Whoopi Goldberg Biography: Net Worth, Husband, Age, Children, Movies & TV Shows, Awards

Whoopi Goldberg is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony award.

She is known for her versatile and socially conscious roles in films such as The Color Purple, Ghost, Sister Act, and The Lion King.

She is also a co-host of the popular talk show The View and a vocal advocate for various causes, such as human rights, AIDS awareness, and animal welfare.

Profile

• Full name: Caryn Elaine Johnson
• Nickname: Whoopi Goldberg
• Date of birth: November 13, 1955
• Age: 68 years old
• Gender: Female
• Place of birth: New York City, U.S.
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Actor, comedian, author and television personality
• Height: 5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
• Parents: Emma Harris (mother) and Robert James Johnson Jr. (father)
• Siblings: Clyde Johnson (brother)
• Spouse: Alvin Martin (m. 1973; div. 1979), David Claessen (m. 1986; div. 1988), Lyle Trachtenberg (m. 1994; div. 1995)
• Children: Alexandrea Martin (daughter)
• Relationship status: Single
• Net worth: $50 million

Early Life & Education

Caryn Elaine Johnson, popularly known and addressed as Whoopi Goldberg is 68 and was born on November 13, 1955, in the Chelsea section of Manhattan.

Her mother, Emma Harris, was a teacher and a nurse, and her father, Robert James Johnson Jr., was a clergyman.

Whoopi’s recent ancestors were from Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. She has a brother named Clyde, who died in 2015. She chose the surname Goldberg as a tribute to her Jewish ancestry.

Whoopi suffered from dyslexia and dropped out of high school at the age of 17. She moved to California and worked various jobs, such as a bricklayer, a bank teller, a makeup artist, and a funeral parlor assistant.

She also joined several improv groups, such as Spontaneous Combustion, and developed her skills as a stand-up comedian.

She adopted the stage name Whoopi from a whoopee cushion, as she was often told that she was like “a fart in a windstorm.“

Personal Life

Whoopi Goldberg has been married and divorced three times. Her first husband was Alvin Martin, whom she married in 1973 and divorced in 1979. They have a daughter named Alexandrea Martin, who is also an actress and a producer.

Her second husband was David Claessen, a cinematographer, whom she married in 1986 and divorced in 1988. Her third husband was Lyle Trachtenberg, a union organizer, whom she married in 1994 and divorced in 1995.

Whoopi has also dated celebrities such as Ted Danson, Frank Langella, Timothy Dalton, and Danny Glover. She is currently single and lives in New Jersey. She has four grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

She is a vegetarian and a cannabis user. She has also admitted to being a former drug addict and has spoken openly about her experiences with heroin, cocaine, and LSD.

Career

Whoopi Goldberg began her career as a comedian in the early 1980s. She performed in various clubs and theaters and gained recognition for her one-woman show The Spook Show, which featured her impersonating different characters, such as a surfer chick, a valley girl, a junkie, and a child with disabilities.

She also did an HBO special and a Broadway show as Moms Mabley, a famous black comedienne.

Whoopi made her film debut in Citizen: I’m Not Losing My Mind, I’m Giving It Away (1982), but her breakthrough role was in The Color Purple (1985), directed by Steven Spielberg.

She played Celie, a poor and abused black woman in the South, and received critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for her performance. She became a major star and a household name as a result.

Whoopi continued to star in various films, mostly comedies, such as Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986), Burglar (1987), Fatal Beauty (1987), The Telephone (1988) and Clara’s Heart (1988).

She also voiced characters in animated films, such as The Pagemaster (1994) and The Lion King (1994). She won an Oscar for her role as Oda Mae Brown, a psychic con artist, in Ghost (1990).

She also received another Oscar nomination for her role as Deloris Van Cartier, a lounge singer who joins a convent in Sister Act (1992) and its sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993).

Whoopi has also appeared in dramas such as The Long Walk Home (1990) and Sarafina! (1992), The Player (1992), The Deep End of the Ocean (1999), Girl, Interrupted (1999) and For Colored Girls (2010).

She has also starred in some action and fantasy films, such as Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), The Associate (1996), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Rat Race (2001) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014).

Whoopi has also had a successful career on television. She has co-hosted The View since 2007 and won several Emmy awards for her work.

She has also appeared in many TV shows, such as Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1993), Moonlighting (1988), The Simpsons (1992), The Magic School Bus (1994-1997), Muppets Tonight (1996-1997), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2006), Glee (2012-2013) and The Good Fight (2017-2018).

She has also produced and hosted several documentaries and specials, such as WhoopiGoldberg Presents Billy Connolly (1999), Whoopi: Back to Broadway The 20th Anniversary (2005), Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley (2013), and I Got Somethin’ to Tell You (2013).

Whoopi is also the author of several books, such as Alice (1992), Book (1997), Whoopi’s Big Book of Manners (2006), Is It Just Me? Or Is It Nuts Out There? (2010) and The Unqualified Hostess (2019). She is also a co-author of the Sugar Plum Ballerinas series (2008-2013) and the Whoopi’s World series (2016-2017).

Controversy

Whoopi Goldberg has been involved in some controversies and scandals throughout her career. Some of them are:

In 1993, she received backlash for her relationship with Ted Danson, who was married then. She also defended him when he performed a comedy routine in blackface at a roast for her.

In 2004, she was fired as a spokesperson for SlimFast, a weight loss product, after she made some jokes about President George W. Bush at a fundraiser for John Kerry.

In 2007, she joined The View as a co-host and often clashed with her co-hosts and guests over topics such as politics, religion, race, and sexuality.

She also faced criticism for some of her opinions, such as defending Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby, and Mel Gibson and questioning the moon landing and the Holocaust.

In 2009, she was accused of sexual harassment by a former employee, who claimed that she had touched him inappropriately and made lewd comments. She denied the allegations and settled the lawsuit out of court.

In 2016, she was sued by Levity Entertainment Group, who claimed that she had breached her contract by leaving their management without notice. She countersued them for fraud and extortion, and the case was settled in 2018.

Net Worth

Whoopi Goldberg has an estimated net worth of $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. She has earned wealth from her successful career as an actor, comedian, author, and television personality.

She has also invested in various businesses, such as a medical cannabis company called Whoopi & Maya, a clothing line called DUBGEE, and a book publishing company called Whoopi’s Books.

Social Media

• Instagram handle: @whoopigoldberg
• Twitter handle: @WhoopiGoldberg

Filmography

• The Color Purple
• Jumpin’ Jack Flash
• Burglar
• Fatal Beauty
• The Telephone
• Clara’s Heart
• Ghost
• The Long Walk Home
• Soapdish.