November 13th, 2008 - Happy Birthday Whoopi Goldberg!

She is one of only thirteen people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award, including Daytime Emmy Awards.

Whoopi Goldberg in New York City protesting the passage of California's Proposition 8 outside the Mormon Temple at Lincoln Center.

In 1990, she became the second African American female performer after Hattie McDaniel to win an Academy Award for acting. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and two Saturn Awards for her performances in Star Trek Generations and Ghost.

Goldberg was born Caryn Elaine Johnson in New York City and raised in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, the daughter of Emma, a nurse and teacher, and Robert James Johnson, a clergyman. Goldberg’s mother was a “stern, strong and wise woman” who raised her as a single mother after Goldberg’s father had left the family.

Her stage name was taken from whoopee cushion, which she initially used as her stage name; she stated that “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 chose the surname “Goldberg” after Jewish ancestors of hers who bore the surname, having said that “Goldberg’s a part of my family somewhere.” In 1991, she referred to herself as a “Jewish-Catholic girl from New York”; she has also stated that her mother is Jewish and referred to herself as a “Jewish-American Princess”.

In an anecdote told by Nichelle Nichols in the documentary film Trekkies, a young Goldberg was watching Star Trek, and upon seeing Nichols’ character Uhura, exclaimed, “Momma! There’s a black lady on TV and she ain’t no maid!” This spawned life-long fandom of Star Trek for Goldberg, who would eventually achieve a recurring guest-starring role in 1987’s Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Madeleine Sherwood-Actress -86
Joe Mantegna-Actor -61
Sheila Frazier-Actress -60
Frances Conroy-Actress -55
Chris Noth-Actor -54
Rex Linn-Actor -52
Neil Flynn-Actor -48
Jimmy Kimmel-TV Personality/Comedian -41
Steve Zahn-Actor -41
Monique Coleman-Actress -28

DISCLAIMER: This posting was submitted by a user of the site not from The Insider editorial staff. All users have acknowledged and agreed that the submission of their story and its contents is in compliance with our Terms of Use.