Whenever I hear church bells on a Sunday morning, I envision a lively lounge singer whose mobster beau commits murder, thereby forcing her to disguise herself as a nun in a California Convent. Whoopi Goldberg’s notorious role as Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act distinguishes her as an African-American comedian. That being said, Goldberg’s qualifications cannot be suppressed by a single profession- she is also an accomplished actress, author, and television personality. Her stage forename is indicative of her personality: “Whoopi” is derived from the word “whoopee cushion.” Goldberg discloses, “When you're performing on stage, you never really have time to go into the bathroom and close the door. So 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." Goldberg’s pursuit of acting would have been halted if it were not for a sliver of African-American representation. In Trekkies, Nichelle Nicolette communicates that when Goldberg was a child, she was watching Star Trek when she saw Uhura. Goldberg exclaimed, “Momma! There's a black lady on television and she ain't no maid!" Years later, Goldberg furthered Uhura’s mission to expand Black representation in the media with her recurring guest-starring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Her overarching goal of becoming an actress was preceded by various odd jobs. Goldberg worked as a bank teller, a mortuary cosmetologist, and a bricklayer. She later joined an avant-garde theater troupe known as the Blake Street Hawkeyes, where she cultivated her passion for the performing arts by teaching comedy and acting classes. The beginning of Goldberg’s career as an actress began with her one-woman show titled The Spook Show. When director Mike Nichols discovered her, The Spook Show was taken to Broadway and retitled Whoopi Goldberg. In my opinion, having a Broadway show solely featuring a Black woman is the culmination of people of color in comedy. That being said, Whoopi Goldberg cannot be tied down to one genre. Steven Spielberg cast her in the leading role of Celie in The Color Purple, based on the novel by Alice Walker (which is revolutionary in its inclusion of a primarily Black cast and its LGBTQ+ representation). It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and Goldberg was nominated for Best Actress. Between 1985 and 1988, Goldberg starred in 7 films, making her the busiest female star. At the conclusion of the 1980s, she became a host of a multitude of HBO specials of Comic Relief with fellow comedians Robin Williams and Billy Crystal.
It was not until 1992 that Sister Act was released, which earned Goldberg a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. She hosted a late-night talk show titled The Whoopi Goldberg Show and after starring in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Goldberg became the highest paid actress at the time. Not only is Whoopi Goldberg an important figure for POC in comedy because of her numerous accolades, but she also racked up a ton of money as a versatile actress. Goldberg’s talent solidifies that no matter your background, you are sure to gain popularity imitating a nun at a California Convent.
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