Whoopi Goldberg

Caryn Elaine Johnson
1949 -
American born Manhattan, New York

Nickname Da Whoop . Height 5' 5" (1.65 m) . 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 The Color Purple (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), The Telephone (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 The Associate (1996), and took supporting parts in more independent minded movies such as The Deep End of the Ocean (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 The Pagemaster (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." Spouse Lyle Trachtenberg (1 October 1994 - October 1995) (divorced), David Claessen (1 September 1986 - October 1988) (divorced), Alvin Martin (1973 - 1979) (divorced) 1 child.

Comic Relief 2006 (2006) , The Last Guy on Earth (2006) , If I Had Known I Was a Genius (2006) , Farce of the Penguins (2006) , Homie Spumoni (2006) , Everyone's Hero (2006) ,"Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (2006) , Doogal (2006) , "Bear in the Big Blue House" (2005) , Whoopi: Back to Broadway - The 20th Anniversary (2005) , The Magic Roundabout (2005) , Racing Stripes (2005) , Pinocchio 3000 (2004) , "Whoopi"(2004) , The Lion King 1½ (2004) , "Littleburg" (2004) , Blizzard (2003) , Good Fences (2003) , "Absolutely Fabulous" (2002) ,Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) , It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) , Madeline: My Fair Madeline (2002) , "Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776" (2002) , Call Me Claus (2001) , The Mark Twain Prize: Whoopi Goldberg (2001) , The Hollywood Sign (2001) , Rat Race (2001) , Monkeybone (2001) , Kingdom Come (2001/I) , What Makes a Family (2001) , Golden Dreams (2001) , "Strong Medicine"(2000), More Dogs Than Bones (2000) , A Second Chance at Life (2000) , The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000) , Girl, Interrupted (1999) , The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999) , "Foxbusters" (1999) , Jackie's Back! (1999) , The Deep End of the Ocean (1999) , Alice in Wonderland (1999) , Our Friend, Martin (1999) , The Rugrats Movie (1998), A Knight in Camelot (1998) , Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie (1998) , "Sin City Spectacular" (????) , How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) , "The Nanny" (1998) , "Smap x Smap"(1998) , Alegría (1998) , Titey (1998) , Cinderella (1997) , Mother Goose: A Rappin' and Rhymin' Special (1997) , An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997) , Destination Anywhere (1997) , In the Gloaming (1997) , "Tracey Takes On..." (1997) , A Christmas Carol (1997) , Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) , The Associate (1996) , Bogus (1996) , Bordello of Blood (1996) , Eddie (1996) , Theodore Rex (1995) , Moonlight and Valentino (1995) , Boys on the Side (1995) , "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" (1995) , The Sunshine Boys (1995) , The Pagemaster (1994) , Star Trek: Generations (1994) , Corrina, Corrina (1994) , The Little Rascals (1994) , The Lion King (1994) , A Cool Like That Christmas (1994) , Yuletide in the 'hood (1993) , Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) , Made in America (1993) , "Star Trek: The Next Generation"(1993) , Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) , Naked in New York (1993) , Sarafina! (1992) , Sister Act (1992) , The Player (1992) , Defenders of Dynatron City (1992) , "Tales from the Crypt" (1991) , Soapdish (1991) , "A Different World" (1991) ,Blackbird Fly (1991) , The Long Walk Home (1990) , "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" (1990) , Ghost (1990) , "Bagdad Cafe" (1990) , Tales from the Whoop: Hot Rod Brown Class Clown (1990) , Homer and Eddie (1989) , Kiss Shot (1989) , My Past Is My Own (1989) , Comicitis (1989) , Clara's Heart (1988) , The Telephone (1988) , Whoopi Goldberg: Fontaine... Why Am I Straight (1988) , Fatal Beauty (1987) , Burglar (1987) , Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) , "Moonlighting" (1986) , The Color Purple (1985) , Citizen (1982)