A One-Woman Tour de Force! Happy Birthday, Whoopi Goldberg!

Today we salute actor, writer, comedian, and stage legend, Whoopi Goldberg, who is celebrating her birthday!

Born and raised in New York City, Whoopi worked in theatre and improvisation in San Diego and the Bay Area, where she performed with the Blake Street Hawkeyes theatre troupe. It was there that she created the characters which became "The Spook Show" and evolved into her hit Broadway show, Grammy Award-winning album and the HBO special that helped launch her career.

Whoopi made her motion picture debut in Steven Spielberg's film version of Alice Walker's "The Color Purple," for which she earned an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award. Her performance in "Ghost" earned her the Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and she has starred in such films as "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Clara's Heart," "The Long Walk Home," "Soapdish," "Sister Act," "Made in America," "Boys on the Side," "Ghosts of Mississippi," "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "Girl, Interrupted," and "The Lion King," among many others.44

Whoopi has also produced numerous series, specials and movies for television, as well as theatrical productions on Broadway and around the world, including the Tony Award-winning "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and the Tony-nominated "Sister Act: The Musical." Whoopi's Broadway credits include "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and "Xanadu" and she made her West End stage debut in a special limited run as Mother Superior in "Sister Act: The Musical" in 2011.

She is a best-selling author and currently moderates ABC's Emmy Award-winning "The View," for which she has won a Daytime Emmy Award. Whoopi was recently elected to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Board of Governors, which sets the Academy's strategic vision, preserves the organization's financial health and assures the fulfillment of its mission. She was also honored in 2017 with the Disney Legends Award, which celebrates artists whose work has significantly contributed to Disney's enduring reputation for creative excellence.

Whoopi Goldberg is one of an elite group of artists who have won the Grammy, the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, the Emmy and Daytime Emmy and a Tony Award

Check out scenes from Whoopi's most notable visits to Broadway below!