Whoopi Goldberg first came to prominence with her starring role in "The Color Purple" (1985). She received much critical acclaim, and an Oscar nomination for her role and became a major star as a result. Subsequent efforts in the late 1980s were, at best, marginal hits. These movies mostly were off-beat to formulaic comedies like "Burglar" (1987), "The Telephone" (1988), and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1986). Goldberg made her mark as a household name and a mainstay in Hollywood for her Oscar-winning role in the box office smash "Ghost" (1990). Whoopi Goldberg was at her most famous in the early 1990s, making regular appearances on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987). She admitted to being a huge fan of the original "Star Trek" (1966) and jumped at the opportunity to star in "Next Generation".

Goldberg received another smash hit role in "Sister Act" (1992). Her fish-out-of-water with some flash seemed to resonate with audiences and was a box office smash. Whoopi starred in some highly publicized and moderately successful comedies of this time, including "Made in America" (1993) and "Soapdish" (1991). Goldberg followed up to her success with "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" (1993), which was well-received but didn't seem to match up to the first.

As the late 1990s approached, Goldberg seemed to alternate between lead roles in straight comedies such as "Eddie" (1996) and "The Associate" (1996), and took supporting parts in more independent minded movies such as "The Deep End of the Ocean" (1999) and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" (1998). Goldberg never forgot where she came from, hosting many tributes to other legendary entertainment figures. Her most recent movies include "Rat Race" (2001) and the quietly received "Kingdom Come" (2001). Goldberg contributes her voice to many cartoons, including "The Pagemaster" (1994) and "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" (1990), as Gaia, the voice of the earth. Alternating between big-budget movies, independent movies, tributes, documentaries, and even TV movies (including "Theodore Rex" (1995)).

Whoopi Goldberg is accredited as a truly unique and visible talent in Hollywood. Perhaps she will always be remembered as well for Comic Relief, playing an integral part in almost every benefit concert they had. Currently Whoopi Goldberg is the center square in "Hollywood Squares"(1998) and frequently hosts the Academy Awards. She also is an author, with the book "Book."