After Dinner Speakers: Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Cook, Harvey Smith

WHOOPI GOLDBERG has won numerous awards and considerable acclaim for her work in film, television, recordings and theatre. She is equally well-known for her tireless humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, education, substance abuse and the battle against AIDS, as well as many other causes and charities. Born in 1955 and raised in New York City, Goldberg 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 that became The Spook Show and evolved into her hit Broadway show, GrammyÒ Award-winning album and the HBO special that helped launch her career. Goldberg made her motion picture debut in Steven Spielberg's film version of Alice Walker's The Color Purple, for which she earned an Academy AwardÒ nomination and a Golden Globe Award. Goldberg's performance in Ghost earned her the Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Goldberg has also appeared in such films as Jumpin' Jack Flash, Clara's Heart, The Long Walk Home, Soapdish, The Player, Sarafina, Sister Act, Made in America, Sister Act 2, Corrina, Corrina, The Lion King, The Pagemaster, Star Trek: Generations, Boys on the Side, Moonlight and Valentino, Eddie, Bogus, The Associate, and Ghosts of Mississippi. She starred most recently in How Stella Got Her Groove Back with Angela Bassett, Deep End of The Ocean with Michelle Pfeiffer, and in Girl, Interrupted, opposite Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. She has completed a role in the upcoming features Kingdom Come and Rat Race.