Alvin Louise Martin Changed Young Whoopi Goldberg's Life for the Better

Alvin Louise Martin was long-time actress Whoopi Goldberg's first husband, whom she met at a rehabilitation center. Alvin was Whoopi's drug counselor, who determined that she wasn't a "junkie" and that her addiction was only a phase.

Alvin Louise Martin's relationship with the acclaimed comedian Whoopi Goldberg platonically began when she was a teenager. They moved in together shortly after they eventually started dating and married in the early 1970s.

Alvin worked a few jobs before and after marrying Whoopi; however, things became more difficult as they realized they wanted different things. It was especially hard for Alvin, who carried the brunt of the responsibility to ensure he and his ex-wife could survive.

They only ever had one daughter, Alexandrea Martin – named after Alexander The Great – who gave later birth to three of their grandchildren. Alvin and Whoopi had slightly differing accounts of their marriage, but one thing Whoopi was sure of was that they were never in love.

Alvin Martin Is a Little Older than Whoopi Goldberg

Alvin was 20 when he met 17-year-old Whoopi, which means he was born, to Irma Martin sometime in 1953. He worked at Horizon House as one of the core staffers of the facility and lived in a small apartment in Greenwich Village.

By the time he married Whoopi, he'd found steady employment as a bank clerk at Chase Manhattan Bank. When Whoopi's biography, "Whoopi Goldberg: Her Journey from Poverty to Megastardom," was released in 1997, Alvin had been working at New York City Medicaid.

The Young Couple Faced Financial Difficulties

As Whoopi's drug counselor, Alvin spent much time with her at Horizon House. He recalled how she stood out from everyone at the facility, saying she was "like a black hippie" who always wore a big afro wig. When he looked back on her rehabilitation journey, he said:

"It was more of a phase she was going through, just doing a little bit of everything. She was never hooked on one drug."

And that's how he concluded that she was, in fact, not a "junkie." It was in the early 1970s when Whoopi experimented, and for the "Sister Act" star, her relationship with Alvin was a blessing during a very vulnerable time of her life.

When it came to what drew him to her, Alvin noted that Whoopi didn't fit into conventional beauty standards; it made her all the more attractive to him. He was curious about who she was and found that he liked her even more once they started talking.

Soon after her recovery, Whoopi began thinking about how she would realize her artistic ambitions. She wanted to be a dramatic actor, as she needed to engage in the art form to satisfy many of her emotional needs.

However, Whoopi's circumstances were not stable enough for a secure pursuit of such a career. She had no job skills and no desire to work in a structured environment. She could have returned to her watchful mother's apartment in the Chelsea projects, but that was also out of the question.

Whoopi moved in with Alvin in his Greenwich apartment soon after they started dating. They tied the knot in May 1973 and had their daughter in May 1974. Although they hadn't planned to have a child, as Whoopi took the contraceptive pill "religiously," they still went ahead with parenthood.

Before then, Alvin had been asking his ex-wife to find employment, but she refused, and it was the subject of many screaming matches between the two. Even after Alvin secured a job for her, Whoopi wasn't interested in conforming – dressing more professionally, carrying herself a certain way – to keep the employment.

She simply wanted to be a movie star, and pursuing that career left Alvin as the only breadwinner in their shared living space and their daughter's sitter while she looked for roles. Eventually, their clashing desires led to their inevitable separation the same year Alexandrea was born.

Alvin Was Separated from His Daughter by Thousands of Miles

Although they separated in 1974, with Whoopi moving with her infant child to her mom's apartment in Manhattan, she and Alvin only divorced in 1979. They remained on bad terms for a time while in contact for the sake of their daughter but eventually developed somewhat of a friendship.

Whoopi moved to California with Alexandrea, three thousand miles away from her ex-husband. As her career burgeoned, Alvin said it became "much of a hassle" to reach Whoopi or his daughter that he stopped calling.

Whoopi married twice more – to David Claessen and Lyle Trachtenberg – after Alvin but later decided marriage just wasn't for her. The "Ghost" star even had a fling with Ted Danson while the actor was married, which lasted 18 months.

Alvin Is Already a Great-Grandfather

Alvin's ex-wife and daughter struggled for the first ten years of her life, living off of food stamps in a one-room space. That was until she starred in the Broadway production "The Color Purple" in 1985, followed by a rise to stardom.

Alvin's daughter gave birth to three children, Amarah Skye Dean, who also became a mother to his great-granddaughter Charli Rose in 2014, Jerzey Dean, and Mason Dean. Amarah Skye is an artist, Jerzey is a business owner, and Mason is a musician.