Whoopi Goldberg, born Caryn Elaine Johnson on November 13, 1955[1], is a American actress, comedienne, author and talk show host. She is known for her roles in The Color Purple, Sister Act, on The View and was a guest starred on Glee as Carmen Tibideaux.
Personal Life[]
Goldberg was born to Robert Johnson and Emma Harris in New York.[2] She has a brother, Clyde.[1]
Goldberg was married to Alvin Martin for nine years till 1979,[2] and they have a daughter, Alexandria.[3] Alexandria has two daughters, Amarah Skye and Jerzey, and a son, Mason.[3] She was married twice after that: David Claessen, for two years till 1988, and Lyle Trachtenberg, for a year till 1995.[2] She was in a relationship with Ted Danson in the early 1990s.[3]
She has a Ph.D. in literature from New York University and an honorary degree from Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.[3]
She changed her name when she decided that her given name was too boring. She claims to be half Jewish and half Catholic, and "Goldberg" is attributed to her family history.[1]
Career[]
Goldberg made her film debut in Citizen in 1982, and was in The Color Purple in 1985, which won her first Golden Globe Award for her role. She had a recurring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation for five years till 1993, Bagdad Cafe for a year till 1991, Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776 for a year till 2003, and Whoopi for a year till 2004.
She has been co-hosting, The View, for nine years since 2005, and had a guest starring role on Glee for five episodes in 2012 and (so far) an episode in 2014.
Goldberg was announced to be a guest star in an upcoming episode of Law and Order: SVU in the seventeenth season. The episode will air in October 2015 and she will portray Janette Grayson.[4]
Filmography[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1982 | Citizen | ||
1985 | The Color Purple | Celie Johnson | |
1986 | Moonlighting | Camille Brand | uncredited ("Camille" and "The Straight Poop") |
Jumpin' Jack Flash | Terry Dolittle | ||
1987 | Fatal Beauty | Rita Rizzoli | |
Burglar | Bernice Rhodenbarr | ||
Repairs | The voice | short | |
1988 | Whoopi Goldberg: Fontaine... Why Am I Straight | Fontaine | TV Movie |
Clara's Heart | Clara Mayfield | ||
The Telephone | Vashti Blue | ||
Star Trek: The Next Generation | Guinan | 1988 - 1993 (28 episodes) | |
1989 | Homer and Eddie | Eddie Cervi | |
Kiss Shot | Sarah Collins | TV movie | |
CBS Schoolbreak Special | Mariah Johnston | ("My Past Is My Own") | |
Michael Jackson: Liberian Girl | video short | ||
1990 | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Gaia | 1990 - 1992 (60 episodes) |
Bagdad Cafe | Brenda | 1990 - 1991 (15 episodes) | |
Ghost | Oda Mae Brown | ||
1991 | Blackbird Fly | short | |
Noel's Christmas Presents' | TV Movie | ||
House Party 2 | The Professor | uncredited | |
Soapdish | Rose Schwartz | ||
A Different World | Dr. Jordan | ("If I Should Die Before I Wake") | |
1992 | Sarafina! | Mary Masembuko | |
Sister Act | Deloris Van Cartier/Sister Mary Clarence | ||
The Player | Detective Avery | ||
Defenders of Dynatron City | Ms. Megawatt | voice and TV movie | |
1993 | A Cool Like That Christmas | Mom/Irwin | voice and. TV movie |
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit | Deloris Van Cartier/Sister Mary Clarence | ||
Made in America | Sarah Mathews | ||
Loaded Weapon | Sgt. Billy York | uncredited | |
Naked in New York | Tragedy Mask on Theater Wall | ||
1994 | The Pagemaster | Fantasy | voice |
Animated StoryBook: The Lion King | Shenzi | voice and video game | |
Star Trek: Generations | Guinan | uncredited | |
Corrina, Corrina | Corrina Washington | ||
The Little Rascals | Buckwheat's Mom | ||
The Lion King | Shenzi | short | |
1995 | Theodore Rex | Katie Coltrane | video |
Moonlight and Valentino | Sylvie Morrow | ||
Boys on the Side | Jane | ||
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Mother Goose/Zenobia The Hoodoo Diva | 1995 - 1997 (2 episodes) voice | |
1996 | Ghosts of Mississippi | Myrlie Evers | |
The Associate | Laurel Ayres | ||
Bogus | Harriet Franklin | ||
Bordello of Bloodmm | Hospital Patient | uncredited | |
Eddie | Edwina 'Eddie' Franklin | ||
The Sunshine Boys | Nurse | uncredited and TV movie | |
1997 | A Christmas Carol | Spirit of Christmas Present | vidoe and voice |
Cinderella | Queen Constantina | voice and TV movie | |
Mother Goose: A Rappin' and Rhymin' Special | Mother Gooseberg | voice and TV movie | |
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn | Whoopi Goldberg | ||
Destination Anywhere | Cabbie | video | |
In the Gloaming | Nurse Myrna | TV movie | |
Tracey Takes On... | God | voice ("Supernatural") | |
1998 | Titey | The Iceberg | voice and short |
A Knight in Camelot | Dr. Vivien Morgan | TV movie | |
The Rugrats Movie | Ranger Margaret | voice | |
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie | Stormella - The Evil Ice Queen | voice | |
L.A. Doctors | Whoopi Goldberg | uncredited ("A Prayer for the Lying") | |
How Stella Got Her Groove Back | Delilah Abraham | ||
The Nanny | Edna | ("The Pre-Nup") | |
Saturday Night Live | The Iceberg | voice ("Steve Buscemi/Third Eye Blind") | |
1999 | Our Friend, Martin | Mrs. Peck | video and voice |
Girl, Interrupted | Valerie Owens, RN | ||
The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns | The Grand Banshee | TV movie | |
Foxbusters | voice | ||
Jackie's Back! | Nurse Ethyl Washington Rue Owens (Jackie's Sister) | TV movie | |
The Deep End of the Ocean | Candy Bliss | ||
Alice in Wonderland | Cheshire Cat | TV movie | |
Alegría | Baby Clown | ||
2000 | Strong Medicine | Dr. Lydia Emerson | (4 episodes) |
More Dogs Than Bones | Cleo | ||
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle | Judge Cameo | uncredited | |
2001 | Call Me Claus | Lucy Cullins | TV movie |
The Hollywood Sign | One of the women throwing dirt on coffin at funeral scene | uncredited | |
Rat Race | Vera Baker | ||
The Weber Show | Whoopi Goldberg | ("...And Then the Sex Freaked Jack Out") | |
Monkeybone | Death | ||
Golden Dreams | Califia, the Queen of California | short and narrator | |
Kingdom Come | Raynelle Slocumb | ||
What Makes a Family | Terry Harrison | TV movie | |
2002 | Absolutely Fabulous | Goldie | ("Gay") |
Star Trek: Nemesis | Guinan | uncredited | |
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie | Daniel's 'Boss' | TV movie | |
Madeline: My Fair Madeline'm | Miss Clavel | voice and TV movie | |
Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776 | Deborah Samson/Robert Shurtleff | 2002 - 2003 (36 episodes) | |
2003 | Blizzard | Blizzard | voice |
Good Fences | Mabel Spader | TV movie | |
Freedom: A History of Us | Harriet Tubman/Sojourner Truth/Lucy Parsons | (5 episodes) | |
Pauly Shore Is Dead | Whoopi Goldberg | ||
Whoopi | Mavis Rae | 2003 - 2004 (19 episodes) | |
2004 | Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 | Whoopi Goldberg | |
Pinocchio 3000 | Cyberina | voice | |
The Lion King 1 1/2 | Shenzi | voice and video | |
Littleburg | Mayor Whoopi | ||
2005 | Bear in the Big Blue House | The Great Bandini | ("The Great Bandini") |
Whoopi: Back to Broadway - The 20th Anniversary | Fontaine/Lurleen/Crippled Lady | TV movie | |
Racing Stripes | Franny | voice | |
2006 | Everybody Hates Chris | Louise Clarkson | (2 episodes) |
Everyone's Hero | Darlin' | voice | |
Homie Spumoni | Thelma | ||
Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Chesley Watkins | ("To the Bone ") | |
So noTORIous | MaMa Belle | ('Cursed") | |
Doogal | Ermintrude | voice | |
Farce of the Penguins | Helen | voice | |
2007 | If I Had Known I Was a Genius | Mom | |
30 Rock | Whoopi Goldberg | 2007 - 2009 (2 episodes) | |
2008 | A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa | Taxi Driver | TV movie |
Life on Mars | Brother Lovebutter | uncredited ("Things to Do in New York When You Think You're Dead") | |
Entourage | Whoopi Goldberg | ("Fire Sale") | |
Descendants | Red Flower | voice and short | |
Snow Buddies | Miss Mittens | voice and video | |
2009 | The Cleaner | Paulina Kmec/Paulina 'PK' Kmec | (3 episodes) |
Stream | Jodi | short | |
Madea Goes to Jail | Whoopi | ||
2010 | For Colored Girls | Alice/White | |
Toy Story 3: The Video Game | Stretch | voice and video | |
Toy Story 3 | Stretch | voice | |
See You in September | Lindsay's Therapist | uncredited | |
2011 | A Poem Is... | Narrator | |
The Little Engine That Could | Tower | voice | |
A Little Bit of Heaven | God | ||
2012 | Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | Lady Whoopi | 2012 - 2013 (3 episodes) |
Glee | Carmen Tibideaux | 2012 ("Choke", "Nationals", "Props", "The New Rachel" and "Swan Song"); 2014 ("Bash") | |
666 Park Avenue | Maris Elder | ("Hypnos") | |
Robot Chicken | HAL 9000/Celie Johnson/Swift Wind | voice ("Choked on Multi-Colored Scarves") | |
Suburgatory | Yakult | voice ("The Motherload") | |
The Middle (TV Series) | Jane Marsh | ("The Guidance Counselor") | |
The Daly Show | ("The Daly Whoopi") | ||
The Contradictions of Fair Hope | |||
2013 | Once Upon a Time in Wonderland | Mrs. Rabbit | voice, 2013 - 2014 ("Home" and "And They Lived") |
2014 | Black Dog, Red Dog | Calliope | |
Sensitive Men | Spiritual Leader | TV Movie | |
Big Stone Gap | Fleeta Mullins | ||
Top Five | Herself | ||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Bernadette Thompson | ||
The 7D | Magic Mirror | voice (3 episodes) | |
A Day Late and a Dollar Short | Viola | TV Movie | |
2015 | Savva. Heart of the Warrior | Mama Zho Zi | English version, voice; post-production |
I Do, I Do | Shanna Tee | pre-production |
Trivia[]
- She is good friends with Patrick Stewart and Marlon Brando.
- She was awarded The Annual Kennedy Centre Mark Twain Prize for Comedy.
- She was the first woman to host the Academy Awards on her own. She hosted them in 2002, 1999, 1996 and 1994.
- She studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.
- She is an active pro-abortion campaigner, having undergone the procedure herself at the age of 14.
- She travels to locations by bus since she dislikes flying.
- She won a Grammy for "Whoopi Goldberg: Direct From Broadway."
- She once worked in a mortuary where her job was applying makeup to corpses.