Patrick Swayze and actress Demi Moore, and initially for portraying Celie Johnson in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple (1985).
Now, Whoopi is regularly seen debating on talk show The View and has made headlines for her controversial and "offensive" comments on the Holocaust.
She has since apologised and been suspended for two weeks by ABC to show support for the Jewish communities. She is reportedly worth a whopping $60 million.
Whoopi was the first African-American woman to win the Academy award for Best Supporting Actress in nearly 50 years after her role in Ghost.
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