Whoopi Goldberg

Caryn Elaine Johnson — Whoopi Goldberg — is one of only 19 people in history to achieve EGOT status (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony), and she is the first Black woman to do so. From her one-woman Broadway show to The Color Purple to Ghost to The View, Goldberg has remained one of the most recognizable and outspoken performers in American entertainment for four decades.

Born in New York City on November 13, 1955, Goldberg grew up in the Chelsea-Elliott Houses in Manhattan. She struggled with dyslexia and dropped out of high school before finding her way to theater. Her one-woman show, which she performed on Broadway in 1984, caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, who cast her in The Color Purple (1985). Her film debut earned an Oscar nomination and established her as a dramatic actress of extraordinary range.

Goldberg won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Ghost in 1990, becoming only the second Black woman to win an acting Oscar. She has hosted the Academy Awards ceremony four times — more than almost anyone — and has been a co-host of The View since 2007, where her opinions, humor, and willingness to speak her mind have made her both beloved and controversial. She has been a fierce advocate for the arts, for LGBTQ+ rights, and for honest conversations about race.