Whoopi Goldberg, is one of only 10 people to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award (counting Daytime Emmy Awards).

Inspired to become an actress by watching Nichelle Nichols’s portrayal of Uhura on “Star Trek,” she later dropped out of high school and got addicted to heroin. After she married her drug counselor, she got cleaned up and divorced him. Later inspired by Uhura’s interracial kiss with Kirk, Goldberg decided to date Ted Danson.

She asked Roddenberry for a job on TNG, got cast as Guinan, and how has 4 action figures made after her.

Source: IMDB