Film actress, born in New York City, USA. She gained recognition while on tour with her one-woman show, which was adapted for Broadway and became the critically acclaimed Whoopi Goldberg Show (1983). She achieved instant fame with her role in The Color Purple (1985), for which she received a Golden Globe Award. Her performance in Ghost (1990) won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, becoming only the second African-American woman to win this honour. Later films include Sister Act and its sequel (1992, 1994), Made in America (1993), The Associate (1996), and Get Bruce (1999).
| Whoopi Goldberg | |
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| Birth name | Caryn Elaine Johnson |
| Born |
November 13, 1955 (age 51) USA |
Whoopi Goldberg (born Caryn Elaine Johnson, November 13, 1955), is an Academy Award, Daytime Emmy Award, Golden Globe, Tony, BAFTA and Grammy Award-winning American comedian, film actress and radio DJ.
Although her father was a Protestant preacher, Goldberg says that her family is of mixed religious heritage - including Catholic, Buddhist and Jewish traditions , hailing from a "West Indian" immigrant community. After succeeding as a stand-up comedian in the San Francisco Bay Area, Goldberg created a one-woman show in 1983 called The Spook Show. This show caught the attention of Mike Nichols who produced a one-woman show for Goldberg on Broadway, called simply Whoopi Goldberg, which ran from October 24, 1984 to March 10, 1985, for a total of 156 performances. Goldberg's performance caught the eye of Steven Spielberg, who was inspired to cast Goldberg in her major film debut: an adaptation of the award-winning novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Walker, offering to take any part in the movie - including dirt or a venetian rug - because she loved the script so dearly. Previously performing her comedy acts in front of such figures as Steven Spielberg, Michael Jackson and Alice Walker herself - who described Goldberg as "magical" - eventually won her the movie's lead role.
Goldberg and long time friend Britni Moore came to the attention of much of the U.S. public when their two-woman Broadway show was broadcast as an HBO special in 1985. Come quick - there's a black lady on television, and she ain't no maid!"
Goldberg has appeared in 149 films as of October 2002.
Goldberg was paired with Jean Stapleton in the CBS sitcom Bagdad Café (with a plot differing from the 1987 movie in several respects), which lasted two seasons (1990 - 1991). She hosted a syndicated talk show (The Whoopi Goldberg Show) in 1992 - 1993.
Goldberg appeared in TV ads as a spokeswoman for Slim Fast diet shakes, but the company dropped her in July 2004 after she made crude comments about President George W. In May 2006, Clear Channel announced that Whoopi Goldberg would be hosting her own syndicated radio show titled Wake Up With Whoopi which debuted on July 31, 2006.
In 2006 she hosted 'An evening with Harry, Carrie and Garp', a charity event in which famous authors JK Rowling, Stephen King and John Irving read out parts of their stories to raise money for Doctors Without Borders . In July 2006, Whoopi Goldberg became the main host of the Universal Studios Hollywood Backlot Tour, in which she appears multiple times in video clips shown to the guests on monitors placed on the trams. In August 2006, after multiple disruptions of her radio show by the fanbase of the Opie and Anthony show on XM Satellite Radio and various terrestrial stations, primarily on CBS Radio, Goldberg had a good-natured on-air discussion with the "shock jocks," which immediately quelled any possible "war" between the two shows.
Filmography
Citizen (1982) The Color Purple (1985) Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) Burglar (1987) Fatal Beauty (1987) The Telephone (1988) Clara's Heart (1988) Comicitis (1989) (short subject) Beverly Hills Brats (1989) (Cameo) Homer & Eddie (1989) Ghost (1990) The Long Walk Home (1990) Wisecracks (1991) (documentary) Blackbird Fly (1991) (short subject) SoapDish (1991) Sister Act (1992) The Player (1992) Soapdish (1992) Sarafina! (1992) The Magical World of Chuck Jones (1992) (documentary) Naked in New York (1993) Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) (Cameo) Made in America (1993) Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) Liberation (1994) (documentary) (narrator) The Lion King (1994) (voice) The Little Rascals (1994) (cameo) Corrina, Corrina (1994) Star Trek: Generations (1994) The Pagemaster (1994) (voice) Boys on the Side (1995) The Celluloid Closet (1995) (documentary) Moonlight and Valentino (1995) Theodore Rex (1995) Eddie (1996) Bordello of Blood (1996) (Cameo) Bogus (1996) The Associate (1996) Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) Pitch (1997) (documentary) Mary Pickford: A Life on Film (1997) (documentary) (narrator) Destination Anywhere (1997) In & Out (1997) (Cameo) An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997) (Cameo) Titey (1998) (short subject) (voice) Alegría (1998) How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) Junket Whore (1998) (documentary) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie (1998) (voice) The Rugrats Movie (1998) (voice) Alice in Wonderland (1999) (Cheshire Cat) The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999)....The Grand Banshee Get Bruce (1999) (documentary) The Deep End of the Ocean (1999) Girl, Interrupted (1999) The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000) (Cameo) A Second Chance at Life (2000) (documentary) (narrator) More Dogs Than Bones (2000) Golden Dreams (2001) (short subject) Kingdom Come (2001) Monkeybone (2001) Rat Race (2001) The Hollywood Sign (2001) (Cameo) Searching for Debra Winger (2002) (documentary) Showboy (2002) (Cameo) Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) (Cameo) Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (2003) (documentary) (narrator) Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003) Bitter Jester (2003) (documentary) Beyond the Skyline (2003) (short subject) Blizzard (2003) (voice) Pinocchio 3000 (2004) (voice) The N-Word (2004) (documentary) SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004) (Cameo) Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004) (Cameo) The Aristocrats (2005) (documentary) Racing Stripes (2005) (voice) Doogal (2006) (voice) Everyone's Hero (2006) (voice) Homie Spumoni (2006)Upcoming:
It's Under My Skin (2006) The Lasy Guy on Earth (2006) Yankee Irving (2006) (voice)TV work
Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway (1985) Carol, Carl, Whoopi, and Robin (1987) Whoopi Goldberg: Fontaine... Why Am I Straight (1988) (also writer) Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (guest star 1988) Star Trek: The Next Generation (recurring guest star from 1988-1993) My Past Is My Own (1989) Kiss Shot (1989) Tales from the Whoop: Hot Rod Brown Class Clown (1990) Bagdad Cafe (1990 - 1991) Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990 - 1993) (voice) Defenders of Dynatron City (1992) (voice) The Whoopi Goldberg Show (1992 - 1993) Yuletide in the 'hood (1993) (voice) A Cool Like That Christmas (1994) (voice) The Sunshine Boys (1995) (Cameo) Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1995 - 1999) (voice) Mother Goose: A Rappin' and Rhymin' Special (1997) (voice) Cinderella (1997) A Knight in Camelot (1998) Hollywood Squares (center square from 1998-2002) (also producer) Alice in Wonderland (1999) Jackie's Back! (1999) Foxbusters (1999 - 2000) (voice) Celebrity Dish (2000) Whose Line Is It Anyway? (2000) The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999) What Makes a Family (2001) (also executive producer) Call Me Claus (2001) (also executive producer) Madeline: My Fair Madeline (2002) (voice) It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) Good Fences (2003) (also producer) Whoopi (2003 - 2004) (also executive producer) Littleburg (2004) (canceled after five episodes) Whoopi: Back to Broadway - the 20th Anniversary (2005) (also executive producer and writer) Just for Kicks (2006) (developer and executive producer) Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy (2006) (three part British TV series) Everybody Hates Chris (2006)She has made numerous guest appearances on Sesame Street, and guest hosting Live with Regis and Kelly.
Awards won
Grammy Award - Whoopi, Direct from Broadway (1985) National Board of Review - The Color Purple (1985, Best lead actress) Golden Globe - The Color Purple (1986, Best lead actress) Image Award - The Color Purple (1988, Outstanding lead actress) Image Award - Fatal Beauty (1990, Outstanding lead actress) Academy Award - Ghost (1991, Best supporting actress) Golden Globe - Ghost (1991, Best supporting actress) Saturn Award - Ghost (1991, Best supporting actress) Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award - Ghost (1991, Best supporting actress) Image Award - Ghost (1992, Outstanding lead actress) American Comedy Award - Ghost (1991, Funniest supporting actress) Bafta Award - Ghost (1991, Best supporting actress) Image Award - Special Award, Entertainer of the Year 1992 Aftonbladet TV Prize, Sweden (1992, Best Foreign TV personality) Image Award - The Long Walk Home (1993, Outstanding lead actress) American Comedy Award - Sister Act (1993, Funniest lead actress) People's Choice Awards - Favorite Comedy Motion Picture Actress (1993) People's Choice Awards - Favorite Motion Picture Actress (1993) Hastings Pudding Theatricals (1993, Woman of the Year) Image Award - Sister Act (1994, Outstanding lead actress) People's Choice Awards - Favorite Comedy Motion Picture Actress (1994) People's Choice Awards - Favorite Comedy Motion Picture Actress (1995) Fantafestival - Theodore Rex (1996, Best Actress) Image Award - How Stella got her groove back (1999, Oustanding supporting actress) Walk of Fame - Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame (2001, Motion Picture) Gracie Allen Awards - Strong Medicine (2003, Producer) Daytime Emmy - Beyond Tara: The extraordinary life of Hattie Mcdaniel (2002, Outstanding special class special) Image Award - Good Fences (2004, Outstanding Actress in a TV movie, Mini-series or Dramatic special) MVP of the 2003 Kinko's Celebrity Softball Game|
Preceded by: Brenda Fricker for My Left Foot |
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress 1990 for Ghost |
Succeeded by: Mercedes Ruehl for The Fisher King |
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