Whoopi Goldberg biography, real name, family, daughter, young photos, husband, age 2025

Biography of Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg is undeniably one of Hollywood's most brilliant actresses. Her presence in even a mediocre film can guarantee box office success. This exceptional performer has taken on over four hundred roles across theater and film.

She is one of the few Hollywood stars to achieve "EGOT status," which includes winning the four major American awards in arts and show business: an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy, and a Tony.

She has been awarded the Golden Globe twice, as well as BAFTA and Saturn Awards. The dramas "Ghost" and "The Color Purple" have won the most awards. She has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Childhood, Youth, Family

Whoopi Goldberg, born Caryn Elaine Johnson, was born in fall 1955 in a Baptist family with Robert James Johnson and Emma Harris from New York. Her father, a priest, separated from her mother, who raised Caryn and her older brother Clyde alone. In her interviews, the famous actress described her mother as a strong and wise woman who worked as both a nurse and a teacher and was strict with them.

Caryn grew up in the immigrant neighborhood of Chelsea-Elliot, where all the kids played together, each speaking their own language:

Since then, I have a basic understanding of Greek, Italian, Chinese, Yiddish, and some Indian dialects. We knew hundreds of games and had plenty to do.

Her family nicknamed her Whoopi, which translates to "whoopee cushion," a popular novelty store item. Incidentally, it also sounds like the name of traditional American cookies. She chose the surname Goldberg when she started performing in Helen Rubenstein's experimental theater.

Because of dyslexia, Caryn stopped attending school, but she fell in love with the stage at the age of eight. Everyone recognized her natural acting talent, and she was entrusted with leading roles, which she performed flawlessly.

Difficulties arose during her teenage years. She got so caught up in hippie culture that she ran away to a commune. To earn money for food, she worked as a security guard, then as a makeup artist in a morgue, and even at a construction site. At fourteen, she tried drugs for the first time and quickly developed a heroin addiction. Her future might have been different if she hadn't met Alvin Martin, a member of the anti-drug movement. He essentially saved her from that life, married her, and in 1973, their daughter Alexandra was born.

First Roles

But family happiness wasn't enough for Karen. She constantly searched for acting jobs, and in 1979 she got invited to a San Diego theater that needed an actress for "Mother Courage and Her Children." Alvin, busy with his work in New York, refused to move. So Karen Johnson packed up her daughter, left her past life and name behind, and arrived in San Diego as Whoopi Goldberg.

After brilliantly stepping into two characters when another actress fell ill, Whoopi realized she could handle three or four roles. She created her own one-woman show called "The Spook Show" and toured across America, Canada, and Europe.

Young actress Whoopi Goldberg (The Spook Show, 1984)

In New York, Goldberg enrolled in the acting school of the famous actress Uta Hagen. Over the years, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and Sigourney Weaver all honed their craft there. So claiming Whoopi had zero acting training isn't accurate. It is more of a journalistic myth created to enhance the "American dream" narrative of a poor Black girl.

The Rise of a Career

In 1984, director Mike Nichols invited Goldberg to bring her one-woman show to Broadway. She then landed a role in the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar." Writer Alice Walker caught her performance and was preparing to see her novel "The Color Purple" adapted for film by Steven Spielberg. Whoopi worked up the nerve to ask Walker for a recommendation. Spielberg invited the then-unknown actress to audition and ultimately cast her as Celie. This role earned Goldberg her first film award, the Golden Globe.

Whoopi Goldberg's First Movie Role ('The Color Purple')

Despite earning eleven Oscar nominations, the acclaimed film didn't take home any awards. But Whoopi's dramatic talent definitely got noticed. Comedy directors started offering her leading roles. In Penny Marshall's comedic action film "Jumpin' Jack Flash," she played Terry Doolittle, a bored office worker. She followed this with roles like Bernice Rhodenbarr in Hugh Wilson's American-Canadian caper "Burglar" and Rita Rizzoli in Tom Holland's "Fatal Beauty."

She tackled a much deeper, more tragic character as Clara Mayfield in Robert Mulligan's drama "Clara's Heart." But Goldberg earned her well-deserved Oscar and worldwide fame playing fake medium Oda Mae Brown in Jerry Zucker's romantic thriller "Ghost."

Whoopi landed this role thanks to her fan and co-star Patrick Swayze, who played Sam. He pushed the director to cast her as Oda. In addition to the coveted statuette, Goldberg's performance earned her a second Golden Globe, as well as BAFTA and Saturn awards.

Ghost (1990) - Spiritual Advisor Scene

Goldberg was equally powerful in Darrell Roodt's musical drama "Sarafina!" Her character teaches history to students, encouraging free thought and dignity. Her calls for change in the apartheid system result in Mary Masembuko's disappearance—the government doesn't tolerate rebels. But the beloved teacher's death ignites fierce outrage among Africans. The film was recognized at the Cannes Festival.

Around the same time, Goldberg starred in Emile Ardolino's crime comedy "Sister Act," playing Deloris Van Cartier, who finds herself transformed into Sister Mary Clarence.

Whoopi has consistently proven she can handle not just comedy but virtually any role. Her dramatic work in Rob Reiner's "Ghosts of Mississippi" and Andrei Konchalovsky's "Eddie" proved this point. In the latter, she became Edwina, a woman who fled a clinic with a brain tumor only to be rejected by society. This work received the Grand Prix at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

'Eddie': Whoopi Goldberg and James Belushi

Her portrayal of Vera Baker in "Rat Race," an adventure comedy about people racing for two million dollars, was also interesting.

In 2019, Goldberg appeared in the supernatural detective series "Instinct," playing Joan Ross.

Whoopi Goldberg winning Best Supporting Actress - 63rd Oscars (1991)

Besides her active film career, the actress has been successful on television. She hosted her own talk show for several years and was a regular on "Comic Relief." She continues hosting the daytime talk show The View on ABC.

In 2009, she won an Emmy as an outstanding daytime show host. She's hosted major events, including the Academy Awards ceremony. She also participated in voice acting for animated films.

Whoopi Goldberg's Personal Life

Whoopi has openly admitted that family life just isn't for her. Still, after her first marriage to Alvin Martin, who fathered her only child, she tried marriage twice more. Neither lasted more than two years.

Whoopi Goldberg with daughter Alex and second husband David Claessen

Her second husband was photographer David Claessen, and her third was businessman Lyle Trachtenberg. Her marriage to Trachtenberg didn't even last a year:

I didn't want to share my feelings with anyone or be questioned about why I do certain things. But in relationships, that's unavoidable, so it took me a long time to realize that marriage just isn't for me. You shouldn't get married just because everyone expects you to.

At one point, there were rumors about her sexuality, followed by speculation about various affairs. Despite not fitting Hollywood's beauty standards, Whoopi reportedly charmed men left and right. Rumors swirled that former James Bond Timothy Dalton was smitten with her. Other names linked to her included Frank Langella, Eddie Gold, Ted Danson, and Danny Glover.

Whoopi Goldberg's third husband – Lyle Trachtenberg

Goldberg became a young grandmother when her daughter Alexandrea had a baby at sixteen, naming her Amara. Whoopi was barely thirty herself. Alex later had two more kids, and by Whoopi's 60th birthday, her granddaughter had given her a great-granddaughter.

Whoopi Goldberg with her daughter and granddaughter

But Goldberg shows no signs of slowing down. She actively maintains her personal blog and Twitter account, both with devoted followings. She also writes scripts and children's books, and in her provocatively titled "Book," she takes sharp aim at society's hypocrisy and pretentiousness.

Whoopi Goldberg Now

In November 2020, the actress celebrated her 65th birthday while staying politically engaged, voting in the presidential election and helping her followers navigate remote voting procedures. Whoopi Goldberg was chosen as the official ambassador for the 2022 Special Olympics USA. Beyond her public commitments, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and great-granddaughter, even attempting to bake a birthday cake together.

As for upcoming projects, Goldberg is set to continue filming Josh Boone's sci-fi drama "The Stand," based on the novel by Stephen King. The story follows survivors of a deadly virus outbreak from a secret facility who split into two opposing factions, with Whoopi's character, Mother Abagail, serving as the spiritual leader of the "good" camp.

Whoopi Goldberg on the set of 'The Stand'

In 2022, the actress appeared in the film "Till," which addresses issues of racial discrimination.

Photos: Whoopi Goldberg