Whoopi Goldberg turns 65: 5 facts about the trailblazing artist
Whoopi Goldberg was born on 13 November, 1955 and celebrates her 65th birthday today. Whoopi is an entertainment industry icon whose career has spanned decades and seen her conquer stage, screen and everything in between.
Whoopi Goldberg is a superstar and icon who has originated roles in dramatic works and also voiced beloved children's characters.
Many who have opportunities in the entertainment industry today are afforded them because of the trailblazing work that Whoopi managed in her multi-disciplinary career.
The star turns 65 today and YEN.com.gh took a look at 5 facts about her life in celebration of her birthday.
Source: UGC
1. She battles with dyslexia
Whoopi has openly discussed how she has battled with dyslexia her entire life and has been a vocal advocate for research into remedies for the learning disorder. She has also given multiple speeches and public appearances to kids who struggle with dyslexia and shared her tips on reading scripts and writing books despite the learning disorder.
2. She writes children's books
Whoopi has written multiple books over her career but has specifically written seven books for children. She started with Whoopi's Big Book of Manners in 2006 and has written six others in a series titled Sugarplum Ballerinas.
3. She's a great-grandmother
Whoopi gave birth to her daughter, Alexandrea, in 1973. Alexandrea has three children of her own and her eldest, Amarah, gave birth to a daughter in 2014. Charli Rose Burr-Reynaud is Whoopi's great-granddaughter.
4. She's an EGOT holder
Whoopi is one of only 16 people who can call themselves EGOT winners. The honour refers to people who have achieved the four major American entertainment awards. Namely an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. Whoopi has achieved all four.
5. She named herself 'Whoopi'
The star's real name is actually Caryn Johnson. The name 'Whoopi' came from a whoopee cushion. She has famously retold the story to the New York Times magazine and said:
"When you're performing on stage, you never really have time to go into the bathroom and close the door. So if you get a little gassy, you've got to let it go. So people used to say to me, 'You're like a whoopee cushion.' And that's where the name came from."
In other birthday news, YEN.com.gh recently reported on Usher sharing a picture of his new daughter to his Instagram account.
Revered RnB musician Usher and his girlfriend Jenn Goicoechea are the new top celebrity couple in town, as far as the international entertainment scene is concerned. YEN.com.gh understands the couple welcomed a bouncing baby girl on Saturday, October 24.
Well, an excited Usher could not keep the good news to himself as he took to social media to announce the news to his fans and the world. While the star announced the delivery, he did not share any photo showing their newborn baby's face until recently.
Usher disclosed they had named their daughter Sovereign Bo Raymond.
"We are feeling blessed and full of love with the arrival of our beautiful baby girl, Sovereign Bo Raymond. 'Isn't She Lovely' by Stevie Wonder on repeat," he captioned the photo of his daughter holding his hand.
His announcement was celebrated widely by his fans who duly congratulated him and his lover on the blessing. Well, no sooner had a month elapsed than the singer dropped yet another surprise to fans, this time revealing the face of her daughter to the world for the first time ever.
The singer introduced his new baby girl Sovereign Bo to the world on Wednesday, November 11, during a virtual appearance on popular The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It was on the show that Usher shared the first photo of himself kissing the newborn's forehead. Usher also used the opportunity to reveal to fans that his newborn daughter was born before her time.
"She came out early. She was scheduled to be a Scorpio but decided she had a different plan. Libras, you know, they kinda have their minds made up what they wanna do," Usher said.
It is important to note that little Sovereign Bo is the Bad Habits singer's third child but his first with current girlfriend. The star has two other children, sons to be precise, Usher V, 12, and Naviyd Ely, 11, with ex-wife Tameka Foster.
Source: YEN.com.gh
