her starring role in Color Purple, The (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), Telephone, The (1988), and Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986). Goldberg 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" (1967) _ and jumped at the opportunity to star in "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 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 didn't 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 Associate, The (1996), and took supporting parts in more independent minded movies such as Deep End of the Ocean, The (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/I). Goldberg contributes her voice to many cartoons, including Pagemaster, The (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 TV movies (including Theodore Rex (1995)). Whoopi Goldberg 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. Currently Whoopi Goldberg is the center square in "Hollywood Squares" (1998) and frequently hosts the Academy Awards. She also is an author, with the book "Book."
