Whoopi! Academy Award-winning actress-turned-television host Whoopi Goldberg has been a beloved (and sometimes controversial) star for decades.
Whether you’re more familiar with her because of films like Ghost and Sister Act or you’re an avid fan of The View, you certainly know of her. But what do you know about her daughter (and only child), Alexandrea Martin? Likely not as much. It turns out she found a home in Hollywood, just like her mom, who was born Caryn Elaine Johnson.
Read on to learn more about Alex’s experience growing up with her famous mom and what she’s accomplished so far:
Whoopi! Academy Award-winning actress-turned-television host Whoopi Goldberg has been a beloved (and sometimes controversial) star for decades.
Whether you’re more familiar with her because of films like Ghost and Sister Act or you’re an avid fan of The View, you certainly know of her. But what do you know about her daughter (and only child), Alexandrea Martin? Likely not as much. It turns out she found a home in Hollywood, just like her mom, who was born Caryn Elaine Johnson.
Read on to learn more about Alex’s experience growing up with her famous mom and what she’s accomplished so far:
Credit: AFFI/Shutterstock
Early Life With Whoopi Goldberg
Alex Martin Dean was born on May 9, 1973, to the actress and her first husband, Alvin Martin. The Comic Relief star was only 18 years old at the time, and her ex-husband had been her drug counselor.
Their relationship started because the View co-host had been trying to beat a heroin addiction, and she reached out for help to the man who would later become her future husband. The two split in 1979 when Alex was 6 years old.
When Alex was born, the future superstar had already dropped out of high school. The mother-daughter duo ended up moving to California so Whoopi could chase her dreams of becoming both an actress and stand-up comedian. But it wasn’t easy.
In an interview with theGrio in 2015, Alex opened up about her family’s financial struggles early in life. “I know what it’s like with the food stamps, because my mom has her [Welfare] cards framed,” Alex explained. “Seriously… I remember that… We didn’t have the money to go to movies. I found friends, I walked down the street, I climbed trees, I did camping.”
Alex recalled sleeping in the same bed as her mother in their one-bedroom apartment and driving across the country in a broken down Volkswagen Bug. The prolific movie star did the best she could to make ends meet.
It wasn’t until Whoopi starred in a one-woman Broadway show when they found financial relief. The show caught the eye of the one and only Steven Spielberg. The iconic director would go on to cast her in The Color Purple in 1985, Whoopi’s first major film debut.
Whoopi married again when Alex was 13, to David Claessen, a Dutch cinematographer she met on the set of Who Are They? But it wasn’t meant to be. The couple split up two years later in 1988.
The Made in America actress would go on to marry one more time. She tied the knot with Lyle Trachtenberg in 1994, and the union dissolved in 1995.
Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
What Movies Has Alex Martin Dean Been In?
Alex is an actress and producer and is known for her works in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Quest of the Delta Knights, American Intellectuals, Call Me Claus, Strange as Angels, Descendants and Sensitive Men.
In Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Alex plays one of the students in the unruly classroom. You can spot her easily as the one with the “Yo Mama” line about Skittles: “You mama is so fat, she sat on a rainbow, and Skittles popped out!”
Those jokes are enough to cause Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi’s character) to walk straight out of the room in disgust. She’s told to “keep the faith” and “be tough as nails.”
Her creative efforts have not gone unnoticed by the industry: she was named Miss Golden Globe, currently referred to as Golden Globe Ambassador, at the 1994 Golden Globe Awards.
She was also at the center of one of her mother’s productions, According to Alex.
Credit: Courtesy of Whoopi Goldberg/YouTube
What Is ‘According to Alex’?
According to Alex was a reality show featuring Alex, her family and her longtime best friend Leisa Rachal. The six-episode miniseries debuted in 2015 on BET’s Centric network.
While appearing on The Rachael Ray Show, Alex described According to Alex as a coming-of-age series for 40-year-olds entering new phases of life after their children have grown up and doing their own thing.
The film producer said she enjoys her 40s because it’s a time when women can “settle into our grown women bodies, starting businesses, and we’re trying to get ourselves together.”
Whoopi, who had a producing role, said Alexis and Leisa are a very funny duo that shows how adult women can really get along — as opposed to Whoopi’s drama-filled gig on The View.
It was that very lack of angst that made it difficult for producers to find the show a home. There was no pulling of hair, screaming matches, or other dramatic events erupting onscreen. It was a very positive portrayal of bonding and true friendship.
Credit: Aurora Rose/Starpix/Shutterstock
What Movies Has Alex Martin Produced?
According to IMDb, Alex has produced two short films: Sensitive Men and Descendants.
The former is a 29-minute comedy that sees two men trying to get their exes back in any way possible. The cast includes French Stewart and Whoopi herself.
The latter is a 3D animated film about good and evil. Once again, Whoopi is part of the cast. The other notable performer is Christy Scott Cashman, who has also appeared in American Hustle, Edge of Darkness and The Pink Panther 2.
Credit: Courtesy of Bernard Dean/Instagram
Is Alex Martin Married?
She is! Her husband is Bernard Dean. They first met in the 1990s, and it turns out Bernard is also a film producer — just like his wife! He has worked with Ron Meyer, co-founder of CAA.
Still, their marriage hasn’t always been easy. They previously divorced twice before getting married again! They were most recently married on October 15, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
Does Alex Martin Have Any Kids?
She does! Alex and Bernard have two children together: Mason Dean (born in 1998) and Jerzey Dean (born in 1995). But those aren’t the only children she has.
She also has a daughter named Amara Skye from her high school boyfriend. However, Bernard has raised her as his own daughter.
Amara has a child of her own, making Alex a grandmother and Whoopi a great-grandmother! Charlie Rose (born in 2014) is a cherished granddaughter indeed!
Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
Is Whoopi Goldberg Close to Her Daughter?
Alex and Whoopi are very close! The film producer told Wendy Williams in 2015 that she and her movie star mom talk “multiple times a day.”
On The View, the Corrina, Corrina actress made a similar statement, referring to Alex as her “best friend.”
“She’s somebody who makes me laugh, like ‘bwaha!’ laugh, and we can talk to each other at any time of the day or night,” Whoopi said of her daughter.
At Alex’s 40th birthday party in 2014, Whoopi told the crowd, “Alex is a better mother to her three kids than I ever was,” in a heartfelt speech to her daughter, per Page Six.
