What actress grew up into Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple (1985)? July 13, 2020January 28, 2012 by Pamela Landy Desreta Jackson, who played Celie as a child in The Color Purple (1985). Related Answers Whose letters make up Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple (1982)? What was a summoner or A canon’s yeoman or A franklin or A manciple or a reeve? Who played the Roman emperors in the miniseries “A.D.” (Anno Domini) (NBC, 1985)? Do animals see color? When was color television invented? Who played Santa Claus in the movie Santa Claus (1985)?