Washington Irving Campus where Whoopi Goldberg studied.
College/University
Career
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in the series Instinct.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in Nobody's Fool.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in Corrina, Corrina.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in Fatal Beauty.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in Jumpin' Jack Flash.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in Made In America.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in Soapdish.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in The Associate.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in the show The View.
Gallery of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg in The Whoopi Goldberg Show.
Achievements
Membership
Awards
Grammy Award
1986
Whoopi Goldberg with her Grammy Award.
Academy Award
1991
Whoopi Goldberg with Oscar.
British Academy Film Award
1991
Whoopi Goldberg with British Academy Film Award.
Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
2001
Whoopi Goldberg with Mark Twain Prize.
Tony Award
2002
Whoopi Goldberg with Tony Award.
Golden Globe Award
Whoopi Goldberg with Golden Globe.
Emmy Award
Whoopi Goldberg with Emmy Award.
American Comedy Award
American Comedy Awards which Whoopi Goldberg received for Ghost and for Sister Act.
NAACP Image Award
NAACP Image Award which Whoopi Goldberg received for The Color Purple, for Fatal Beauty, for Ghost, for The Long Walk Home, for Sister Act, for How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and for Good Fences.
Saturn Award
Saturn Award which Whoopi Goldberg received for Ghost.
People’s Choice Award
People’s Choice Awards which Whoopi Goldberg received for Sister Act in 1993, for Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit in 1994, in 1995 as Favorite Comedy Motion Picture Actress and in 1996 as Favorite Actress in a Comedy Motion Picture.
Barack Obama greets actress Whoopi Goldberg prior to speaking following a special fundraising performance of the Broadway musical 'Sister Act' on behalf of the Democratic National Committee at the Broadway Theatre in New York on June 23, 2011.
Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Barbara Walters, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and Sherri Shepherd pose on the set of their daytime talk show, The View on March 28, 2013.
A gray kitten got lucky after being tossed over a Verrazano Narrows bridge as it landed directly in the life of none other than the fine actress Whoopi Goldberg. The Russian blue cat after surviving the ordeal was adopted by her, who owns one more cat named Olive. This kind act clearly shows the lady’s affection for animals and her thoughts against cruelty.
Whoopi Goldberg loves to move into new places. This is her New Jersey home, which she purchased for $2.8 million in 2009. Home is located in West Orange, New Jersey, USA.
NAACP Image Award which Whoopi Goldberg received for The Color Purple, for Fatal Beauty, for Ghost, for The Long Walk Home, for Sister Act, for How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and for Good Fences.
People’s Choice Awards which Whoopi Goldberg received for Sister Act in 1993, for Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit in 1994, in 1995 as Favorite Comedy Motion Picture Actress and in 1996 as Favorite Actress in a Comedy Motion Picture.
(A timid boy overcomes his fears during an exciting journe...)
A timid boy overcomes his fears during an exciting journey through a magical library where various genres act as guides and the entire world of fiction is the terrain.
(When Madeline tries to stop thieves in The Louvre, she is...)
When Madeline tries to stop thieves in The Louvre, she is accused of misbehavior and sent off to a London finishing school to improve her manners. While her friends strive to clear her name, Madeline uncovers a plot to steal the crown jewels and risks all of her progress toward "becoming a young lady" in order to foil the crooks.
(An enchanting tale of Katie and her magical friendship wi...)
An enchanting tale of Katie and her magical friendship with Blizzard, one of Santa's newest reindeer. Blizzard uses her special powers to help Katie realize her own inner, strength and potential. By doing so Blizzard risks being banished from Santa's village - only the most powerful gift of the call can save them.
(In the Enchanted Village, The Magic Roundabout lies in ru...)
In the Enchanted Village, The Magic Roundabout lies in ruin, encased in ice. It is the work of the chillingly evil sorcerer Zeebad, whose dastardly mission is to enslave the earth and freeze it over forever. Ranged against the wicked magician are four of the unlikeliest heroes ever gathered together in an all-action adventure - Brian (a lovesick snail), Ermintrude (an opera-singing cow), Dylan (a spaced-out rabbit), and Dougal (a sugar-loving dog).
(Have you noticed people aren't as polite as they once wer...)
Have you noticed people aren't as polite as they once were or that rudeness is no longer an exception but a lifestyle? Sure you have. All you need to do is set foot outside your door to see that bad manners are taking over everywhere. Just look and you'll see: People yak on cell phones in restaurants, and even at church. Folks in carpools wear enough cologne to make your eyes bleed. Family outings to the ballpark are ruined by rowdy drunks. People talk in movie theaters like they are in their living rooms. Well, Whoopi Goldberg has noticed all this and more and asked herself, "Is it just me?" Unleashing her trademark irreverence and humor, her book of observations takes a funny and excruciatingly honest look at how a loss of civility is messing with the quality of life for all of us.
Whoopi's Big Book of Relationships: If Someone Says "You Complete Me," RUN!
(From Whoopi Goldberg comes the perfect antidote to all th...)
From Whoopi Goldberg comes the perfect antidote to all those outdated relationship advice books in the world, weighing in on why marriage isn't for everybody, and how the life you want shouldn't be the life everyone else expects you to have. Whoopi Now, Whoopi will speak openly about why marriage isn't for everyone, how being alone can be satisfying, and how what's most important is understanding who you are and what makes you happy. Wise, funny, and conversation-starting, Whoopi's message is sure to resonate with the millions of people who struggle with relationships every day.
(Rita Rizzoli is a narcotics police officer with a plethor...)
Rita Rizzoli is a narcotics police officer with a plethora of disguises. When a drug shipment is hijacked, the thieves don't know that the drug is unusually pure, and packs of "Fatal Beauty" begin turning up next to too many dead bodies. Mike Marshak works for the original owner of the drugs and tries to tell himself that since he does not handle the drugs, he is "clean". Mike becomes Rita's constant companion as the drug hijackers are hunted, while more and more bodies continue to turn up.
(Bernice "Bernie" Rhodenbarr is a burglar by trade, and sh...)
Bernice "Bernie" Rhodenbarr is a burglar by trade, and she runs a bookstore as well. Her friend Carl Hefler is a dog groomer. After a successful burglary, it's discovered that a dead body was in the house she burgled. As she's the only one who can be placed at the scene of the crime, she has to use her criminal skills to clear her name of the murder AND avoid getting charged with the burglary.
(A crazy out of work actress, Vashti Blue, spends all her ...)
A crazy out of work actress, Vashti Blue, spends all her time in her small apartment with her pet owl and her telephone, which she uses to try and solve all her problems with life.
(A Jamaican housekeeper becomes an unforgettable influence...)
A Jamaican housekeeper becomes an unforgettable influence in the life of a 12-year-old boy, providing him with affection, growth and comic counterpoint.
(David is a teenager whose parents are in a deteriorating ...)
David is a teenager whose parents are in a deteriorating marriage after their infant daughter dies. Clara is a chambermaid at a Jamaican resort who's hired to be a housekeeper. She and David develop a close bond, opening his eyes and heart to new experiences, and eventually leading to a disturbing secret in Clara's past.
(Two women, black and white, in 1955 Montgomery Alabama, m...)
Two women, black and white, in 1955 Montgomery Alabama, must decide what they are going to do in response to the famous bus boycott lead by Martin Luther King.
(The plot centers on students involved in the Soweto Upris...)
The plot centers on students involved in the Soweto Uprising, in opposition to the implementation of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools. The character Sarafina (Leleti Khumalo) feels shame at her mother's (Miriam Makeba) acceptance of her role as a domestic servant in a white household in apartheid South Africa, and inspires her peers to rise up in protest, especially after her inspirational teacher, Mary Masembuko is imprisoned.
(A Hollywood studio executive with a shaky moral compass f...)
A Hollywood studio executive with a shaky moral compass finds himself caught up in a criminal situation that would be right at home in one of his movie projects, in this biting industry satire from Robert Altman.
(Showgirl Deloris Van Cartier returns as Sister Mary Clare...)
Showgirl Deloris Van Cartier returns as Sister Mary Clarence to teach music to a group of Catholic students whose run-down school is slated for closure.
(A heartwarming story about a family devastated by grief a...)
A heartwarming story about a family devastated by grief and the woman who helps heal the loss. Manny Singer hires African American Corrina Washington to work as maid and nanny.
(Liberation tells the dramatic story of the battle waged o...)
Liberation tells the dramatic story of the battle waged on two fronts during World War II - the Allied campaign to liberate Europe and Hitler's genocidal campaign against the Jews.
(In an alternate futuristic society where humans and anthr...)
In an alternate futuristic society where humans and anthropomorphic dinosaurs co-exist, a tough police detective named Katie Coltraine is paired with a Tyrannosaurus named Theodore Rex to find the killer of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals leading them to a ruthless billionaire bent on killing off mankind by creating a new ice age.
(A comedy about making it on Wall Street. Prejudices are h...)
A comedy about making it on Wall Street. Prejudices are hard to break and Laurel Ayres quickly learns that in order for people to take her seriously she has to work for an older white man or be one.
(Albert is the orphan son of a circus performer, sent to l...)
Albert is the orphan son of a circus performer, sent to live with his mother's foster-sister, Harriet, a no-nonsense businesswoman living in New Jersey. Albert hates it there, but takes refuge in the company of Bogus, a flamboyant, gentle, loving, and altogether imaginary Frenchman. With Bogus's help, can Albert come to terms with his mother's death?
(The Deep End of The Ocean is a film about a family's reac...)
The Deep End of The Ocean is a film about a family's reaction when Ben, the youngest son is kidnapped and then found nine years later, living in the same town, where his family had just moved.
(This is a hysterically delightful and touching story. Luc...)
This is a hysterically delightful and touching story. Lucy Cullins is a cranky, volatile producer at a home shopping network in charge of hiring the station's on-air Santa Claus. Nigel Hawthorne is the real Santa Claus, who, finding himself at the end of his 200-year contract, must convince Lucy that she is the perfect candidate to fill his shoes. A funny, moving and enlightening look at the true spirit of the Christmas season.
(Good Fences is about an upwardly mobile black family for ...)
Good Fences is about an upwardly mobile black family for whom the American dream becomes a nightmare. Set in the 1970s, Tom Spader is an attorney who is determined to end what he has dubbed "the colored man's losing streak." When his winning of a high-profile case thrusts him into the limelight, he decides to moves his wife and their two kids out of their mixed lower-middle-class town and into the posh enclave of Greenwich, Connecticut.
(This entertaining picture book, filled with the do's and ...)
This entertaining picture book, filled with the do's and don'ts of common courtesy, provides an abundance of tips and techniques for how to behave in polite company.
(In a small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of V...)
In a small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, self-proclaimed spinster Ave Maria Mulligan finds her life shaken up and forever changed after learning a long-buried family secret. Based on Adriana Trigiani's best-selling novel.
Whoopi Goldberg is an American actress, singer and author. Now she is more famous as a talk show host. She is UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador as well.
Background
Ethnicity:
Goldberg's recent ancestors migrated north from Faceville, Georgia, Palatka, Florida, and Virginia. Part of her ancestry is to the Papel and Bayote people of modern-day Guinea-Bissau. Her admixture test indicates that she is 92 percent of sub-Saharan African origin and 8 percent of European origin.
Whoopi Goldberg was born Caryn Elaine Johnson on November 13, 1955, in New York City's Manhattan borough, New York, United States. She is the daughter of Robert James Johnson Jr., a Baptist clergyman, and Emma Johnson, a nurse, and teacher. She was raised in the Chelsea-Elliot Houses. Goldberg has described her mother as a "stern, strong, and wise woman" who raised her as a single mother with her brother Clyde, who died of a brain aneurysm.
Goldberg was acting in children's plays with the Hudson Guild Theater at the age of eight and throughout the rest of her childhood immersed herself in movies, sometimes watching three or four a day.
Education
At an early age, Goldberg attended a local St. Columba's Catholic School.
When she studied at Washington Irving High School (now Washington Irving Campus), she had lost her desire and vision. It was 1960, and she dropped out of school and became lost in the culture of hippie, delving further into the world of drugs and ending up a junkie.
The first experience of performing on stage and the only acting lessons in her life Goldberg received in the experimental children's theater Helen Rubenstein. This early period of her life can be considered the beginning of her career as an actress.
From 1974 till the late 1970s she has been working as a bank teller, bricklayer, and mortuary cosmetologist. In 1974, she found work in the new theater of San Diego. In the late 1970s, she joined the Blake Street Hawkeyes Theater, a comedy troupe. This helped her develop powerful acting and comedic abilities and led to the creation of seventeen different characters for a one-woman show that she called The Spook.
She performed this solo performance first on the West Coast, then toured the rest of the country and Europe in the early 1980s before ending up in New York City. These realistic and ranging performances also caught the attention of famed film director Mike Nichols. After seeing Goldberg's premiere performance in New York, Nichols offered to produce her show on Broadway in September of 1984. Here she received an invitation to a series of productions, in particular, took part in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar.
Another Hollywood figure entranced by Goldberg's sensitive performances was director Steven Spielberg, who at the time was casting for the film production of author Alice Walker's The Color Purple. Spielberg offered Goldberg the lead role of Celie, her first film appearance.
Starting with a deeply dramatic role, Whoopi Goldberg continued her film career primary in entertaining genres: comedies, crime comedies, detectives, TV series, fantasy. Among the most famous films with her participation - Jumpin' Jack Flash, Burglar, Fatal Beauty, A Knight in Camelot, etc. Some of them were criticized. It seemed that as soon as she had risen, she had fallen. Goldberg remained steady, though, disavowing critical displeasure.
Her chance came with the 1990 film Ghost. When it was released, Ghost was the highest-grossing movie of 1990. Goldberg also confirmed her far-reaching, unassailable talent in the arena of television. Beginning in the 1988-89 season, she appeared on an irregular basis as a crew member on the successful series Star Trek: The Next Generation. And while her 1990 stint in the series Bagdad Cafe was short-lived, Goldberg in 1992 secured the coveted position of late-night talk show host. The Whoopi Goldberg Show devoted each program to just one guest. The show was canceled in 1993.
The year 1992 also brought a series of successful film roles to Goldberg. She began the year portraying a homicide detective in director Robert Altman's highly anticipated and subsequently acclaimed Hollywood satire The Player. In mid-year, Goldberg donned a nun's habit as a Reno lounge singer seeking refuge from the mob in a convent in the escapist comedy Sister Act. And in the fall she turned again to a dramatic role, starring in Sarafina. Further, Goldberg went on to appear in several more films including Made in America, Sister Act II, Corrina, Corrina, and Boys on the Side, Moonlight and Valentino, Ghosts of Mississippi, The Long Walk Home, Homer, and Eddie. In October 1997, Goldberg and ghostwriter Daniel Paisner cowrote Book, a collection featuring insights and opinions.
From 1998 to 2001, Goldberg took supporting roles in How Stella Got Her Groove Back with Angela Bassett, Girl, Interrupted with Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie, Kingdom Come and Rat Race with an all-star ensemble cast. She starred in the ABC-TV versions of Cinderella, A Knight in Camelot and Call Me Claus. In 1998, she gained a new audience when she became the "Center Square" on Hollywood Squares, hosted by Tom Bergeron. She also served as executive producer. She left the series in 2002.
In 2004, she returned to Broadway to star in a self-titled one-woman show. Her career zoomed up again in 2007 when she served as the moderator and co-host of daytime talk show The View. Though the show did not have as big a start as during the time of Rosie O’Donnell, it soon picked up and moved past the latter. Meanwhile, from August 2006 to March 2008, Goldberg hosted Wake Up With Whoopi, a nationally syndicated morning radio talk and entertainment program. In recent years, she has curtailed her acting and has been an active human rights activist. Lately, she has guest starred as Jane Marsh in the TV series, The Middle.
In 2016, it was announced Goldberg would be developing a reality show called Strut, based on transgender models from Slay models in Los Angeles, which was founded by Cecilio Asuncion. She also played a role in the independent short film Indecisive (2018).
Whoopi Goldberg took part in the dubbing of the animated film, read the commentary in non-fiction films. She starred in the video of Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl". During her acting career in general, she starred in more than a hundred movies, TV series, and TV shows.
(A comedy about making it on Wall Street. Prejudices are h...)
1996
Religion
"My family is Jewish, Buddhist, Baptist and Catholic. I don't believe in man-made religions."
Politics
Whoopi Goldberg criticizes the conservative views of the American government and the Republican Party, campaigning for cultural and religious equality, legalization of same-sex marriages.
Views
On April 1, 2010, Goldberg joined Cyndi Lauper in the launch of her Give a Damn campaign to bring a wider awareness of discrimination of the LGBT community. The campaign aims to bring straight people to ally with the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community. Her high-profile support for LGBT rights and AIDS activism dates back to the 1987 March on Washington, in which she participated.
Quotations:
"I don't really view communism as a bad thing. "
"Acting is my life's blood. I'd be in an institution if I weren't in the arts."
"We're here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark."
"I liked the idea that you could pretend to be somebody else and nobody would cart you off to the hospital."
"Most of all, I dislike this idea nowadays that if you're a black person in America, then you must be called African-American. Listen, I've visited Africa, and I've got news for everyone: I'm not an African. The Africans know I'm not an African. I'm an American. This is my country. My people helped to build it and we've been here for centuries. Just call me black, if you want to call me anything."
Membership
Whoopi Goldberg is a member of the National Rifle Association and is also on the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service. She serves on the national council advisory board of the National Museum of American Illustration.
Personality
Cathleen McGuigan writing in Newsweek believed that Goldberg's "ability to completely disappear into a role, rather than superficially impersonate comic types, allows her to take some surprising risks." And Enid Nemy, in a review of Goldberg's show for the New York Times, found the performer's abilities extended beyond mere comic entertainment and that her creations-seamlessly woven with social commentary - "walk a finely balanced line between satire and pathos, stand-up comedy and serious acting."
Physical Characteristics:
Whoopi Goldberg has some features as dreadlocks, no eyebrows, and deep husky voice. She wears wire-rimmed sunglasses.
Interests
fairy tales and spooky stories
Connections
Goldberg has been married three times. In 1973 she married Alvin Martin. A year later Goldberg gave birth to a daughter, Alexandrea. Then the couple divorced. Then came two marriages - with David Claessen and with Lyle Trachtenberg.
Goldberg was romantically linked with actors Frank Langella, Timothy Dalton, and Ted Danson as well.
Father:
Robert James Johnson
Mother:
Emma Johnson
Brother:
Clyde K. Johnson
husband:
Alvin Martin
Daughter:
Alexandrea Martin
husband:
David Claessen
husband:
Lyle Trachtenberg
granddaughter :
Amarah Skye
granddaughter :
Jerzey
Grandson:
Mason
colleague:
Mike Nichols
References
Whoopi Goldberg: Her Journey From Poverty to Megastardom
This insightful biography of Whoopi Goldberg traces the remarkable life and times of the internationally famous African-American actress, comedian, television personality, and author. This detailed volume goes behind the scenes to document Goldberg’s humble beginnings in New York City to her later show business success. This success includes her winning of multiple industry awards, including an Oscar nomination for her touching performance in The Color Purple and an Academy Award for her vibrant role in Ghost.
1997
Whoopi Goldberg on Stage and Screen
The name Whoopi Goldberg conjures images of laughter, sex, surprise, versatility, African heritage, and Jewish identity, to name a few. How did she become such a major player in Hollywood and the larger world? This book provides an overview of some of Goldberg's most important efforts on Broadway and in motion pictures and television and the world of social activism. Major features include comparative analyses of Goldberg's work in relation to tha
Goldberg won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1986 for Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway, becoming only the second woman at the time to receive the award, and the first African-American woman. Goldberg is one of only three women to receive that award.
Goldberg won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1986 for Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway, becoming only the second woman at the time to receive the award, and the first African-American woman. Goldberg is one of only three women to receive that award.
Goldberg won Golden Globe in nominations Best Actress in 1986 for The Color Purple and Best Supporting Actress in 1991 for Ghost.
Goldberg won Golden Globe in nominations Best Actress in 1986 for The Color Purple and Best Supporting Actress in 1991 for Ghost.
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Vanguard Award,
United States
In 1999, she received the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Vanguard Award for her continued work in supporting the gay and lesbian community.
In 1999, she received the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Vanguard Award for her continued work in supporting the gay and lesbian community.
Goldberg won Emmy Award as host of AMC's Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel in 2002.
In 2009, Goldberg won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host for her role on The View. She shared the award with her then co-hosts Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Barbara Walters.
Goldberg won Emmy Award as host of AMC's Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel in 2002.
In 2009, Goldberg won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host for her role on The View. She shared the award with her then co-hosts Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Barbara Walters.
Drama Desk Award,
United States
Goldberg is the recipient of the 1985 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show for her solo performance on Broadway.
Goldberg is the recipient of the 1985 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show for her solo performance on Broadway.
Goldberg won the NAACP Image Award in 1988 for The Color Purple, in 1990 for Fatal Beauty, in 1992 for Ghost, in 1993 for The Long Walk Home, in 1994 for Sister Act, in 1999 for How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and in 2004 for Good Fences.
Goldberg won the NAACP Image Award in 1988 for The Color Purple, in 1990 for Fatal Beauty, in 1992 for Ghost, in 1993 for The Long Walk Home, in 1994 for Sister Act, in 1999 for How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and in 2004 for Good Fences.
Goldberg won the People’s Choice Award for Sister Act in 1993, for Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit in 1994, in 1995 as Favorite Comedy Motion Picture Actress and in 1996 as Favorite Actress in a Comedy Motion Picture.
Goldberg won the People’s Choice Award for Sister Act in 1993, for Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit in 1994, in 1995 as Favorite Comedy Motion Picture Actress and in 1996 as Favorite Actress in a Comedy Motion Picture.