Today in history: American actor, Whoopi Goldberg is born
She worked in a funeral parlour and as a bricklayer while taking small parts on Broadway.
American actress, comedienne, author, and television personality Caryn Elaine Johnson, known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg, was born on 13 November 1955 in Chelsea, New York, United States.
Her mother, Emma (Harris), was a teacher and a nurse, and her father, Robert James Johnson, Jr., was a clergyman.
She worked in a funeral parlour and as a bricklayer while taking small parts on Broadway.
She moved to California and worked with groups, including Spontaneous Combustion, and developed her skills as a stand-up comedienne.
Whoopi’s breakthrough came in 1985, with her role in the period drama film The Color Purple, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won her first Golden Globe Award.
She has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards and is one of the few entertainers to have won an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award.
Information sourced from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
