Whoopi Goldberg Age: Know Her Height, Net Worth, and Personal Life
Whoopi Goldberg has had a career unlike any other black actress’s, both in terms of flamboyance and success. She is a legendary figure in her own right, having won four major entertainment awards—the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony—making her one of just fourteen people in history to do so. Goldberg stands apart from her contemporaries due to her exceptional performances across all forms of entertainment, including radio, film, theater, and television. After nearly half a century, she broke new ground when she became the first African-American woman to take home the Oscar for best supporting actress.
How Old is Whoopi Goldberg?
Caryn Elaine Johnson was brought up in a Manhattan housing project by a single mother after being born on November 13, 1955, in New York City. Whoopi and her younger brother Clyde were raised by a single mother who worked multiple jobs to support the family after her father left. She became so engrossed in her drug habit that she quit attending high school at the age of seventeen.
She cleaned up her act after checking into rehab when she was 17 years old. She met her first husband there, and they had a daughter, Alexandria. She had no other children. After a short marriage, Whoopi uprooted her family to California so she and her daughter could pursue a singing career. She joined the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s founding members after taking the stage name Whoopi Goldberg.
Career
She relocated to California in 1974 and subsequently called San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego her home. She was able to refine her acting chops and grow her stand-up comedy talent throughout this period.
Her breakout role came in a one-woman show playing the role of comedian Mos Mabley. She was also honored for this.
She went back to New York not long after that and began acting classes with Uta Hagen. “Citizen: I’m Not Losing My Mind, I’m Giving It Away,” a feature film by William Farley, was her debut film appearance.
Her 1983 one-woman performance, “The Spook Show,” was her creation, star, and directorial debut. In a fresh and original way, the show tackled the American racial problem. Viewers seemed to enjoy the program.
She went on to develop several off-Broadway works after the popularity of “The Spook Show,” like “Little Girl,” about a black girl who wants blonde hair badly, and “Fontaine,” about a literary doctor who is also a junkie.
Mike Nicholas, the director, was so pleased by her inventive stage productions and wit and style that he promised to bring “The Spook Show” to Broadway. Commercially and critically, the play was a smashing success over its 156 performances. She later won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album for it.
Hollywood heavy hitters took notice of her due to her captivating performance and the show’s overwhelmingly positive feedback. It paved the way for her to star in 1985’s “The Color Purple,” a Steven Spielberg picture. The film was a smashing hit, earning her eleven nominations for Oscars and her first Golden Globe.
“The Color Purple” was the seminal moment that catapulted her career to new heights. In the years that followed, films like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Burglar,” “Fatal Beauty,” and “The Telephone” were released. All of the pictures did alright at the box office, but nothing could compare to her breakthrough.
With the release of “Clara’s Heart” in 1988 and “Homer & Eddie” in 1989, she came to a close to the 1980s. Critical receptions for both films were positive. In addition to her film roles, she has appeared in Comic Relief specials on HBO.
The sitcom “Bagdad Cafe” was her breakout role to kick off the 1990s. ‘The Long Walk Home’ and ‘Ghost’ were her subsequent works. The former had her portraying a civil rights movement lady, while the latter had her playing a psychic—a performance that netted her two Golden Globes and an Oscar.
After this came “Soapdish,” “The Player,” “Sister Act,” “Sarafina!”, “Made in America,” and “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” among her other film credits. ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ featured her playing Guinan again, a character she had previously played in two Star Trek films.
She broke through in television with her flagship talk show, “The Whoopi Goldberg Show,” in addition to her film roles. She conducted one-on-one interviews with prominent politicians and Hollywood figures as part of the show’s premise. Before it was cancelled, the show aired 200 episodes.
She broke new ground in 1994 when she became the first African-American woman to host the Academy Awards. In1996, 1999, and 2002, she accomplished the same thing again.
The Associate, Eddie, “Corrina, Corrina,” “Boys on the Side,” “Moonlight,” “Valentino,” “Bogus,” “Corrina, Corrina,” “The Associate,” and “Ghosts of Mississippi” were among her many cinematic appearances during this period.
In addition to her acting career, she dabbled in writing, penning the book “Book” alongside ghostwriter Daniel Paisner. It was a compilation of stories that included opinions and insights.
She won two consecutive Emmys for her 1998 participation on Hollywood Squares, a celebrity game program.
Her filmography includes ‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back,’ ‘Girl,’ ‘Interrupted,’ ‘Kingdom Come,’ and ‘Rat Race,’ among others, from 1998 to 2001. A Knight in Camelot, “Call Me Claus,” “Cinderella,” “The Magic Schoolbus,” and other films and TV shows featured her. Her one-woman show of the same name made its triumphant return to Broadway in 2004.
In 2007, while she was a moderator and co-host on the daytime talk show “The View,” her career took another leap forward. Despite a slower start than during Rosie O’Donnell’s tenure, the show quickly gained momentum and surpassed her.
The morning chat and entertainment show “Wake Up With Whoopi” was presented by Goldberg from August 2006 until March 2008 and was syndicated nationally. She has recently cut down on her acting and stepped up her activism for human rights.
A guest appearance by her as Jane Marsh on “The Middle” was her most recent television appearance. ‘Indecisive,’ an indie short film, also included her.
Whoopi Goldberg Personal Life
She has been through three marriages and divorces thus far. In her first marriage, she had a daughter with Alvin Martin. Following their breakup, she wed David Claessen; however, their union was short-lived, and she subsequently wed Lyle Trachtenberg. They broke up a year later.
A number of men, including Ted Danson and Frank Langella, have been romantically involved with her.
Whoopi Goldberg Height and Weight
If you want to know Whoopi Goldberg’s exact measurements, she stands at a towering 1.65 meters (5 feet 5 inches) and weighs close to 113 kilograms (250 pounds). Also, her eyes are black and her hair is black deadlock.
Whoopi Goldberg Net Worth
Over the course of her career, the multi-talented girl has amassed a respectable fortune. Her net worth has grown to $45 million USD as of 2024.