Whoopi Goldberg (1955-)

Keep with this theme of black womxn comedians, today we look at the life and career of the ever-so-famous, Whoopi Goldberg.

---

Whoopi Goldberg, original name Caryn Elaine Johnson, (born November 13, 1955, New York, New York, U.S.), American comedian, actress, and producer known for her work in theatre, film, television, and recordings. An accomplished performer with a wide repertoire, her work ranged from dramatic leading roles to controversial comedic performances.

Caryn Elaine Johnson was born in New York City's Manhattan borough on November 13, 1955, the daughter of Robert James Johnson Jr. (March 4, 1930 – May 25, 1993), a Baptist clergyman, and Emma Johnson (née Harris; September 21, 1931 – August 29, 2010), a nurse and teacher. She was raised in the Chelsea-Elliot Houses. She attended a local Catholic school, St Columba's, when she was younger. Her more recent forebears migrated north from Faceville, Georgia; Palatka, Florida; and Virginia. She dropped out of Washington Irving High School.

She has stated that her stage forename ("Whoopi") was taken from a whoopee cushion; "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're like a whoopee cushion.' And that's where the name came from."

She moved to California in 1974 and soon became active in the theatre community there, as well as establishing a presence as a stand-up comedian. Eventually, she developed The Spook Show, a one-woman stage show noted for its humor, satire, and drama, which she performed throughout the United States and Europe. That performance became the basis for the critically acclaimed Broadway show Whoopi Goldberg, which debuted in 1984, and in 1985 Goldberg won a Grammy Award for the show’s recording. Soon afterward she made her Hollywood debut in The Color Purple (1985), for which she garnered an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award.

Goldberg was an activist on behalf of several causes, including human rights, AIDS research, and children’s issues and is the co-founder of the Medicinal Cannabis company called Whoopi & Maya.

Reference

Wikipedia

Brittanica

Whoopi & Maya