oprah winfrey biography

• World Biography

Oprah Winfrey Biography

Born: January 29, 1954 Kosciusko, Mississippi African American television host and actress

America's first lady of talk shows, Oprah Winfrey is well known for surpassing her competition to become the most watched daytime show host on television. Her natural style with guests and audiences on the Oprah Winfrey Show earned her widespread popularity, as well as her own production company, Harpo, Inc.

A difficult childhood

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born to Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey on an isolated farm in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on January 29, 1954. Her name was supposed to be Orpah, from the Bible, but because of the difficulty of spelling and pronunciation, she was known as Oprah almost from birth. Winfrey's unmarried parents separated soon after she was born and left her in the care of her maternal grandmother on the farm.

As a child, Winfrey entertained herself by "playacting" in front of an "audience" of farm animals. Under the strict guidance of her grandmother, she learned to read at two and a half years old. She addressed her church congregation about "when Jesus rose on Easter Day" when she was two years old. Then Winfrey skipped kindergarten after writing a note to her teacher on the first day of school saying she belonged in the first grade. She was promoted to third grade after that year.

At six years old Winfrey was sent north to join her mother and two half-brothers in a Milwaukee ghetto, an extremely poor and dangerous neighborhood. At twelve years old she was sent to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee. Feeling secure and happy for a brief period she began making speeches at social gatherings and churches, and one time earned five hundred dollars for a speech. She knew then that she wanted to be "paid to talk."

A turning point

Winfrey said her father saved her life. He was very strict and provided her with guidance, structure, rules, and books. He required his daughter to complete weekly book reports, and she went without dinner until she learned five new vocabulary words each day.

Winfrey became an excellent student, participating as well in the drama club, debate club, and student council. In an Elks Club speaking contest, she won a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. The following year she was invited to a White House Conference on Youth. Winfrey was crowned Miss Fire Prevention by WVOL, a local Nashville radio station, and was hired by the station to read afternoon newscasts.

Winfrey became Miss Black Nashville and Miss Tennessee during her freshman year at Tennessee State. The Nashville Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) affiliate offered her a job; Winfrey turned it down twice, but finally took the advice of a speech teacher, who reminded her that job offers from CBS were "the reason people go to college." The show was seen each evening on WTVF-TV, and Winfrey was Nashville's first African American female coanchor of the evening news. She was nineteen years old and still a sophomore in college.

Professional career

After Winfrey graduated, WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland, scheduled her to do the local news updates, called cut-ins, during Good Morning, America, and soon she was moved to the morning talk show Baltimore Is Talking with cohost Richard Sher. After seven years on the show, the general manager of WLS-TV, American Broadcasting Company's (ABC) Chicago affiliate, saw Winfrey in an audition tape sent in by her producer, Debra DiMaio. At the time her ratings in Baltimore were better than Phil Donahue's, a national talk-show host, and she and DiMaio were hired.

Winfrey moved to Chicago, Illinois, in January 1984 and took over as anchor on A.M. Chicago, a morning talk show that was consistently last in the ratings. She changed the emphasis of the show from traditional women's issues to current and controversial (debatable) topics, and after one month the show was even with Donahue's program. Three months later it had inched ahead. In September 1985 the program, renamed the Oprah Winfrey Show, was expanded to one hour. As a result, Donahue moved to New York City.

In 1985 Quincy Jones (1933–) saw Winfrey on television and thought she would make a fine actress in a movie he was coproducing with director Steven Spielberg (1946–). The film was based on the Alice Walker (1944–) novel The Color Purple. Her only acting experience until then had been in a one-woman show, The History of Black Women Through Drama and Song, which she performed during an African American theater festival in 1978.

Popularity of Oprah

The popularity of Winfrey's show skyrocketed after the success of The Color Purple, and in September 1985 the distributor King World bought the syndication rights (the rights to distribute a television program) to air the program in one hundred thirty-eight cities, a record for first-time syndication. That year, although Donahue was being aired on two hundred stations, Winfrey won her time slot by 31 percent, drew twice the Chicago audience as Donahue, and carried the top ten markets in the United States.

In 1986 Winfrey received a special award from the Chicago Academy for the Arts for unique contributions to the city's artistic community and was named Woman of Achievement by the National Organization of Women. The Oprah Winfrey Show won several Emmys for Best Talk Show, and Winfrey was honored as Best Talk Show Host.

Winfrey formed her own production company, Harpo, Inc., in August 1986 to produce the topics that she wanted to see produced, including the television drama miniseries based on Gloria Naylor's The Women of Brewster Place, in which Winfrey was featured along with Cicely Tyson, Robin Givens, Olivia Cole, Jackee, Paula Kelly, and Lynn Whitfield. The miniseries aired in March 1989 and a regular series called Brewster Place, also starring Winfrey, debuted on ABC in May 1990. Winfrey also owned the screen rights to Kaffir Boy, Mark Mathabane's autobiographical (having to do with a story about oneself) book about growing up under apartheid in South Africa, as well as Toni Morrison's (1931–) novel Beloved.

In September 1996 Winfrey started an on-air reading club. On September 17 Winfrey stood up and announced she wanted "to get the country reading." She told her adoring fans to hasten to the stores to buy the book she had chosen. They would then discuss it together on the air the following month.

The initial reaction was astonishing. The Deep End of the Ocean had generated significant sales for a first novel; sixty-eight thousand copies had gone into the stores since June. But between the last week in August, when Winfrey told her plans to the publisher, and the September on-air announcement, Viking printed ninety thousand more. By the time the discussion was broadcast on October 18, there were seven hundred fifty thousand copies in print. The book became a number one best-seller, and another one hundred thousand were printed before February 1997.

The club ensured Winfrey as the most powerful book marketer in the United States. She sent more people to bookstores than morning news programs, other daytime shows, evening magazines, radio shows, print reviews, and feature articles combined. But after a six-year run with her book club, Winfrey decided to cut back in the spring of 2002 and no longer have the book club as a monthly feature.

Although one of the wealthiest women in America and the highest paid entertainer in the world, Winfrey has made generous contributions to charitable organizations and institutions such as Morehouse College, the Harold Washington Library, the United Negro College Fund, and Tennessee State University.

Winfrey renewed her contract with King World Productions to continue The Oprah Winfrey Show through the 2003–2004 television season. Winfrey and Harpo Production company plan to develop other syndicated television programming with King World.

For More Information

Brooks, Philip. Oprah Winfrey: A Voice for the People. New York: Franklin Watts, 1999.

King, Norman. Everybody Loves Oprah! New York: Morrow, 1987.

Patterson, Lillie. Oprah Winfrey: Talk Show Host and Actress. Hillside, NJ: Enslow, 1988.

Stone, Tanya Lee. Oprah Winfrey: Success with an Open Heart. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 2001.

Waldron, Robert. Oprah. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987.

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Oprah Winfrey's Official Biography

• Television Pioneer
• Magazine Founder & Editorial Director
• Producer/Actress
• Online Leader
• Philanthropist
• Television Programming Creator
• Satellite Radio Programmer
• Broadway Producer
• Honorary Achievements
• Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Spelman College— National Community Service Award
• The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences— Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award/Honorary Academy Award
• National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences— Crystal Pillar Award
• TIME Magazine — 100 Most Influential People in the World . She is the only person to have been included in all eight of TIME'S 100 Most Influential People in World lists, from 2004-2011.
• The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts— Kennedy Center Honors
• The Women's Conference (California)— Minerva Award
• The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity— 2007 Humanitarian Award
• The New York Public Library— Library Lion 2006
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People— Hall of Fame
• National Civil Rights Museum— 2005 National Freedom Award
• International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences— 2005 International Emmy Founders Award
• United Nations Association of the United States of America— Global Humanitarian Action Award
• National Association of Broadcasters— Distinguished Service Award
• Association of American Publishers— AAP Honors Award
• 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards®— Bob Hope Humanitarian Award
• Broadcasting & Cable— Hall of Fame
• National Book Foundation— 50th Anniversary Gold Medal
• National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences®— Lifetime Achievement Award
• TIME Magazine — 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century
• Newsweek —Most Important Person in Books and Media
• TV Guide —Television Performer of the Year
• International Radio & Television Society Foundation— Gold Medal Award
• George Foster Peabody Awards— 1995 Individual Achievement Award

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Oprah Winfrey

• Born January 29 , 1954 · Kosciusko, Mississippi, USA
• Birth name Orpah Gail Winfrey
• Deepak Oprah
• Height 5′ 6½″ (1.69 m)
• Oprah Gail Winfrey , often known simply as Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which was the highest-rated television program of its kind in history and ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she was the richest African-American of the 20th century, was once the world's only black billionaire, and the greatest black philanthropist in U.S. history. By 2007, she was sometimes ranked as the most influential woman in the world - IMDb Mini Biography By: Bonitao
• Oprah Winfrey is an American media executive, actress, talk show host, television producer, and philanthropist. She is known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986) , which was the highest-rated TV program in history and ran for 25 years from 1986 to 2011. Oprah Winfrey was the richest African-American of the 20th century and North America's first black multi-billionaire, and she has been ranked the greatest black philanthropist in American history. Oprah was ranked as the most influential woman in the world. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Tango Papa
• Children No Children
• Parents Vernita Lee Vernon Winfrey
• Relatives Hattie Mae Lee (Presley) (Grandparent)
• Her self-deprecating humor
• Often sings her words when presenting.
• Her empathetic interviewing style
• First African American woman billionaire in history and first African American female entrepreneur to appear on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
• Over the 25-year run of her daytime TV talk show, she never once missed a day through absenteeism.
• Is the first woman in history to own and produce her own talk show.
• Over the course of her 25 years hosting The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986) , she taped 217 episodes dedicated to sexual abuse, having been a survivor of such abuse herself as a young girl. She was instrumental in the passage of the Oprah Bill, in the early 1990s. The bill was signed into law by President Bill Clinton and is aimed at stopping child abuse.
• Gave birth to a baby boy when she was just 14. The baby passed away after two weeks, from complications of being born two months premature.
• Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.
• My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with.
• Lots of people want to ride with you in the Limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the Limo breaks down.
• All my life I have always known I was born to greatness.
• The essential question is not, "How busy are you?' but 'What are you busy at?' 'Are you doing what fulfills you?'
• The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986) - $315,000,000 per year (2010)
• The Color Purple (1986) - approx. $35,000

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Oprah Winfrey: All the Ways the First Black Female Billionaire Has Made History

From talk show host and business entrepreneur to actor and philanthropist, there is little the "Queen of All Media" hasn't done — and dominated — throughout her career.

Oprah Winfrey is a media mogul who helmed one of the most popular TV shows in U.S. history. She used her platform to do everything from launching her own production company, Harpo (her name spelled backward), to starting a school for girls in Africa.

Winfrey is the first Black woman billionaire, with deep attention paid to strategic financial partnerships and enterprises. Her immense monetary wealth aside, Winfrey has spent her career fostering creative projects that have elevated her standing as an American icon among fans. Here’s a sampling of Winfrey’s myriad accomplishments.

'The Oprah Winfrey Show' is the highest-rated daytime talk show ever

In the mid-1970s, Winfrey became the first Black woman to anchor a nightly news program in Nashville at the age of 19 while in college. A decade later, she became the host of A.M. Chicago , directly competing with the popular Phil Donahue Show.

Winfrey’s show was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show more than a year later. The production soon went into syndication and ultimately became an entrenched part of the American television landscape and the highest-rated daytime talk show in history.

The show’s format consisted of everything from serious interviews with trauma survivors and celebrity appearances to massive audience giveaways. It ran until 2011 and won 16 Daytime Emmys including Best Talk Show and Best Talk Show Host. In 1999, Winfrey began to withhold her name for consideration after receiving a lifetime achievement award.

READ MORE: Oprah Winfrey's Best Talk Show Moments

She opened a leadership academy for young girls in South Africa

Winfrey created her own foundation in 1997 and started a school in South Africa, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls . The idea for the boarding school, which housed girls from grades 8-12, was inspired by Winfrey's rough childhood.

She has openly discussed being a survivor of sexual abuse when she was a child and lobbied for the creation of the National Child Protection Act, which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in December 1993.

"I am one proud mama and for once I think I know what that feels like for real," Winfrey said before the graduation of the first class. "It feels like a real sense of accomplishment. It is a triumph indeed, considering where all these girls have come from."

She launched the Oprah Winfrey Network, Oprah's Book Club and O Magazine

In 1996, Winfrey launched Oprah’s Book Club , which selected a literary title for viewers to read and discuss each month. The call for a nationwide reading group helped boost publishers’ bottom line as each featured book quickly became a bestseller.

The club featured works from a wide range of authors, including Pearl S. Buck , William Faulkner , Barbara Kingsolver, Toni Morrison , and Lalita Tademy , among others. The club continued to run after the end of Winfrey’s talk show.

Two years later, in 1998, Winfrey invested in the Oxygen network, a cable channel geared toward women. And in 2000, Winfrey debuted O, The Oprah Magazine , featuring a celebration of life, lifestyle, spirituality, arts and culture. Winfrey has appeared on the cover more than 200 times.

On January 1, 2011, Winfrey launched the Oprah Winfrey Network , a cable TV platform that featured reality TV shows, dramas and classic series.

Winfrey was the first Black woman to win the Cecil B. DeMille Award

In 2018 Winfrey became the first Black woman to win the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award. Her wildly popular Golden Globes speech honored women who had shared their stories of sexual harassment and declared that “a new day is on the horizon.”

The speech stirred speculation that the media icon might run for the nation’s highest office. Winfrey later clarified she did not want to run for president, saying, “I am not trying to test any waters, don't want to go in those waters."

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Oprah Winfrey

The 2010 Kennedy Center Honors

(Producer, television host, actress, author; born January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi)

She has impacted nearly every aspect of the entertainment world while engaging, inspiring and enriching the lives of millions. Her achievements would be enough to fill more than a few great lives, but in fact this beloved producer, television host, actress, major player on Broadway and in Hollywood, author and self-made billionaire philanthropist is the stuff of greatness. From her soul-stirring performances on screen to her numerous producing endeavors and award-winning television show, she has spent her life creating innovative projects that have proven time and again her unique ability to enhance the world's exposure to the arts and perception of humanity.

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born poor in rural Mississippi, to a soldier and an unwed teenage mother. Her childhood was tough by any standards, but the grandmother who raised her in a farm in Kosciusko taught the little girl to read at the age of three. Oprah recited po s and Bible verses in church, became known as the Little Speaker before she was sent away to Milwaukee. Her mother Vernita found work as a maid there, and while mother was away in their inner city apartment little Oprah was repeatedly abused, for years. She tried running away from that nightmare, was sent to a detention home only to be turned back when all the beds were full.

Alone and homeless at fourteen, she found her father Vernon in Nashville and found a home again. He gave Oprah the structure and home life she needed. "As strict as he was," she says, "he had concerns about me making the best of my life and would not accept anything he thought was less than my best."

She was smart and she was beautiful. At 17, she won a beauty contest in Nashville, an on-air job with an African American radio station, and a scholarship from Tennessee State University, where she majored in Speech Communications and Performing Arts. At 19, she became the first female African American news anchor in Nashville. She joined WJZ-TV News in Baltimore as co-anchor, where she also co-hosted her first talk show, People Are Talking .

Oprah knew how to listen. But, for all her success, few could have expected that when she moved to Chicago in 1984 to host Channel 7's A.M. Chicago that she would redefine the talk show format and change television forever. The show was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show , and the rest is history. Still, that history was far from finished. Even as America fell in love with this straightforward, unassuming lady, Steven Spielberg watched some tapes of her show sent by Quincy Jones, liked what he saw, and offered Oprah Winfrey the role of Sofia in his film adaptation of Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple . Her performance earned her nominations for both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

Her love of acting was the real thing, and even as the rest of her whirlwind of a life continued, Oprah Winfrey later would again earn critical acclaim for her performance in the film adaptation of Richard Wright's classic Native Son . Her relationship with The Color Purple would prove long-lasting: Oprah Winfrey produced a huge Broadway and national hit with the musical The Color Purple . She formed her own Harpo Productions in 1986 -- "Harpo" is "Oprah" spelled backwards --as The Oprah Winfrey Show went national and her production company would become a major force not only in television but also in films, publishing and the then-burgeoning Internet field.

Her interview of Michael Jackson in 1993 drew more than 100 million viewers, making it the most watched interview in television history. The first woman to produce and star in her own talk show, she also produced and starred in the miniseries The Women of Brewster Place , followed by There Are No Children Here and Before Women Had Wings .

In 1998, she produced and starred in Beloved , a film adaptation of the novel by the Nobel Prize-winning American author Toni Morrison. As an actress, she has been heard in a number of successful animated films, including Charlotte's Web , Bee Movie and The Princess and the Frog .

Using her talk show to promote good literature, she then revitalized America's reading habits with the Oprah Book Club, which turned classics into bestsellers and sparked a national book club reading craze. Following repeated my victories, she launched Oprah Online at AOL. Far from done, she launched O, The Oprah Magazine .

She testified before the U.S. Congress in 1991 and was instrumental in promoting the National Child Protection Act, a law that aimed to create a national database of child abusers which became known as the Oprah Bill by the time President Bill Clinton signed it into law. With her Oprah's Angel Network, she organized fellow philanthropists to encourage everyone who could to make charitable contributions and volunteer work. She was the first African American listed by Business Week as one of the top 50 most generous philanthropists. Putting her money where her heart is, she invested more than $40 million in children: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened near Johannesburg, South Africa in 2007. An admiring Nelson Mandela congratulated this indomitable American woman for overcoming her own disadvantaged origins to become an inspiration to future generation.

The woman herself is fond of quoting Martin Luther King in getting to the heart of that greatness that is within our reach. "Dr. King said," Oprah Winfrey told the graduating class at Stanford University in 2008, that "not everybody can be famous. But everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service." In her own words, she added that to be great "you only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love." "When you do good," Oprah told the students, "I hope you strive for more than just the good feeling that service provides, because I know this for sure, that doing good actually makes you better. So whatever field you choose, if you operate from the paradigm of service, I know your life will have more value and you will be happy."

In 2005, Oprah Winfrey received the National Civil Rights Museum's prestigious Freedom Award, following previous recipients Coretta Scott King, Nelson Mandela, and Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. She's in good company. Then again, Oprah Winfrey is always in good company -- she has given her public a huge hug, and the world returns her love.

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Biography Online

Short Biography of Oprah Winfrey

“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”

– Oprah Winfrey

“Turn your wounds into wisdom.”

From the age of 14, she went to live with her father. Oprah says he was strict, but she was in the mood to be disobedient during her teenage years. After working her way through college, she became interested in journalism and media and got her first job as a news anchor for a local TV station.

Her emotional style did not go down well for a news programme, so she was transferred to an ailing daytime chat programme. After Oprah had taken over, the daily chat show took off, and this later led to her own programme – The Oprah Winfrey Show.

The Oprah Winfrey show has proved to be one of the most successful and highly watched TV show of all time. It has broken many social and cultural barriers such as gay and lesbian issues. Oprah has also remained a powerful role model for women and black American women in particular. She is credited with promoting an intimate confessional form of media communication, which has been imitated across the globe.

In recent years, the Oprah Winfrey show has focused on issues of self-improvement, spirituality and self-help. Diet has also been a big issue with Oprah once successfully losing a lot of weight. Her subsequent diet book sold millions of copies.

Oprah Winfrey has promoted many spiritual books, which have focused on the aspect of taking responsibility for your life – not changing your circumstances, but changing the way you look at your life.

“What I learned at a very early age was that I was responsible for my life. And as I became more spiritually conscious, I learned that we all are responsible for ourselves, that you create your own reality by the way you think and therefore act. You cannot blame apartheid, your parents, your circumstances, because you are not your circumstances. You are your possibilities. If you know that, you can do anything.”

– O Magazine (January 2007), pages 160 & 217

Oprah Wealth

Her range of media enterprises have made Oprah one of the richest self-made women. The Forbes’ international rich list has listed Winfrey as the world’s only black billionaire from 2004 to 2006 and as the first black woman billionaire in world history.In 2014 Winfrey has a net worth of more than 2.9 billion dollars.

The Oprah Winfrey book club has become the most influential book clubs in the world. A recommendation from Oprah Winfrey frequently sends books to the top of the best-seller lists. Many commentators agree that Oprah Winfrey exerts enormous influence. Some estimated her support for Barack Obama helped him gain one million votes in the 2008 election.

As Vanity Fair said of Oprah Winfrey:

“Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the culture than any university president, politician, or religious leader, except perhaps the Pope”

Acting career

Oprah Winfrey was also nominated for an Oscar in the film – A Color Purple . Produced by Steven Spielberg, the epic Color Purple told of segregation in America’s deep south. Oprah was widely admired for her role as Sofia.

Support for Obama

From 2006 to 2008, she lent her support to the Presidential campaign of Barack Obama. Her influence and personal following played a key role in helping Obama to become the first African-American to become president.

In 2013, Oprah gained a unique interview with the professional cyclist, Lance Armstrong . It was on Oprah that Armstrong finally made a dramatic confession that he had used performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career.

Oprah Winfrey has been critical of the presidency of Donald Trump and on various occasions has hinted she would be interested in the possibility of running as a Democrat for president. However, she later clarified her view and says a presidential bid is unlikely because

“I’ve always felt very secure and confident with myself in knowing what I could do and what I could not,” she told the magazine. “And so it’s not something that interests me. I don’t have the DNA for it.” CNN

Religious and spiritual views

Oprah Winfrey was brought up in the Baptist church and after being baptized aged 8 she became evangelical about the religion. However, as she grew up she accepted a wider definition of spirituality – a spirituality which embraces the truth in all religions and different spiritual paths. Speaking during Oprah’s Lifeclass: The Tour she said:

“I am a Christian, that is my faith. I’m not asking you to be a Christian. If you want to be one I can show you how. But it is not required. I have respect for all faiths. All faiths. But what I’m talking about is not faith or religion. I’m talking about spirituality.”

Speaking on her own beliefs she retains great love for the church and its contribution to black culture, but she doesn’t want to limit herself to the confines of a particular religion, she says:

“I can’t define “God,” so to be open to the mystical and mystery of God is a natural part of myself. So people criticize me for not being what they are, and I say, it’s working for me and has worked for me and continues to work for me, in a way that fills me with a sense of peace and contentment about what God means to me.” – Oprah Winfrey ( AARP )

Winfrey has enthusiastically supported new age writers such as Eckart Tolle’s books, The Power Now and Stillness Speaks and Marianne Williamson’s contributions to “A Course in Miracles.”

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Biography of Oprah Winfrey”, Oxford, UK  www.biographyonline.net , 25th Jan. 2013. Last updated 5 March 2018.

Oprah Winfrey at Amazon

The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations  by Oprah Winfrey at Amazon

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Oprah Winfrey summary

Oprah Winfrey , (born Jan. 29, 1954, Kosciusko, Miss., U.S.), U.S. television talk-show host and actress. After enduring an impoverished and troubled childhood, she became a news anchor for a local CBS television station in Tennessee at age 19. After graduating from Tennessee State University, she worked as a television reporter and anchor in Baltimore, Md., where she cohosted her first talk show (1977–83), and in 1984 she moved to Chicago to host A.M. Chicago , which became that city’s highest-rated morning show. Renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1985, it was syndicated the following year, making her the first African American woman to host a successful national daytime talk show. The enormously popular show was noted for its uplifting and therapeutic tone. In 1986 Winfrey also formed her own television production company, Harpo Productions, and in 2000 she launched O, the Oprah Magazine . In 2011 the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) debuted on cable television, and later that year the final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired. Her acting credits include the films The Color Purple (1985) and Beloved (1998).

Oprah Winfrey Biography

Birthday: January 29 , 1954 ( Aquarius )

Born In: Kosciusko, Mississippi, United States

Recommended For You

Also Known As: Orpah Gail Winfrey

Age: 70 Years , 70 Year Old Females

Spouse/Ex-: Stedman Graham

father: Vernon Winfrey

mother: Vernita Lee

siblings: Jeffrey Lee, Patricia Lee, Patricia Lloyd

TV Presenters Talk Show Hosts

Height: 5'7" (170 cm ), 5'7" Females

Personality: ENFJ

U.S. State: Mississippi

Founder/Co-Founder: Oprah's Angel Network, Family for Better Lives, Harpo Productions, Oprah Winfrey Network, Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, Oxygen, Oprah Winfrey Foundation

education: Tennessee State University

Humanitarian Work: Creator of ‘Oprah’s Angel Network’

awards: Kennedy Center Honors - 2010 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award - 2011 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Series - 2014

People's Choice Award for Favorite Talk Show Host - 2004-1988 peabody award - 1996 NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year - 1989 Bob Hope Humanitarian Award - 2002 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host - 1998-1995-1994 People's Choice Award for Favorite Female TV Performer - 1998-1997 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award - 2010 spingarn medal - 2000 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show - 1997-1996-1995 Producers Guild of America Award - Stanley Kramer Award - 2008 TCA Career Achievement Award - 2011 NAACP Image Award – Hall of Fame Award - 2005 International Emmy Award for Founders - 2005 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie - 2000 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children/Youth/Family Special - 1993 Producers Guild of America Award - David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television - 2000 Medal of Distingui hed Contribution to American Letters - 1999

You wanted to know

What is oprah winfrey known for.

Oprah Winfrey is best known as a media mogul, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist.

How did Oprah Winfrey become successful?

Oprah Winfrey became successful through hard work, determination, and talent. She started as a local news anchor and eventually launched her own talk show, which became hugely popular.

What impact has Oprah Winfrey had on society?

Oprah Winfrey has had a significant impact on society through her philanthropy, advocacy for various causes, and empowerment of women and marginalized communities.

What are some of Oprah Winfrey's notable achievements?

Some of Oprah Winfrey's notable achievements include her successful talk show, her media empire, her philanthropic endeavors, and her influence on popular culture.

How has Oprah Winfrey inspired others?

Oprah Winfrey has inspired others through her personal story of overcoming adversity, her commitment to giving back, and her messages of empowerment and self-improvement.

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Oprah Winfrey's real name is actually Orpah, but it was misspelled on her birth certificate and she decided to keep the name Oprah instead.

She is known for her love of dogs and has had several beloved pets throughout her life.

In addition to her successful talk show, Oprah is also an accomplished actress and has appeared in several films and television shows.

Oprah is a self-made billionaire, having built her media empire from the ground up through hard work and determination.

See the events in life of Oprah Winfrey in Chronological Order

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10 Incredible Facts About Oprah Winfrey

Since making her national TV debut with The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986, Oprah Winfrey has made an enormous impact on the world at large. As a news reporter, a daytime talk show host, an actress, a producer, a philanthropist, and a multimedia mogul, she’s known all around the world. But as the daughter of a maid from Kosciusko, Mississippi, she comes from very humble beginnings.

With decades in the limelight, Winfrey is going stronger than ever thanks to new book club recommendations, film roles, and her ongoing work with the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation , a nonprofit that awards grants to empower and educate women and children around the world. Here are some remarkable facts about the global icon.  

1. Her birth name is “Orpah.”

While the world knows her simply as Oprah, Winfrey’s birth name is actually Orpah Gail Winfrey. She’s named after a woman mentioned in the “Book of Ruth” ( Ruth 1:4 ) in The Bible . Oprah attributes the name change to mispronunciation.

“My name had been chosen from the Bible,” Winfrey said in a 1991 interview. “My Aunt Ida had chosen the name, but nobody really knew how to spell it, so it went down as Orpah on my birth certificate, but people didn’t know how to pronounce it, so they put the P before the R in every place else other than the birth certificate. On the birth certificate it is Orpah , but then it got translated to Oprah , so here we are.”

2. Oprah won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant.

In 1971, at age 17, Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant. She would also go on to compete in the Miss Black America pageant later in the year, but lost the competition to Florida’s Joyce Warner.

3. She got her first media job while she was still in high school.

Winfrey got her start as a part-time news reporter at radio station WVOL in Nashville, Tennessee, when she was still attending East Nashville High School.

In 1973, at age 19, she became the youngest person to co-anchor the news at Nashville’s WLAC-TV (which is now WTVF-TV); she was still in college at the time and was also the first Black woman in that role.

“What you see in Oprah today is what I saw so many years ago,” Chris Clark , Winfrey’s former TV manager at WLAC-TV, said in a 2009 interview. “[She] had the magic to communicate on television, and that is natural born. You just can’t learn that. You can’t develop that. You got it or you don’t got it.”

4. Oprah earned a full scholarship to Tennessee State University.

In high school, Winfrey joined the speech team and eventually placed first in an oratory contest . The grand prize was a full scholarship to Tennessee State University, where she attended and majored in speech communications and performing arts.

5. She’s been nominated for an Oscar twice.

Although she hasn’t won an Oscar (yet), Winfrey has been nominated for two Academy Awards. Her first nod came in 1986 for Best Supporting Actress at the 58th Academy Awards. It was for her performance as Sofia Johnson—which was also her debut movie role—in Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of The Color Purple . However, she lost the award to Anjelica Huston, for her performance in the movie Prizzi ’s Honor .

Nearly 30 years later, for the 87th Academy Awards in 2015, Winfrey was nominated again , but this time for Best Picture, as one of the producers of Ava DuVernay’s Selma . Instead, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) won in the category.

However, the Academy did give her an honorary Oscar , the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 2011 in recognition of her work as a philanthropist.

6. Oprah’s done voice work for several movies.

While Winfrey has appeared in live-action feature films, like the 2018 film adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time and 2013’s The Butler (among others), the media icon has done her fair share of voice acting too. She voiced Eudora in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog , Gussy the Female Goose in the 2006 adaptation of Charlotte’s Web , and other characters.

Another fun fact? Winfrey also lent her voice in an uncredited role as a radio newsreader in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale . This is a wink and a nod to Winfrey’s early days at WVOL.

7. Her media empire is massive. 

Winfrey founded Harpo Productions, Inc. (now simply Harpo, Inc.) in 1986. She is the owner, chairwoman, and CEO of the media and entertainment company. The name is actually “Oprah” spelled backwards, as well as the name of her on-screen husband in The Color Purple .

Since its launch, Harpo has transformed from a TV production company to a multimedia empire, helping launch popular daytime talk shows; a cable network in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery called Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN); a film studio (shut down and then later revived); and a publishing company in partnership with Hearst Communications called Harpo Print, LLC, which produced O, The Oprah Magazine , which ceased regular print publication in December 2020.

8. In 2013, Oprah received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded Oprah Winfrey with the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest honor a president of the United States can give to a civilian. “In more than 4500 episodes of her show, her message was always, ‘You can,’” Obama said of Winfrey. “And she was living proof, rising from a childhood of poverty and abuse to the pinnacle of the entertainment universe.”

9. She even has her own grocery line. 

In 2017, Winfrey partnered with the Kraft Heinz Company to launch a new joint venture called Mealtime Stories, LLC. In 2019, they released O, That’s Good! —a line of frozen foods. Kraft Heinz joined forces with Oprah because of her work in weight loss and nutrition. As part of the venture, Rise Against Hunger and Feeding America , two charities focused on ending food insecurity, received 10 percent of the profits.

The grocery line features soups like broccoli cheddar and baked potato; side dishes, like garlic mashed potatoes and creamy parmesan pasta; and entrées; like garlic chicken with potatoes and three cheese tortellini. There are even frozen pizzas, including margherita, pepperoni, BBQ chicken, and more, all of which are made with cauliflower in the crust.

“I love healthy foods and eating from my garden,” Winfrey said in a 2017 press release . “When Kraft Heinz approached me for a food line, what got my attention is making nutritious comfort foods more accessible to everyone. This product line is real, delicious food with a twist. You’ll feel good about serving it for your family.”

10. Her favorite novel of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird .

Winfrey learned to read before the age of 3, and her favorite novel of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. She first read the book as a child living with her mother in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and checked it out at a local library upon a librarian’s recommendation. 

“So I picked up To Kill A Mockingbird ,” Oprah wrote in The Guardian in 2015. “I remember starting it and just devouring it, not being able to get enough of it, because I fell in love with Scout. I thought I was Scout. I always took on or wanted to take on the characteristics of whoever I was reading about, and so I wanted to be Scout and I wanted a father like Atticus Finch.”

Oprah really liked Scout’s energy and her spirit. She believed the character had a freshness to her. “I liked the fact she was so curious,” Winfrey continued. “Even at 10, she knew who she was and believed in herself, and was learning about this whole world of racism in such a way that I could feel myself also experiencing it—my eyes opening as hers were.”

Following Harper Lee’s death in 2016, Oprah further expressed her admiration for the author. “Harper Lee [is] my 1st favorite author,” she tweeted . “I always wanted to interview her. She said ‘Honey, I already said everything I had to say.’ #RIPHarperLee.”

A Childhood Biography of Oprah Winfrey

Humble Beginnings That Shaped an American Icon

• Shows For Kids
• Oprah's Early Life in Mississippi
• Oprah's Move to Milwaukee

Another Move—to Nashville

Back to milwaukee.

• Oprah's Experience With Sexual Abuse

Oprah Attends Nicolet High School

Back in nashville and pregnant, oprah gets back on track.

• Oprah's First Experience in Journalism

More than a mere talk show host , Oprah Winfrey is an award-winning actress and producer, a media mogul , and a philanthropist. Many people count her among the most influential women internationally. The larger-than-life success, fame, and fortune Oprah enjoys today did not come easy, however; she had much to overcome. But it's clear to see how her childhood shaped the woman she would become.

Her story begins in 1950s-era Mississippi.

Oprah's Early Life in Mississippi

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her mother, Vernita Lee, was 18 at the time, and her father, Vernon Winfrey , was 20.

When Oprah was very young, Vernita moved north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to find work. She planned to move her young daughter there after securing a job. In the meantime, Oprah stayed on a Mississippi farm with her grandmother Hattie Mae Lee.

Oprah's grandmother encouraged her love of books by teaching her how to read at the age of 3. She started by reading the Bible and soon began speaking at her church. Later, she would recite memorized verses to her grandmother's friends.

When Oprah turned 5, she started kindergarten . Because she already knew how to read and write, she was quickly moved into the first grade.

Oprah's Move to Milwaukee

At 6 years old, Oprah's grandmother became ill. The young girl was sent to live with her mother and half-sister, Patricia, in a Milwaukee boarding house. While Vernita worked as a maid cleaning houses, there were times when she had to rely on welfare to support the family. Her job kept her very busy, and what little free time she did have with her children was mostly spent with Patricia.

After a little over a year in Milwaukee with her mother, Oprah was sent to live with her father and stepmother, Zelma, in Nashville, Tennessee. They were happy to have the 7-year-old living with them because they could not have children of their own. Finally, Oprah could enjoy the experience of having her very own bed and bedroom.

Oprah was enrolled in Wharton Elementary School and allowed to skip a grade once again. The third grader was thrilled that her parents took her to the library and valued her education. The family attended church regularly, and Oprah found more opportunities for public speaking, even at this young age.

After completing third grade, Vernon took his daughter back to Milwaukee to visit her mother. In the time since Oprah had left, Vernita had given birth to a baby boy named Jeffrey. The three children shared a room in the family's two-bedroom apartment.

Vernon returned in the fall to take Oprah back to Nashville, but she chose to stay with her mother and began the fourth grade in Milwaukee. In her mother's absence, Oprah turned to the television for company and had her first thoughts of being famous one day.

Oprah's Experience With Sexual Abuse

Oprah was 9 years old when she was first sexually abused. While babysitting Vernita's children, Oprah's 19-year-old cousin raped her, took her out for ice cream, and told her to keep it a secret. She did, but this would not be the end.

Within the next few years, she would face more abuse from a family friend as well as an uncle. She kept silent about all of it for years.

Gene Abrams, one of Oprah's teachers at Lincoln Middle School in downtown Milwaukee, took notice of her love for reading. He took the time to help her transfer to an all-white school in Glendale, Wisconsin. One might expect that being the only African-American student at Nicolet High School was not easy. However, Oprah later said, "In 1968 it was real hip to know a Black person, so I was very popular."

Oprah was unable to talk about her sexual abuse with her mother, and Vernita offered very little direction to the teenager. As a result, Oprah started to act out. She would skip school, date boys, steal money from her mother, and even run away. Vernita could not handle this behavior for long, so Oprah was sent back to Nashville to live with her father.

When she was just 14, Oprah realized that she was pregnant. She was able to hide this news from her parents until she was seven months along. She went into early labor on the same day she told her father about the pregnancy. She delivered a baby boy, who died within two weeks.

A change came about for 16-year-old Oprah when she first read the autobiography of Maya Angelou , autobiography, " I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ." It transformed the teen's outlook, and she later said, "I read it over and over. I had never before read a book that validated my own existence." Many years later, Dr. Angelou would become one of Oprah's dear friends.

This experience changed her outlook, and she began to get her life back on track. She concentrated on her education and returned to public speaking, a talent that would start to take her places. It began in 1970 when she won a speaking competition at the local Elks' Club. The prize was a four-year college scholarship.

Oprah's First Experience in Journalism

The next year, Oprah was selected to attend the 1971 White House Conference on Youth in Colorado. She represented Tennessee along with one other student. Upon her return, Nashville's WVOL radio station requested an interview with the enthusiastic teenager.

This led to another opportunity when the station asked her to represent them in the Miss Fire Prevention beauty pageant. Oprah became the first African-American to win the competition.

Oprah's first experience in journalism would come from this same radio station. After the beauty pageant, she accepted an offer to hear her voice on tape. The vivacious teenager was no stranger to public speaking , so it was only natural to accept, which led to a part-time position reading the news.

At just 17 years old, Oprah finished out her senior year of high school and remained working at the station. She had already secured a full college scholarship, and her future was bright. She would attend Tennessee State University, be crowned Miss Black Tennessee at 18, and go on to build a successful career in media .

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Oprah Winfrey

At the heart of everything Oprah Winfrey does, there is a consistent message – that individuals should take personal responsibility for their lives, and to improve the world. Winfrey was raised by her grandmother in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Despite having a modest childhood, Winfrey became an industry trailblazer and one of the most notable woman on television to date.

Winfrey is a producer, actress, television icon. She was the first Black American woman to own her own production company. She was nominated for an Academy Award in her first movie, The Color Purple. Winfrey was once television’s highest-paid entertainer as the successful host of a syndicated television talk show that reached 15 million people a day. The Oprah Show lasted for twenty-five seasons.

She does all that she can to eradicate child abuse. As a victim herself, Winfrey knows the damage abuse does to young lives. She was a major force in the drafting, lobbying, and passage of the National Child Protection Act. The Act was signed into law by President Clinton in 1994. The Act establishes a national registry of child abusers to help employers and those working with children to screen out dangerous people.

Winfrey is also a committed philanthropist, providing significant assistance to schools (Morehouse College, Tennessee State University, Chicago Academy of Arts) as well as to the Chicago Public Schools. She also funds battered women’s shelters and campaigns to catch child abusers.

Winfrey launched her television network OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) on January 1, 2011. She is credited for launching the careers of Dr. Oz, Dr.Phil, Nate Berkus,   and Iyanla Vanzant.    

Year Honored: 1994 Birth: 1954 - Born In: Mississippi Achievements: Arts, Business, Philanthropy Worked In: California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, South Africa, United States of America Educated In: Tennessee, United States of America Schools Attended: Tennessee State University

Oprah Winfrey: The Business of Breaking Barriers and Becoming a Billionaire

The name Oprah Winfrey is well recognized throughout the world—it’s become  the  definition of success for a wide range of people, including African Americans, women, and die-hard fans of her popular talk show. 

Her powerful story and entrepreneurial spirit show that  no matter your circumstances in life, drive, ambition, determination, and talent  can  lead to a better future.  She would not let her abusers put a cap on who she’d become. Throughout her long-lasting career, she has inspired others to do the same, teaching them that they have the power to reject how others see them and change the direction of their lives.

Who is Oprah Winfrey?

Suffering a traumatizing childhood.

On January 29, 1954, Oprah Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, a tiny rural town near Jackson, Mississippi. Oprah  grew up in poverty and had a tough childhood.  Because she had a teenage mother, she rarely had a stable place to live. In addition to this, she was molested as a young child by her cousin, uncle, and family friends. Because her family also had no money to buy her nice clothing, Oprah wore dresses made from potato sacks. As a result, kids from her elementary school bullied her.

Finding a Loving Home

At the age of 14, Oprah moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to live with her father, Vernon, who was a veteran, city councilman, and barber. While there is evidence that Vernon is not her biological father, she refers to him as such. Despite their possible lack of relation, Vernon served as a positive influence. “ My father turned my life around, insisting I be more than I was and by believing I could be more ,” she once explained, describing the impact he had on her life. “If I hadn’t been sent to my father, I would have gone in another direction. I could have made a good criminal. I would have used these same instincts differently,” Oprah told The Washington Post in 1986.

Above all, he valued education. When Oprah brought home C’s on her report card, he let her know he would not accept this from her. He told her, “If you were a child who could only get C’s, then that is really all I would expect of you. I wouldn’t demand any more from you than C’s. But you are not. And so in this house, for you, C’s are not acceptable.” Additonally, her stepmother, Zelma, took her to the library every two weeks. Each time she went, she would choose five books to write reports on. When she finished, she would present these to her parents.

Jumpstarting Her Successful Career

Winfrey’s successful career as a famous talk show host did not come overnight. When she was 17, she earned a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. As a freshman in 1972, she became Miss Black Nashville  and  Miss Tennessee, which led to a job offer at WVOL, a local radio station. Furthermore, at 19, she broke records at Nashville’s WTFV-TV, becoming both its first African American and its youngest anchorwoman. This led to a job in Baltimore in 1976, where she co-anchored WJZ-TV’s  Six O’Clock News .

Taking Television to the Next Level

The nationally-syndicated  The Oprah Winfrey Show  began in 1986. Part of Oprah Winfrey’s   popularity came from her vision of the show.  For example, she wanted to offer her viewers something different from the sensational tabloid topics that characterized her competition. Like other hosts, Oprah interviewed celebrity guests and shared interesting stories with her live audience. She also gave real people the opportunity to connect, share their experiences, and educate themselves. 

She and her show were so successful, her influence became known as “The Oprah Effect.” As such, experts, writers, and business owners were often launched into stardom after appearing as a guest. As Dr. Phil once said, “When you get into Oprah’s orbit it doesn’t affect your career, it defines your career.” Because of Oprah, his name, along with Dr. Oz, Suze Orman, Nate Berkus, Gayle King, Rachael Ray, Bob Greene, and Iyanla Vanzant became well-known to millions.

“I’ve talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show, and all 30,000 had one thing in common: They all wanted validation. If I could reach through this television and sit on your sofa or sit on a stool in your kitchen right now, I would tell you that every single person you will ever meet shares that common desire. They want to know: ‘Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you?’ Understanding that one principle, that everybody wants to be heard, has allowed me to hold the microphone for you all these years with the least amount of judgment . . . Try it with your children, your husband, your wife, your boss, your friends. Validate them. ‘I see you. I hear you. And what you say matters to me.'”

Instilling a Love of Reading Into Her Audience

Placing a high value on education, Oprah’s father and stepmother unknowingly started her book club. For instance, as a child, they made her do reports on the books she read every week. “[A]t 9 years old, nobody wants to have to do book reports in addition to what the school is asking you to do, but my father’s insistence that education was the open door to freedom is what allows me to stand here today a free woman,” she explains.

Being an Example of Generosity and Kindness

“[I] learned how good it feels to do something unexpected for someone. Since that time in the late ’70s, I’ve been blessed with the ability to give really great gifts—everything from cashmere sheets to college educations. I’ve given homes. Cars. Trips around the world. The services of a wonderful nanny. But the best gift anyone can give, I believe, is the gift of sharing themselves.”

Oprah’s spirit of giving was most famously captured on  The Oprah Winfrey Show  as  Oprah’s Favorite Things . The segment aired around Thanksgiving each year to tie into the gift-giving season. Oprah not only handpicked and promoted a long list of products that she liked—she gave her audience those items. This included designer bags, clothing, cameras, and tech devices.

Other products Oprah helped launch into stardom include:

Diversifying her career.

“The first time I read that book, I went and got eight more copies for everybody else I knew to read that book . . . I told everyone in the world, ‘I want to be in that movie. I’ll carry water for Steven Spielberg. I’ll hold a script. I’ll do anything.’”

Other notable movies Oprah is in:

How did oprah get so rich, 1. she had a grand vision for her life.

“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe.”

In 1986, she became the first African American woman to own her own production company. She named the multi-level corporation with several subsidiaries Harpo Productions after her character in  The Color Purple . “Harpo” also happens to be “Oprah” spelled backward.

Harpo’s Top Successes

2. she takes on projects that fulfill her purpose.

“I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint—and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you. ”

Oprah’s secret to success is that she tries many different things while staying true to what fulfills her purpose. In an  article  on  Oprah.com , she writes about growing up in rural Mississippi and watching her grandmother do domestic work. She said in her heart that she knew this wouldn’t be her life. “ I wanted to be a teacher. And to be known for inspiring my students to be more than they thought they could be.  I never imagined it would be on TV,” she writes. 

As mentioned above, Oprah’s had a grand vision for life. Aside from the career covered above, she has published several self-help books that align with her purpose. These include  What I Know For Sure  (2014),  The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose  (2019) and  What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing  (2021), which she wrote with Bruce D. Perry. 

3. She Invests in Mission-Based Businesses

“The reason I’ve been able to be so financially successful is my focus has never, ever for one minute been money.”

Oprah is also an investor and invests in businesses that serve a higher purpose. In 2015, she invested $34 million in Weight Watchers (now called WW International). The company supports sustainable weight loss by teaching healthy habits such as nutritional eating and exercise. Five years later, the publicly-traded corporation was worth as much as $430 million. Since Oprah owned about 8% of its stock, her new contract gave her an option to buy an additional 4.3%.  

Most Recent Notable Investments

4. she gives back.

“To move forward you have to give back.”

True to her words, Oprah founded Oprah’s Angel Network in 1998. The organization is made up of celebrities and people around the world who want to help others. It has  raised more than $80 million  that has gone into home and school construction, college scholarships, disaster relief, and life-changing community programs. 

Providing Educational Opportunities

Oprah has donated more than $1 million to the United Negro College Fund and an additional $25 million to schools like Tennessee State University, the Chicago Academy of Arts, and Chicago Public Schools. On the 30th anniversary of Morehouse College, she gave $13 million to the HBCU’s scholarship fund, raising what she’d already given to $25 million.

How Has Oprah Impacted the World in Other Ways?

In 1994, she lobbied for the passage of the National Child Protection Act, loosely known as the “Oprah Bill,” since she initiated it and urged her talk show viewers to support it. Signed into law by President Bill Clinton, the NCPA  requires states to put child abusers, sex offenders, and people charged with felony drug use, arson, or violent crimes into a national database.  Organizations that serve youth, the elderly, and people with disabilities must also use it to request a criminal background check on prospective employees and volunteers. This gives people that work with vulnerable populations the ability to identify and avoid potential dangers. 

Where is Oprah Now?

Oprah’s popularity and legacy continues.

Despite the odds stacked against her, Oprah Winfrey has become  one of the few Black billionaires in North America  through her talk show, acting career, and production company. She has received an honorary degree from Harvard and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. Even this list of accolades doesn’t include her  reputation as the greatest African American philanthropist in history  or the Cecil B. DeMille Award she won in 2018 for her “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.” 

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Oprah Winfrey: Early Life and Education, Notable Accomplishments, and Philanthropy

Ariel Courage is an experienced editor, researcher, and former fact-checker. She has performed editing and fact-checking work for several leading finance publications, including The Motley Fool and Passport to Wall Street.

Oprah Winfrey is a beloved American icon and billionaire reportedly worth $2.8 billion as of the end of 2023. She is a multimedia executive, actress, writer, producer, talk show host, and philanthropist whose reach and success extend to nearly all aspects of media. A self-made success story, Winfrey is the recipient of hundreds of awards, from The People's Choice Award for her talk show to the prestigious  National Civil Rights Museum's Freedom Award in 2005.

Winfrey founded and is chair and CEO of a multimedia production company, Harpo Productions, and founder of O, The Oprah Magazine. She is also a spokeswoman and partial owner of many brands, including WW . Her generous philanthropic work reaches local, national, and global platforms.

Although Oprah Winfrey ended the iconic Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011, her empire continues to thrive and grow. She also continues to do in-depth interviews on primetime television and streaming services, like one-on-one interviews with actress Viola Davis. She also interviewed Prince Harry and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, Megan Markle in 2021.

Key Takeaways

• Oprah Winfrey is a renaissance woman and a self-made billionaire.
• Although the Oprah Winfrey Show ended in 2011, her career has continued to skyrocket.
• She is an experienced talk show host, multimedia executive, actress, producer, and writer.
• Winfrey has won multiple awards in various industries.
• She is a well-known philanthropist and her foundation, the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, has donated $400 million in grants.

Investopedia / Alex Dos Diaz

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on a farm in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on January 29, 1954. Her parents, Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey, separated shortly after she was born. Her maternal grandmother raised her. As a child, she was precocious and learned to read at a very young age. (According to some reports, she learned to read as young as two-and-a-half years old.) When she was six years old, she moved to Milwaukee and lived in a neighborhood steeped in poverty.

Later, at age 12, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee to be raised by her father. As a teenager, she returned to her mother's home in urban Milwaukee. Winfrey has spoken about the sexual and physical abuse she suffered during her early years living in Milwaukee. She moved back and forth between her parents' homes during her teen years.

Winfrey credits her father's guidance and dedication to education for helping her grow into an educated, accomplished young woman, despite her many hardships. She was a star student and won a full scholarship to Tennessee State University.

She won several accolades in college, including being invited to a White House youth conference. She was crowned Miss Fire Prevention, hired to read newscasts at a local radio station, and she won Miss Tennesse and Miss Black Nashville titles. At age 19, Winfrey landed her first television job at WLAC-TV (now WTVF), a CBS station in Nashville, Tennessee.

In 1976, she transferred to WJZ-TV, the ABC affiliate in Baltimore, Maryland. But after struggling to maintain the objectivity required to report news, she defected to a new, morning talk show called People Are Talking , which aired in 1977. Winfrey's casual, improvisational style helped her develop a natural rapport with guests, who felt comfortable telling their personal stories. By the decade's end, the show beat Phil Donahue's program in the local ratings.

In 2001, Winfrey's success became the subject of a University of Illinois college course entitled "Oprah Winfrey, the Tycoon."

Notable Accomplishments and Deeds

In January of 1984, Chicago's ABC affiliate WLS-TV offered Winfrey a 30-minute morning talk show called AM Chicago. Within one year, the show rocketed from last place to the top of the rating heap. In 1986, legendary film critic Roger Ebert encouraged Winfrey to license her show for a national audience through syndication. Her program was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and expanded to one hour in length.

At the age of 32, Winfrey became the first African-American, nationally syndicated television host. That same year, Winfrey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film The Color Purple . She also launched the television production company Harpo Inc., making her the first Black person—and the third woman—to control her own major studio.

Maintaining ownership of her show allowed Winfrey to expand her business endeavors. In 1998, she co-founded Oxygen Media, a programming company. She also laid the foundation for the 2000 publication of O, The Oprah Magazine, co-authored multiple books on diet and exercise, and launched her influential Book Club in 1996.

Winfrey achieved billionaire status in 2003 at age 49. She co-produced a Broadway musical version of The Color Purple , created the Oprah.com website, and launched a 24-hour channel called Oprah Radio on XM Satellite Radio. She continued hosting her talk show until 2011. After ending her talk show, she created (and became the CEO of) OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. In 2015, Oprah bought a 10% equity stake in Weight Watchers International (WTW) and became a spokeswoman for the popular subscription weight loss program.

In 2002, she made TIME magazine's Top 100 list of influential people for the first time. She has now been included on the list 10 times, most recently in 2022.

Winfrey has won hundreds of prestigious honors and awards. She won the prestigious National Civil Rights Museum's Freedom Award in 2005. A longtime political advocate, Winfrey campaigned for President Barack Obama, who subsequently awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. In the same year, she received honorary degrees from Duke and Harvard.

She's won 18 Daytime Emmy Awards—including the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Chairman's Award—two Primetime Emmy Awards—including the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award—a Tony Award, a Peabody Award, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, awarded by the Academy Awards.

In 2018, Winfrey was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 75th annual Golden Globes. During her acceptance speech, Winfrey expounded on sexual harassment issues in Hollywood.

Winfrey is a major philanthropist in the United States and abroad, particularly in South Africa, where she has championed girls' education. She has donated more than $400 million to higher education, including 400 scholarships at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Because of her personal history of abuse—and to help others who've experienced abuse—Winfrey started a campaign for a national database of child abusers in 1991. President Bill Clinton signed what is known as "Oprah's Bill" in December 1993; this bill is the centerpiece of the National Child Protection Act, which created a national registry of convicted child abusers.

In 1987, Winfrey established the Oprah Winfrey Foundation as a way to "support the inspiration, empowerment, and education of women, children, and families around the world." Her life embodies her motto of "intent and service"; she has an unfailing and unflagging commitment to helping those in need. Her foundation has given out thousands of grants to nonprofits that support the safety, empowerment, and education of women, children, and other disadvantaged groups. Her Angel Network has formed partnerships and alliances with other philanthropic groups, such as Paul Newman's nonprofit.

Winfrey committed $12 million to assist vulnerable persons and the communities impacted the most by COVID-19 in March 2020; her contributions helped cities and states where Oprah has lived, including Mississippi, Nashville, Chicago, and Milwaukee.

Is Oprah Winfrey Worth a Billion Dollars?

Yes, Oprah Winfrey is a billionaire whose net worth is estimated to be $2.8 billion at the end of 2023. Winfrey achieved billionaire status in 2003 at age 49. She is considered a self-made millionaire because she started from scratch and built her wealth over time. Although Winfrey is not the richest woman in the world, she is among the richest self-made women, according to Forbes list of America's top 100 list of highest-earning self-made women.

Is Oprah Winfrey Charitable?

Oprah Winfrey is known for her extremely charitable and philanthropic efforts. Since 1987, WInfrey's private charity, the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, has awarded grants to nonprofits that support the inspiration, empowerment, and education of women, children, and families around the world. Winfrey's motto of "intent and service" reflects her commitment to her charitable efforts.

Is the Oprah Winfrey Show Still On?

No, the Oprah Winfrey Show ended in 2011. Winfrey's daytime talk show aired for 25 years. Although she no longer has her talk show, Winfrey has continued to host interviews with high-profile celebrities and public figures, such as Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex in March 2021 and Adele in November 2021.