Whoopi Goldberg
In 1985, director Steven Spielberg cast the relatively unknown stage performer in The Color Purple, her Hollywood film debut. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe win, vaulting her to stardom. It transformed a one-woman-show comedian into a leading film actress.
From Caryn to Whoopi
Born Caryn Johnson in New York in 1955, she adopted the stage name Whoopi Goldberg. Her solo stage show drew director Mike Nichols, who brought it to Broadway and won her a Grammy.
Hollywood Breakthrough
Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple made her a film star in 1985. Five years later, Ghost earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
EGOT and The View
By 2002 she had won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, becoming the first Black woman to achieve EGOT status. Since 2007 she has anchored daytime's The View.
Career Timeline
- 1984Broadway one-woman show wins acclaim and a Grammy
- 1985Film debut in The Color Purple earns Oscar nod
- 1986Stars in comedy Jumpin' Jack Flash
- 1988Begins playing Guinan on Star Trek: TNG
- 1990Plays psychic Oda Mae Brown in Ghost
- 1991Wins Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Ghost
- 1992Stars in box-office smash Sister Act
- 1994First Black woman to host the Academy Awards
- 2002Completes EGOT with a Tony Award win
- 2007Joins The View as moderator and co-host
Biggest Hits
- She took the stage name 'Whoopi' from a whoopee cushion; she was born Caryn Elaine Johnson.
- She became only the second Black woman to win an acting Oscar, after Hattie McDaniel in 1940.
Portrait: David Shankbone · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons