Whoopi Goldberg Biography ( 1955 – )

Actress, comedienne, TV host, human rights advocate. Born Caryn Elaine Johnson on November 13, 1949 (some sources say 1950 or 1955), in New York City. Goldberg and her younger brother Clyde were raised by their mother Emma in a housing project in the Chelsea section of Manhattan.

Goldberg’s father abandoned the family, and her single mother worked at…

Dorothy Height Biography (1912-2010)

(born March 24, 1912, Richmond, Va., U.S.) American civil and women’s rights activist, a widely respected and influential leader of organizations focused primarily on improving the circumstances of and opportunities for African-American women.

Reared in Rankin, Pennsylvania, Height graduated in 1933 from New York University with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in educational psychology. She was involved in social service…

Danny Glover Biography (1946-)

A distinguished actor of the stage and screen, Danny Glover is known for his work in both Hollywood blockbusters and serious dramatic films. Towering and quietly forceful, Glover lends gravity and complexity to the diverse characters he has portrayed throughout his lengthy career.

A native of San Francisco, where he was born July 22, 1947, Glover attended San Francisco…

Mira Sorvino Biography (1968-)

Actress, producer, activist. Born September 28, 1968, in Tenafly, New Jersey. During her three decades as a performer, actress Mira Sorvino has played an impressive mix of roles, from a bubbly prostitute to a scientist, from a master forger to Marilyn Monroe. She may have inherited some of her acting ability from her father, Paul, a veteran performer…

Susan Sarandon Biography (1946-)

Actress, activist. Born on October 4, 1946, in New York City. Known as an actress and an activist, Susan Sarandon has shared with the world her dramatic talents and personal convictions. She graduated the Catholic University of America in 1968 and not long after made her first film Joe (1970).  After a few other film roles, Sarandon…

Alice Paul Biography (1885-1977)

Social reformer, activist, and lawyer. Born on January 11, 1885, in Moorestown, New Jersey. Alice Paul spent much of her life fighting for women’s rights. Influenced by her Quaker family, she studied at Swarthmore College in 1905, and went on to do graduate work in New York City and England.

While in London from 1906 to 1909, Alice Paul became…

Bono Biography (1960-)

Singer, activist. Born Paul Hewson on May 10, 1960, in Dublin, Ireland. The son of a Roman Catholic postal worker, Bono’s Protestant mother died when the boy was just 14. He joined the band U2 in October 1976 when he was in high school, and was dubbed “Bono Vox” (good voice). He was made frontman for the Irish rock…