Whoopi Goldberg Biography

Whoopi Goldberg, actress/host

Birthdate: November 13, 1955

Birthplace: New York City, New York

Sign: Scorpio

Born Caryn Elaine Johnson to nurse Emma and clergyman Robert James Johnson, Goldberg was raised by her mother after her father left the family. She took her stage name from a whoopee cushion and the name "Goldberg" after her Jewish ancestors.

Her marriage to Alvin Martin when she was just 18 had produced her first and only child, Alexandrea Martin (born 1973). Before becoming an actress, she worked as a bank teller, a bricklayer, and a mortuary cosmetologist.

In 1982, Goldberg made her first screen appearance in "Citizen: I'm Not Losing My Mind, I'm Giving It Away." Director Mike Nichols was impressed with her one-woman show, "The Spook Show," which she created in 1983, and therefore offered to bring the show to Broadway. It ran from October 1984 to March 1985.

Her Broadway performance impressed director Steven Spielberg, who offered her the lead role in his upcoming movie, "The Color Purple." The film became a commercial and critical success, and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including a Best Actress nod for her. She did not win the award; she won a Golden Globe instead.

In 1986, Goldberg married David Claessen, the director of photography on her 1986 film "Jumpin' Jack Flash." They divorced in 1988.

After starring in critically-acclaimed films, such as 1988's "Clara's Heart," and participating in numerous comedy stints, Goldberg landed the role of a psychic Oda Mae Brown in "Ghost" in 1990. She became the first African-American female to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role. She also became the first African-American female to host to Academy Award in 1994. She hosted the show again in 1996, 1999 and 2002.

She had a recurring role on the TV sci-fi series "Star Trek: The Next Generation," which she would reprise in two of its movie adaptations. In 1992, her film "Sister Act" grossed over $100 million.

In 1994, she married third husband, Lyle Trachtenberg. They divorced after only one year of marriage. In 1993, she was briefly involved with Ted Danson, who was married at that time. Their relationship caused a stir after Danson, a Caucasian, performed a comedy routine at a Friars' Club roast in blackface. She wrote the script for the act.

On her 48th birthday, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Goldberg is one of few to win an Oscar, a Grammy, a Tony, and an Emmy in their career. She starred in over 150 films and became the highest-paid actress of all time. Her other awards include Daytime Emmy, Golden Globe, People's Choice, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Vanguard Award, American Comedy Awards, and Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

In September 2007, she replaced Rosie O'Donnell as the new co-host of "The View."