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Whoopi Goldberg

In 2002, Whoopi Goldberg became one of a very elite group of artists who have won the Grammy (Whoopi Goldberg, 1985), the Academy Award (Ghost, 1991), the Golden Globe (The Color Purple, 1985 and Ghost, 1991), the Emmy (as host of AMC's Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel, 2002) and a Tony (as a producer of Thoroughly Modern Millie, 2002). She is equally well-known for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, education, substance abuse and the battle against AIDS, as well as many other causes and charities. Among her many charitable activities, Goldberg is a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations.

Born and raised in New York City, Goldberg worked in theatre and improvisation in San Diego and the Bay Area, where she performed with the Blake Street Hawkeyes theatre troupe. There, she created the characters that became The Spook Show and evolved into her hit Broadway show, Grammy Award-winning album and the HBO special that helped launch her career.

Goldberg made her motion picture debut in Steven Spielberg's film version of Alice Walker's The Color Purple, for which she earned an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award. Her performance in Ghost earned her the Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Goldberg has also appeared in such films as Jumpin' Jack Flash, Clara's Heart, The Long Walk Home, Soapdish, The Player, Sarafina!, Sister Act, Made in America, Corrina, Corrina, The Lion King, Boys on the Side, Eddie, The Associate, Ghosts of Mississippi, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Girl, Interrupted, Kingdom Come and Rat Race, which reunited her with her Ghost director, Jerry Zucker. She voiced characters in the animated features Racing Stripes and Doogal.

On television, Goldberg appeared for five seasons on Star Trek: The Next Generation, she co-starred with Jean Stapleton in Bagdad Café and hosted her own syndicated late-night talk show. She appeared in the Emmy-nominated HBO drama, In the Gloaming, directed by Christopher Reeve, as well as The Wonderful

World of Disney's Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella and A Knight in Camelot and appeared in the mini-series Alice in Wonderland and The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns. She starred in the NBC sitcom, Goldberg, which she executive produced with Carsey-Werner-Mandabach and Bonnie and Terry Turner. She appeared on Nick Jr.'s Goldberg's Littleburg, a series of three, half-hour TV specials set in The Preschool Capital of the World, which she also produces.

As she has in every other facet of her career, Goldberg has made her mark as a producer. She executive produced the Lifetime original drama series Strong Medicine, the longest-running original drama created for basic cable and the first cable show to go into syndication. Goldberg was also an executive producer of the musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie, which won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Goldberg has appeared on many television series and specials, including her own HBO specials, three-time host of ABC's A Gala for the President at Ford's Theatre and eight Comic Relief telecasts with Billy Crystal and Robin Williams. Goldberg received Emmy Award nominations for hosting the 66th, 68th and 71st Academy Awards telecasts and returned to host the 2002 telecast at the new Kodak Theatre.

Goldberg's TV movies include It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie for NBC and Showtime's Good Fences, co-producing and co-starring with Danny Glover. In early 2003, Goldberg returned to Broadway, co-starring with Charles Roc Dutton in August Wilson's acclaimed Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which she also produced. She had last appeared on Broadway in 1997, in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2007.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Whoopi Goldberg Facts

Birth NameCaryn Johnson
OccupationActress
BirthdayNovember 13, 1955 (68)
SignScorpio
BirthplaceNew York, New York, USA
Height5' 5" (1m65)  How tall is Whoopi Goldberg compared to you?
Awards1991 Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (for Ghost)
1991 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture (for Ghost)
1991 BAFTA Awards: Actress in a Supporting Role (for Ghost)
1986 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (for The Color Purple)
Social Media WhoopiGoldberg

Selected Filmography

Rat Race
Soapdish
Girl, Interrupted
Racing Stripes
Star Trek The Next Generation
Liberty's Kids
Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Sister Act
Little Rascals
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