Whoopi Goldberg

Born Caryn Elaine Johnson in Manhattan on November 13, 1955, Whoopi Goldberg overcame childhood dyslexia and financial hardship in Chelsea housing projects before creating a groundbreaking one-woman Broadway show, "The Spook Show," directed by Mike Nichols in 1984. Her extraordinary ability to portray deeply vulnerable and comic characters caught the eye of Steven Spielberg, who cast her as Celie in the film adaptation of Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" (1985). Goldberg's emotionally shattering, Oscar-nominated film debut established her as a major Hollywood star. In 1990, she delivered a legendary, hilarious performance as the eccentric spiritual medium Oda Mae Brown opposite Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in Jerry Zucker's "Ghost," winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (becoming only the second Black woman in history to win an acting Oscar). In 1992, Goldberg starred as Deloris Van Cartier in the global box-office smash "Sister Act," demonstrating her unmatched comedic charm. In 2002, Goldberg joined the elite ranks of EGOT winners, having earned an Emmy Award (The View), a Grammy Award (Original Broadway Cast Recording), an Academy Award (Ghost), and a Tony Award (producer of Thoroughly Modern Millie). Since 2007, she has served as the moderating anchor of ABC's daytime talk show "The View," maintaining an enduring legacy as an outspoken advocate for human rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and freedom of expression.