Among entertainers with Hollywood career spans of nearly 40 years, very few have broken as many barriers, achieved the highest of honors in as many different spaces and paved the way for as many generations of creatives who followed, as Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony-award winning icon, Whoopi Goldberg.
On screen and on stage, she’s been a psychic, an overbearing mother, a nun, a best friend, a talk show host, a sitcom star,and a nurse, to name just a small few. While her performance in each of these roles have each played a part in her remarkable rise, the thing she’s been most consistently in her real life that has inspired us all beyond measure, is herself.
As we prepare to celebrate her extraordinary body of work and contribution to the arts as an honoree for the 14th annual ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards, here’s a look at 15 times Whoopi Goldberg unapologetically shattered Hollywood’s glass ceiling.
01As Oda Mae Brown In “Ghost”Through her role as a blunt and brutally honest psychic who aids Demi Moore’s character, Molly, in her struggle to navigate the violent loss of her husband, Whoopi Goldberg shined as only she can. Her character, while comical, also brought to life the perfect balance of humor, attitude, empathy and honesty that so many real-life Black women possess effortlessly.
Images/Getty Images 02As Sister Mary Clarence In The “Sister Act” FranchiseOn paper, Las Vegas showgirl-turned-catholic-school-nun-and-music-teacher might not sound exactly like a character you’d think you can get into, but Whoopi Goldberg’s portrayal of Sister Mary Clarence in the ‘Sister Act’ film franchisehad us all tuned in. Pairing a comedic presence with a hint of drama and the occasional not-so-thinly veiled jabs at the stereotypes thatreligion often places on those outside of the church proved the perfect combination. Add in the incomparable Lauryn Hill and an unforgettable cast of young actors for ‘Sister Act 2’ and the rest is history. 
Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images 03As Ma Rainey In The 2003 Broadway Revival Of‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’Whoopi Goldberg was both the star and producer of the 2003 Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Tony award-winning 1982 stage play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. 
Bruce Glikas/Getty Images 04As Delilah Abraham In ‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back’Everybody needs a friend who tells it like it is and isn’t afraid to cheer you on towards some much-needed self-care—in ALL forms! Whoopi Goldberg’s character Delilah was exactly that and then some for Angela Bassett’s character, Stella, in the film adaptation of Terry McMillan’s best-seller ‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back.’ The film remains a cultural classic to this day. 
IMDB 05As Nurse Valerie Owens In ‘Girl Interrupted’Whoopi Goldberg’s portrayal of head nurse Valerie Owens at the fictitious Claymoore Psychiatric Hospital in the 1999 film, ‘Girl Interrupted,’ saw the Hollywood icon bring her natural wit, charm and necessary sarcasm to life on-screen in a film that helped heighten the realities of managing a mental health disorder as a woman living in the late 1960s. Goldberg’s performance alongside an all-star cast that included Angelina Jolie, Winona Ryder and the late Brittany Murphy was certainly one to remember. 
06As Alice In ‘For Colored Girls’Whoopi Goldberg’s performance as the complicated, overbearing, devoutly religious mother Alice in the film adaption of Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls showcased the pain that many Black women live through while dealing with damaging generational curses in a way we’d never seen before. 
07As The Voice Of Gaia In The ‘Captain Planet’ Television SeriesCaptain Planet was one of the most popular animated kid’s television series in the early to mid 90s. If you were a fan, you might remember hearing a familiar voice when the series’ character Gaia graced the screen. Whoopi Goldberg’s let her voice-over skills to a total of 60 episodes between 1990 and 1992. 
IMDB 08As The Voice Of Shenzi In Disney’s ‘The Lion King’Among the many things that make Whoopi Goldberg a one-of-a-kind talent is her distinct voice. When she lent that instantly recognizable voice to the character of Shenzi in Disney’s 1994 animated blockbuster ‘The Lion King,’ it added a tone of familiarity to the film that made something amazing even better. 
09As Celie In “The Color Purple”Whoopi Goldberg’s starring role as Celie in the film adaptation of Alice Walker’s ‘The Color Purple’ marked an undeniably pivotal moment in her career and gave audiences a first big-screen glimpse into her extraordinary talent as an actress. The role also earned her her first Golden Globe win and first Academy Award nomination. 
Warner Brothers/Getty Images 10AsThe First Black Woman To Host The Oscars In 1994 
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images 11As The Star Of Her Own Sitcom ‘Whoopi’ In 1993 
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage 12As A Host Of ABC’s ‘The View’ 
13Whoopi-Talk-Show 
14As Guinan In ‘Star Trek The Next Generation’Black sci-fi fans worldwide rejoiced when Whoopi Goldberg joined the cast of the critically-acclaimed television series ‘Star-Trek: The Next Generation.’ She first appeared on the show in 1988 and remained a recurring character until 1993. She also reprised her role in season 2 of Star Trek: Picard. 
15As The First Black Person And First Woman To Host The Grammy Awards In 1992 
TOPICS: BWIH ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood
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