Caryn Elaine Johnson, better known
by her stage name, Whoopi Goldberg is a well-known
American movie actress, comedian, and singer.
After success 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 film debut, an adaption of the award-winning
novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker. This performance
garnered her an Oscar nomination for best actress in
1986. She followed up this performance with a sell-out,
highly acclaimed one-woman show on Broadway. The majority
of the films she made in the 1980s featured her in
tough-woman comedic roles (Burglar, Fatal Beauty, Jumpin'
Jack Flash), though she regularly balanced them out
by performing in family-oriented films (Clara's Heart).
In danger of fading from public acclaim, she revitalized
her career in the role of a fake "spiritualist" who
manages to actually make contact with the dead in the
tear-jerker Ghost, for which she won her first Oscar
award for best supporting actress. She cemented her
status as a legendary comedic actress in 1992 as a
lounge singer who is hidden in a convent (and consequently
revitalises their choir) in Sister Act. She had a recurring
role on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Guinan, which
she also reprised in two of the Star Trek feature films.
Goldberg has appeared in 149 films as of October
2002. She has received two Oscar nominations and won
one. She has received five Daytime Emmy nominations,
winning one. She has received five Emmy nominations.
She has received three Golden Globe nominations, winning
two. She has won three People's Choice Awards. In 1999
she received the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Vanguard Award for her continued work in supporting
the gay and lesbian community. She has been nominated
for five American Comedy Awards with two wins. In 2001
she won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. She
also hosted the Oscars in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 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. She also starred
in the sitcom, Whoopi, which began broadcasting in
fall 2003 on NBC. Whoopi starred as Mavis Rae, the
owner of a small New York Hotel (called the Le Mont
Hotel). An ex-singer in a girl group, Mavis was as
much of a diva running the hotel as she was in the
group’s glory days. The sitcom was cancelled
due to low ratings in May 2004.
Rather than the tradional autobiography, Goldberg
wrote "Book" in October 1997, a collection
of stories from her past and opinions. |
