Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg, originally named Caryn Johnson, was drawn to acting from a very young age, already performing on the stage of New York's Helena Rubinstein Children's Theatre at the age of eight. The actress, blessed with excellent vocal talents, was already appearing on Broadway in the early 1970s in such successful musicals as Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Pippin. This was a turbulent period in her life: she got married, struggled with and successfully overcame heroin addiction, and then divorced. In 1974, she moved to Los Angeles with her daughter in hopes of better opportunities. Right after the move, she changed her name, and alongside small supporting theater roles, she worked as a bricklayer, a cashier, and even as a mortuary cosmetologist. From a young age, Whoopi had a sharp sense of humor, and she began putting her comedic talents to use on stage as well. Director Mike Nichols noticed her during one of her solo performances and helped her land a Broadway role in 1984. It was through this that Steven Spielberg — at the time still known mainly as Hollywood's wonder boy — discovered her and offered her a role in his 1985 film The Color Purple. Whoopi won a Golden Globe for her performance and was also nominated for an Oscar. From then on, her career took off: she hosted numerous television shows, appeared in several series, and the sheer number of films she made during this period is proof of her tremendous work ethic. However, this relentless pace didn't quite pay off, as her films regularly fell flat with both audiences and critics. She only managed to match the success of The Color Purple in the 1990s. One of the most defining films of her career from this period is the Oscar-winning Ghost (1990). Two years later, thanks to Sister Act (1992), she became one of the most beloved actresses worldwide. For the 1993 sequel to that film, she received a then-record-breaking salary of 8 million dollars. Although Whoopi Goldberg remains quite active to this day, she hasn't been able to match her earlier successes over the past twenty years; her most recent film was the mixed-reception Hollywood blockbuster Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014). The actress was married to Ted Danson for a long time; they divorced shortly after working together on Made in America (1993), reportedly due to Danson's harsh behavior and racist remarks. In the years following the divorce, she met fellow actor Frank Langella, with whom she was in a relationship for many years. Whoopi Goldberg has hosted the Oscars twice, in 1994 and 1996, and her memorable performances are still fondly remembered today.