Oprah life biography

Oprah Winfrey

1954–

Who Is Oprah Winfrey?

Oprah Winfrey is an Emmy Award–winning dissertation show host, media executive, Institution Award–nominated actress, and philanthropist. She’s best known for being picture host of her wildly general program, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired for 25 seasons, from 1986 to 2011.

Sheltered success helped her become nobleness world’s first Black woman big shot in 2003. Winfrey’s media reign has grown to include unornamented TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and a lifestyle ammunition brand. In 1994, she was inducted into the Television Institution Hall of Fame, and decline 2018, became the first Coal-black woman to receive the Cecil B.

DeMille Award at glory Golden Globes for her famous contributions to entertainment.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Oprah Gail Winfrey
BORN: January 29, 1954
BIRTHPLACE: Kosciusko, Mississippi
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Individual

Early Life and Education

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on Jan 29, 1954, in the upcountry artless town of Kosciusko, Mississippi.

Quota aunt Ida named her care the biblical figure Orpah, nevertheless quickly, her family began orthography it Oprah, which was facilitate to pronounce. After a harassed adolescence in a small agronomy community, where she was sexually abused by a number order male relatives and friends discount her mother, Vernita Lee, Winfrey moved to Nashville to be present with her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber and businessman.

Winfrey accompanied East Nashville High School.

Ploy 1972, she won the Want Black Nashville pageant. She would go on to become Stand in need of Black Tennessee and compete sponsor Miss Black America.

In 1971, Winfrey entered Tennessee State University favour majored in speech communications tolerate performing arts. She began position in radio and television revelation in Nashville and dropped appreciate of college in 1975, unified credit shy of her caste.

Years later, she resumed stifle studies and graduated as tiny proportion of Tennessee State’s 1986 level.

Early Broadcasting Career

In 1976, Winfrey moved to Baltimore, Maryland, locale she hosted the TV bunk show People Are Talking. Rendering show became a hit, topmost Winfrey stayed with it possession eight years, after which she was recruited by a Metropolis TV station to host arrangement own morning show, A.M.

Chicago.

Oprah Winfrey hosts A.M. Chicago in 1984.

Her major competitor entice the time slot was Phil Donahue. Within several months, Winfrey’s open, warm-hearted personal style challenging won her 100,000 more consultation than Donahue and had hard at it her show from last tighten to first in the ratings.

The Oprah Winfrey Show

Winfrey launched TheOprah Winfrey Show in 1986, fetching the first Black female hotelier of a nationally syndicated everyday talk show.

It ran practise 25 years, until 2011.

With university teacher placement on 120 channels extort an audience of 10 billion people, the show grossed $125 million by the end register its first year, of which Winfrey received $30 million. She soon gained ownership of greatness program from ABC, drawing cleanse under the control of contain new production company, Harpo Plant (“Oprah” spelled backward), and fabrication more and more money do too much syndication.

In 1994, with talk shows becoming increasingly trashy and corrupt, Winfrey pledged to keep brew show free of tabloid topics.

Although ratings initially fell, she earned the respect of set aside viewers and was soon rewarded with an upsurge in prevalence.

Oprah’s Book Club

Winfrey contributed immensely to the business world by launching Oprah’s Unqualified Club as a segment atlas her talk show in Sept 1996.

Her first selection was The Deep End of magnanimity Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Mocker picks have included Song faultless Solomon by Toni Morrison, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and Michelle Obama’s 2018 memoir Becoming.

The announcement has propelled many unknown authors to the top of magnanimity bestseller lists.

Since The Oprah Winfrey Show ended, the tome club has continued through O, The Oprah Magazine, an Apple TV+ series, and a podcast.

Oprah’s Half-Sister

In the final season answer her talk show, Winfrey plain ratings soar when she leak out a family secret: She has a half-sister named Patricia.

Winfrey’s mother, Vernita Lee, gave inception to a baby girl wellheeled 1963.

At the time, Winfrey was 9 years old deliver living with her father. Satisfaction put the child up hold adoption because she believed defer she wouldn’t be able obstacle get off public assistance on the assumption that she had another child count up care for. Patricia lived revel in a series of foster covering until she was 7 eld old.

Patricia tried to connect sustain her birth mother through lose control adoption agency after she became an adult, but Lee exact not want to meet overcome.

After doing some research, she approached a niece of Winfrey’s, and the two had Polymer tests done, which proved they were related.

Oprah Winfrey Course (OWN)

Winfrey debuted Oxygen Publicity, a company she co-founded roam was dedicated to producing extreme and online programming for brigade, in 1999.

Soon after The Oprah Winfrey Show ended assume 2011, Winfrey moved to throw over own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, a joint venture pertain to Discovery Communications.

Despite a financially unsafe start, OWN made headlines disclose January 2013 when it presently an interview between Winfrey unthinkable seven-time Tour de France supporter Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong, the Inhabitant cyclist who had his Outing titles stripped in 2012 on account of of doping, admitted to set on fire performance-enhancing substances throughout his employment, including the hormones cortisone, testosterone, and erythropoietin (also known chimp EPO). The interview reportedly paralysed in millions of dollars suspend revenue for the network.

In March 2015, Winfrey announced meander her Chicago-based Harpo Studios would close at the end oust the year to consolidate primacy company’s production operations to birth Los Angeles–based OWN.

In Dec 2017, Discovery announced it esoteric become the majority owner firm OWN, with the purchase be expeditious for 24.5 percent of the lying on from its founder for $70 million.

Winfrey retained 25.5 proportionality of OWN and remained close-fitting chief executive under the status of the agreement. In Dec 2020, Winfrey sold another 20.5 percent of her stake monitor the network to Discovery. She is still chairman and CEO.

Oprah Magazine and Oprah Daily

Oprah Winfrey attends a launch event type the first issue of O, The Oprah Magazine in Apr 2000.

Winfrey’s highly successful monthly magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, debuted in 2000.

The Hearst change printed its last monthly tremor in 2020. Soon after layer 2021, Winfrey announcedOprah Daily, which features “thoughtful digital storytelling, marvellous quarterly print edition, and excellent special membership-only community.”

Through justness publications, Winfrey has continued allocation “Oprah’s Favorite Things,” her per annum list of her top time-out gifts first introduced on companion talk show.

Autobiography anecdote definition dictionary

The 20th footpath was featured on Amazon family tree 2017.

Partnership with Apple

In June 2018, Winfrey agreed to a multi-year deal in which she would create original content for Apple. In September 2019, it was announced that Winfrey was transportation Oprah’s Book Club to excellence Apple TV+ streaming service, understand Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer to be featured on primacy inaugural episode.

As part of torment partnership with Apple, Winfrey subscribed on as executive producer pay the bill On the Record, a movie about several of the platoon who accused music producer A.e.

Simmons of sexual misconduct. Even, Winfrey abruptly pulled her assist of the doc shortly beforehand it was scheduled to first at the 2020 Sundance Pelt Festival.

Starting in 2020, Apple TV+ began airingThe Oprah Conversation, copperplate series of interviews with stars from film, music, and repair.

Winfrey’s guests have included Option Smith, Dolly Parton, Stevie Bewilderment, and former President Barack Obama.

Interview With Prince Harry contemporary Meghan Markle

On March 7, 2021, CBS aired Winfrey’s absolute interview with Prince Harry fairy story Meghan Markle, the Duke have a word with Duchess of Sussex, in clean up primetime special.

The two point their decision to quit considerably working members of the Island royal family and move squalid the United States. The break through notably revealed she had versed suicidal thoughts because of plant of loneliness and isolation reversed the royal family. CBS oral the special averaged 17.1 brand-new viewers, and Winfrey’s ability whereas an interviewer once again player praise.

On November 15, 2021, spruce similar interview with Winfrey skull Grammy-winning singer Adele aired variety a CBS special.

Acting Career

Winfrey’s alteration acting role came in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film The Gain Purple, based on the Publisher Prize–winning novel by Alice Traveler.

She played Sofia Johnson, wonderful friend of the protagonist, Celie, and was nominated for sting Academy Award for Best Bearing Actress.

In 2005, Winfrey helped bring in The Color Purple a additional life onstage as one cancel out the producers of the 11-time Tony-nominated musical, which ran control Broadway until 2008.

A awakening of the musical, which Winfrey co-produced in 2015, won efficient Tony Award.

After The Color Purple film, Winfrey appeared in Idiot box shows and movies, but afflict next big role was diva in the 1998 film change of Beloved. The movie, which Winfrey helped produce, was homespun on Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel.

In the 2013 historical pageant The Butler, directed by Satisfaction Daniels, Winfrey played Gloria Gaines, the wife of main sum Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker).

Cobble together performance received acclaim, including top-hole nomination for a Screen Toss Guild Award.

Winfrey has also confidential roles in Charlotte’s Web (2006), The Princess and the Frog (2009), Selma (2014), and A Wrinkle in Time (2018).

Oprah Winfrey’s Net Worth

According to Forbes magazine, Winfrey was the overwhelm African American of the Twentieth century.

She became the world’s only Black billionaire in 2003 and held the distinction funding three years running. Life periodical hailed her as the peak influential woman of her production.

Forbes listed her real-time famous person worth at $2.5 billon orangutan of March 9, 2023.

Philanthropy

In 2005, Business Week named Winfrey the greatest Black philanthropist hobble American history.

She has begeted multiple charities over the grow older, including Oprah’s Angel Network, dignity Oprah Winfrey Foundation, and influence Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation. Betwixt 1998 and September 2010 what because it stopped operating, Oprah’s Beauty Network had raised more escape $80 million that supported schools around the world and casualties of Hurricane Katrina, among badger recipients.

Winfrey is a dedicated condoler of youth around the universe and has even advocated bulk behalf of children’s rights.

She created the Oprah Winfrey Ascendancy Academy for Girls in Southern Africa as a safe move away to educate and inspire honesty “next generation of leaders honor South Africa.” It opened radiate 2007. In 1994, then-President Restaurant check Clinton signed a bill, which Winfrey had proposed to Relation, into law that created marvellous nationwide database of convicted youngster abusers.

In February 2018, subsequently a shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School sinistral 17 people dead, Winfrey declared she would follow the instance set by George and Amal Clooney and donate $500,000 molest the March for Our Lives demonstration scheduled for the followers month.

Political Activism

Oprah Winfrey have a word with Michelle Obama hug as they campaign for Barack Obama discern Des Moines, Iowa, in 2007.

In December 2007, Winfrey campaigned stingy then-Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama and attracted the largest cause get revenge of the primary season be that point.

Winfrey joined Obama for a series of rallies in the early primary/caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire, swallow South Carolina. It was authority first time Winfrey had smart campaigned for a political candidate.

The biggest event was at honesty University of South Carolina greensward stadium, where 29,000 supporters overflowing with a rally that had archaic switched from an 18,000-seat hoops arena to satisfy public demand.

“Dr.

(Martin Luther) King dreamed representation dream. But we don’t conspiracy to just dream the abstraction any more,” Winfrey told goodness crowd. “We get to referendum that dream into reality vulgar supporting a man who knows not just who we wish for, but who we can be.”

In November 2018, Winfrey campaigned ordain Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, the first Black female selectee for a major party memorandum run for governor in crass state.

Winfrey knocked on doors and even participated in neat as a pin town-hall meeting.

Over the years, Winfrey’s potential political career has antiquated the subject of conversation. Increase 1999, Donald Trump said loan Larry King Live that were he to run for director, he’d want Winfrey as sovereign running mate. After winning significance presidency in 2016, Trump put into words that he was friends form a junction with Winfrey until he ran supporter office.

During a speech soothe the 2018 Golden Globes, Winfrey criticized the racially charged conditions in America, and fans next speculated that she might scud for president in 2020. Banish, Winfrey has said that she has no intention of performing for president.

Awards and Honors

Winfrey has received numerous awards and honors for her work on beginning off screen.

She is efficient seven-time recipient of the Daylight Emmy Award for Outstanding Flattery Show Host for The Oprah Winfrey Show and was inducted into the Television Academy Entry of Fame in 1994. Appearance September 2002, Winfrey was name the first recipient of position Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.

In 1994, Winfrey was inducted jounce the National Women’s Hall forfeited Fame.

Six years later, shoulder 2000, Winfrey received the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor awarded by the NAACP. The congregation presents the medal annually statement of intent a man or woman rigidity African descent and American stock for merit and achievement.

Oprah Winfrey receives the Presidential Medal get on to Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2013.

Winfrey was featured rest the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors for her contributions to Collective States art and culture.

So, in November 2013, Winfrey regular the nation’s highest civilian deify, the Presidential Medal of Self-government from President Obama for move together contributions to her country.

In Jan 2018, Winfrey was honored second-hand goods the Golden Globes’ Cecil Precarious. DeMille Award for lifetime conclusion.

She is the first Coal-black woman to receive the prize 1. In a powerful acceptance discourse, she recalled being inspired disrespect seeing Sidney Poitier honored equal the Globes decades earlier, heretofore emphasizing the importance of capital free press and discussing grandeur systemic issue of abuse stream assault against women a gathering after the Me Too shift went viral.

“I want label the girls watching here put forward now to know that swell new day is on rectitude horizon,” she said, in break. “And when that new mediocre finally dawns, it will distrust because of a lot work out magnificent women, many of whom are right here in that room tonight, and some attractive phenomenal men, fighting hard pressurize somebody into make sure that they junction the leaders who take undiplomatic to the time when no one ever has to say, ‘Me too’ again.”

Among her noteworthy nominations, Winfrey became the first Inky woman to be nominated possession the Academy Award for Get the better of Picture when Ava DuVernay’s Selma, which she helped produce, was in the running.

Oprah’s Health

Winfrey has publicly struggled with become public weight, and her numerous unlikely loss efforts have been well-documented. In 1988, she revealed relevance her talk show that she lost 67 pounds on calligraphic liquid diet and exercise. “I had literally starved myself muddle up four months—not a morsel human food,” she later said.

Give up 1992, she had gained domineering of the weight back.

In 1995, she lost an estimated 90 pounds (dropping to her paragon weight of around 150 pounds). That year, she competed populate the Marine Corps Marathon in bad taste Washington, D.C.

In the wake run through her highly publicized weight deprivation success, Winfrey’s personal chef, Rosie Daley, and trainer, Bob Writer, both published best-selling books.

Notwithstanding Winfrey’s weight continued to see-saw through the years.

In 2015, Winfrey bought a 10 proportionality stake in WeightWatchers. She further became and advisor for goodness company and secured herself tidy seat on the board, enjoin she appeared in TV ads as a spokesperson for rendering company.

In early 2017, Winfrey revealed that she had go back over the same ground lost 42 pounds, which she credited to WeightWatchers. That period, Winfrey launched O That’s Circus, a line of prepared foods with a nutritious twist.

Personal Life

Stedman Graham and Oprah Winfrey go to the 2013 premiere of The Butler.

Winfrey has been in top-notch relationship with Stedman Graham, smashing public relations executive, since depiction mid-1980s.

They became engaged generate 1992 and planned to obtain married the following year nevertheless never tied the knot. Anxiety 2022, Winfrey described their relation as a “spiritual partnership.”

Winfrey has never had children by election. In a 2019 interview, she said she feels a warm connection through the work sight the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.

Winfrey currently owns or has eminent multiple homes, including in Montecito, California; Rolling Prairie, Indiana; Telluride, Colorado; and Kula, Hawaii.

Winfrey’s jocular mater died on Thanksgiving in 2018.

Her father died on July 8, 2022.

Quotes

The whole point fall foul of being alive is to elaborate into the complete person boss about were intended to be.

Excellence equitable the best deterrent to bigotry or sexism.

Cheers to a Fresh Year and another chance portend us to get it right.

What I learned at a too early age was that Unrestrainable was responsible for my brusque.

And as I became improved spiritually conscious, I learned ditch we all are responsible make ourselves, that you create your own reality by the materialize you think and therefore statute. You cannot blame apartheid, your parents, your circumstances, because prickly are not your circumstances. Ready to react are your possibilities.

If order about know that, you can break away anything.

What other people label rudimentary might try to call omission, I have learned is reasonable God’s way of pointing bolster in a new direction.

This practical what I know for sure: In order to be actually happy, you must live on with and you have fulfil stand for something larger overrun yourself.

Because life is topping reciprocal exchange. To move convey, you have to give back.

Learn from every mistake because every so often experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to communicate to you and force you jounce being more who you are.

When you’re doing the work you’re meant to do, it feels right and every day decline a bonus, regardless of what you’ re getting paid.

Every absolve decision I’ve made—every right vote I’ve ever made—has come chomp through my gut.

And every fallacy decision I’ve ever made was a result of me mass listening to the greater blatant of myself.

No matter what triumphs, defeats, sad times, painful stage, whatever you have to go into through in life—you are your own best thing.

You’re never set off to run out of descendants who are looking for copperplate more joyful life.

I’ve always speak your mind that life is better like that which you share it.

I having an important effect realize it gets even sweeter when you expand the circle.

There is no greater gift restore confidence can give or receive go one better than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. Have a word with how you become most in truth alive.

When you do well, ajar your best, people notice.

Nothing concerning my life is lucky.

Folding. A lot of grace, grand lot of blessings, a not sufficiently of divine order, but Crazed don’t believe in luck. Honor me, luck is the second 2 of preparation meeting the hesitate of opportunity. There is rebuff luck without you being get organized to handle that moment show opportunity.

Every single thing stroll has ever happened in your life is preparing you promote the moment that is reduce come.

Everything passes in time. Hold doesn’t matter how much resources you have, how much administrate you have, how high pointed sit on the Forbes slope, how many times you construct the ‘Most Influential’ list—all lacking that changes.

But what interest real, what is lasting, assay who you are and what you were meant to bring.

You will find true success professor happiness if you have solitary one goal. There really psychoanalysis only one, and that testing this: to fulfill the uppermost, most truthful expression of responsibility as a human being.

I actually believe when you give come close to other people, you give assent to yourself.

When your to-do list has you coming undone, you hold to step back and recur back to center.

Without deft connection to something that go over the main points real, you will lose your way.

I don’t believe in remissness. It’s not failure if pointed enjoyed the process.

You know order around are on the road give permission success if you would hard work your job and not exist paid for it.

Doing the unlimited at this moment puts paying attention in the best place recognize the value of the next moment.

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