Whoopi Goldberg plays in a recurring guest star role, as Guinan, the alien humanoid hostess of "Ten Forward," the ship's lounge. An avid Trekkie, Goldberg says, "Star Trek is something I wanted to do since I was a little girl. It was the first show that said, yes, there's a future for black folks."
Whoopi starred in the box-office hit "Sister Act." She also starred in "Sarafina!," a film adaptation of the stage musical, shot on location in South Africa. Whoopi also co-starred in the film "Made in America" opposite Ted Danson.
Goldberg received an Oscar nomination and the Golden Globe Award in 1985 for her motion picture debut in Steven Spielberg's film version of Alice Walker's "The Color Purple." She has since starred in such films as "The Long Walk Home," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Burglar," "Fatal Beauty," "Clara's Heart," "Soapdish," and "The Player," among others.
Whoopi's performance as Oda Mae Brown in "Ghost" earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Golden Globe Award, and the NAACP Image Award. She was also named the NAACP's "Entertainer of the Year" for 1990.
In 1986, her appearance on an episode of Moonlighting earned Goldberg an Emmy Award nomination as Best Guest Performer in a Dramatic Series. Her performance in the CBS Schoolbreak special, "My Past Is My Own," garnered Goldberg a Daytime Emmy Award nomination as Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special. Her appearance on A Different World earned her yet another Emmy nomination. Her television credits include Baghdad Cafe (in which she starred with Jean Stapleton), "Scared Straight: 10 Years Later," "Carol, Robin, Whoopi and Carl," "Funny, You Don't Look 200," Marlo Thomas' "Free To Be...A Family" and "Freedomfest -- Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Special," which she co-hosted. Whoopi co-produced and appeared in "Hot Rod Brown," the first two "Tales from the Whoop" for Nickelodeon, for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award. Whoopi Goldberg, along with Billy Crystal and Robin Williams, have also co-hosted HBO's "Comic Relief" specials, which benefit the nation's homeless.
Goldberg's first album, a recording of her Broadway show, won a Grammy Award as Best Comedy Recording of the Year. Her second album, "Fontaine...Why Am I Straight?" based on her HBO special, also earned a Grammy Award nomination. In February 1992, Whoopi hosted the "34th Annual Grammy Awards" telecast. In 1990, she hosted yet another special for HBO Comedy Hour, "Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Connolly in Performance." She performed in three specials for HBO, including "Whoopi Goldberg: Chez Whoopi," which debuted in August, 1991.
In the summer of 1991, Whoopi returned to legitimate stage to co-star with Timothy Dalton in A.R. Gurney's two-person play, "Love Letters." Among Goldberg's stage credits are solo performances of "The Spook Show," "Moms," based on the legendary Moms Mabley, and "Living on the Edge of Chaos."
Whoopi was named the NAACP's Entertainer of the Year. Other recent honors include the "Hollywood Woman's Press Club's Golden Apple" for Female Star of the Year, UCLA's "Jack Benny Award," and Women in Film's "Norma Zarky Humanitarian Award," among others. Whoopi was honored for Distinguished Achievement in Film at the "9th Annual American Cinema Awards" and at L.I.F.E. (Love is Feeding Everyone) "Hunger Hero Awards."
She is well-known for her tireless humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, substance abuse and the battle against AIDS.