A bust in honor of babe Whoopi Goldberg’s 62nd birthday
Whoopi Goldberg is a living legend. Born Caryn Elaine Johnson on this day in 1955, Goldberg would grow up to be a well-known actress, comedian, television host, and author. Goldberg has said that her stage name “Whoopi” came from a whoopee cushion. “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.’”
Playing Celie in The Color Purple in 1985 was Goldberg’s breakthrough role.
Legend has it that Steven Spielberg witnessed Goldberg performing in a Broadway play, and offered her a leading role in The Color Purple. Following this first silver screen role, Goldberg would act in over 150 films. During the 1990s, Goldberg became the highest-paid actress of all time. Reportedly, her salary for Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (following the massive success of the first Sister Act) was between $7 and $12 million, the highest salary ever made by an actress at that time.
Goldberg has since earned an EGOT — an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony — which only twelve people including herself have ever done.
Goldberg is now a co-host of The View, having been on the show since 2007. She is also a co-founder of Whoopi & Maya, a medical marijuana company that creates products for painful menstrual cramps.
If you’re not feeling inspired yet, we’ll leave you with this quote from Goldberg regarding her thoughts on marriage:
"I don’t want somebody in my house."
Happy birthday, Whoopi Goldberg, you icon, you.?
