Whoopi Goldberg Refuses To Fly! 13 Things You Didn't Know About the 'Till' Star
Whoopi's also a member of the elite group of EGOT winners.
Whoopi Goldberg is back on the big screen in Till (in select theaters Oct. 14), a hard-hitting biopic based on the story of Emmett Till (Jalyn Hall) and his mother’s relentless pursuit of justice after the Black teenager was lynched. Goldberg, 66, plays Till’s grandmother. Here are some facts about actress and producer, whose other films include Ghost, Sister Act and The Color Purple.
Her birthname is Caryn Elaine Johnson. Friends gave her the nickname “Whoopi” because her tendency to pass gas reminded them of a whoopee cushion.
She once worked in a mortuary where she applied makeup to corpses and styled their hair. She also worked as a bank teller and a bricklayer.
Goldberg travels to locations by bus; she’s hated flying after witnessing a midair collision in San Diego in 1978.
Related: Whoopi Goldberg on How Migraines Affect Her Work and Why She Doesn't 'Fear' Them
She was inspired to become an actress from watching Nichelle Nichols’ portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek.
That’s really her singing in all her Sister Act movies.
When Goldberg joined The View, she took the job because she was strapped for cash. She hadn’t had a gig in five years after she joked about the wrong politician.
In 1994, Goldberg became the very first woman to host the Academy Awards solo.
Goldberg landed her role as Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation after asking creator Gene Roddenberry to cast her because she was such a big fan.
Goldberg is an avid Fiestaware dinnerware collector.
Goldberg was the second African American woman to receive an Academy Award (for Ghost, in 1991). The first was Hattie McDaniel in 1940 for Gone With the Wind.
She has a dragon tattoo on her right shoulder.
Goldberg is one of only 17 individuals who are EGOTs, meaning she has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.
Related: See All 17 EGOT Winners
Goldberg suffers from dyslexia, a condition that prompted her to drop out of high school at 17.
Related: 10 of Whoopi Goldberg's Most Powerful Quotes to Live By
