Happy Birthday, Whoopi Goldberg: See the EGOT Winner's Life in Photos

By Jane Asher
Updated Nov 13, 2016 @ 1:19 am
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Actress, comedian, talk show host, Broadway star, and all-around awesome human being, Whoopi Goldberg turns 61 years old today, and to commemorate the momentous occasion, we're taking a look back at her impressive EGOT life in photos.

What's an EGOT, you ask? When an actor or entertainer manages to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, they are inducted into the (unofficial) EGOT club, which today includes just 12 entertainers (among them are Audrey Hepburn, actor-director Mel Brooks, and composer Richard Rogers).

Goldberg's first win came in 1985, a best comedy album Grammy Award for Whoopi Goldberg – Original Broadway Show Recording. She then made her her mark on Hollywood the same year in the moving film The Color Purple, starring alongside Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover as Celie Johnson, a young African-American woman growing up in the South. The movie premiered to critical success and the rising actress won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

She went on to star in 1990's Ghost, for which she won an Oscar in the best supporting actress category. In 2002 she won an outstanding special class program Daytime Emmy for hosting Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel, an AMC special.

That same year Goldberg won her Tony Award, the final piece of the EGOT puzzle, as a producer of the Broadway musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, which won best musical in 2002.

VIDEO: Emmy Awards 2016: See the Stars on the Red Carpet

 

Happy birthday to the extremely talented entertainer! Take a look at her best on and off screen moments from over the years below.

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The Color Purple, 1985

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Goldberg's first major movie role as Celie Johnson won her a Golden Globe Award for best actress in 1986.

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28th Annual Grammy Awards, 1986

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Goldberg holds a Grammy Award for best comedy recording, her first trophy on her way to EGOT status.

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Ghost, 1990

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Goldberg starred alongside Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze as Oda Mae Brown, a medium who helps a murdered Swayze make things right and connect with his mourning girlfriend (Moore) in the mortal world.

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63rd Academy Awards, 1991

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Goldberg won an Oscar in the best supporting actress category for her work in 1990's Ghost.

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Sister Act, 1992

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Another one of Goldberg's career-defining roles is Deloris, a singer from Reno who witnesses a murder and is then hidden in a convent under a witness protection program. Many laughs and many songs ensue.

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Girl, Interrupted, 1999

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Although many people remember this film for Angelina Jolie's enigmatic and Oscar-winning performance as Lisa, we can't forget Goldberg's turn as nurse Valerie.

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Host of the 74th Academy Awards, 2002

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Goldberg hosted the show for the fourth and final (as of now) time in 2002.

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56th Annual Tony Awards, 2002

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Goldberg completed her EGOT with a Tony Award for her production work on Thoroughly Modern Millie, which won best musical that year.

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The View, 2007 to Today

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Goldberg first joined The View as one of the show's hosts in 2007 and won a Daytime Emmy for her work on it in 2009. She's still going strong as a moderator on the show today.

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Walking the Opening Ceremony Fashion Show, 2016

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Goldberg walked in the politically charged Opening Ceremony fashion show at NYFW in September 2016. The EGOT champ killed it, as per usual.

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