Whoopi Goldberg

From Philosopedia

Goldberg, Whoopi (13 November 1955 — )

Caryn Elaine Johnson was the daughter of a nurse and teacher, Emma (Née Harris), and Robert James Johnson, a clergyman who died in 1993. When her father left the family, she was raised by her mother. Goldberg attended Washington Irving High School in New York City but dropped out during her freshman year.

Whoopi Goldberg, a stage name that she chose, came about because

• Here’s the thing. When you’re performing on stage, you never really have time to go into the bathroom and close the door. So if you get a little gassy, you’ve got to let it go. So people used to say to me, You are like a whoopee cushion. And that’s where the name came from.

In 1987 she was honored with the Hans Christian Andersen Award for outstanding achievement by a dyslectic.

Goldberg has received two Academy Award nominations, for The Color Purple and Ghost, winning for Ghost. She has received five Daytime Emmy nominations, winning one. She has received three Golden Globe nominations, winning two. She won a Grammy Award in 1985 and a Tony Award as a producer of the Broadway musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. 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 - also in 1999, she was the key participant on the telecast “Hollywood Squares.” She has been nominated for five American Comedy Awards with two wins. In 2001, she won the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center. She has starred in over 150 films. During a period in the 1990s, Whoopi was the highest-paid actress of all time. Her humanitarian efforts include working for Comic Relief

Goldberg was married to drug counselor Alvin Martin in 1973, and they were divorced in 1977. A daughter, Alexandra Martin, was born in 1973. She was married to cinematographer David Claessen in 1986 and divorced in 1988. She married union organizer Lyle Trachtenberg in 1994 and divorced in 1995.

On The View," Goldberg on occasion when religion comes up in the group's discussions, mentions she is not religious although interested in the subject, is a humanist, a non-believer, and an atheist.

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