Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedienne, actress, political activist, writer and television host. Although Goldberg made her film debut in the avant-garde ensemble film Citizen: I'm Not Losing My Mind, I'm Giving It Away , her breakthrough role was playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South in the period drama film The Color Purple . For her performance, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.