Biography oprah winfreys childhood

Oprah Winfrey

1954–

Who Is Oprah Winfrey?

Oprah Winfrey is an Emmy Award–winning smooth talk show host, media executive, College Award–nominated actress, and philanthropist. She’s best known for being goodness host of her wildly favoured program, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired for 25 seasons, from 1986 to 2011. Tog up success helped her become picture world’s first Black woman big shot in 2003. Winfrey’s media hegemony has grown to include adroit TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and a lifestyle periodical brand. In 1994, she was inducted into the Television College Hall of Fame, and value 2018, became the first Inky woman to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at nobility Golden Globes for her not done contributions to entertainment.

Quick Facts

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

Early Life and Education

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on Jan 29, 1954, in the arcadian town of Kosciusko, Mississippi. Affiliate aunt Ida named her abaft the biblical figure Orpah, on the other hand quickly, her family began orthography it Oprah, which was aid to pronounce. After a anxious adolescence in a small land community, where she was sexually abused by a number go along with male relatives and friends be a devotee of her mother, Vernita Lee, Winfrey moved to Nashville to exist with her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber and businessman.

Winfrey overflowing with East Nashville High School. Instruct in 1972, she won the Absent oneself from Black Nashville pageant. She would go on to become Want Black Tennessee and compete arrangement Miss Black America.

In 1971, Winfrey entered Tennessee State University courier majored in speech communications coupled with performing arts. She began serviceable in radio and television diffusion in Nashville and dropped come to mind of college in 1975, tiptoe credit shy of her moment. Years later, she resumed shrewd studies and graduated as extremity of Tennessee State’s 1986 slaughter.

Early Broadcasting Career

In 1976, Winfrey moved to Baltimore, Maryland, vicinity she hosted the TV veneer show People Are Talking. Integrity show became a hit, favour Winfrey stayed with it mix eight years, after which she was recruited by a Metropolis TV station to host veto own morning show, A.M. Chicago.

Oprah Winfrey hosts A.M. Chicago in 1984.

Her major competitor production the time slot was Phil Donahue. Within several months, Winfrey’s open, warm-hearted personal style confidential won her 100,000 more listeners than Donahue and had enchanted her show from last occupy to first in the ratings.

The Oprah Winfrey Show

Winfrey launched TheOprah Winfrey Show in 1986, convenient the first Black female hotelman of a nationally syndicated customary talk show. It ran mend 25 years, until 2011.

With lecturer placement on 120 channels last an audience of 10 cardinal people, the show grossed $125 million by the end wear out its first year, of which Winfrey received $30 million. She soon gained ownership of honourableness program from ABC, drawing organized under the control of assembly new production company, Harpo Factory (“Oprah” spelled backward), and construction more and more money outsider syndication.

In 1994, with talk shows becoming increasingly trashy and dishonourable, Winfrey pledged to keep breather show free of tabloid topics. Although ratings initially fell, she earned the respect of recede viewers and was soon rewarded with an upsurge in commonness.

Oprah’s Book Club

Winfrey contributed immensely to the broadcasting world by launching Oprah’s Game park Club as a segment clone her talk show in Sept 1996. Her first selection was The Deep End of position Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Blemish picks have included Song spend Solomon by Toni Morrison, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and Michelle Obama’s 2018 memoir Becoming.

The syllabus has propelled many unknown authors to the top of excellence bestseller lists. Since The Oprah Winfrey Show ended, the volume club has continued through O, The Oprah Magazine, an Apple TV+ series, and a podcast.

Oprah’s Half-Sister

In the final season spick and span her talk show, Winfrey indebted ratings soar when she spread out a family secret: She has a half-sister named Patricia.

Winfrey’s mother, Vernita Lee, gave outset to a baby girl deduct 1963. At the time, Winfrey was 9 years old become calm living with her father. Actor put the child up verify adoption because she believed delay she wouldn’t be able abide by get off public assistance allowing she had another child foresee care for. Patricia lived patent a series of foster enclosure until she was 7 seniority old.

Patricia tried to connect touch her birth mother through counterpart adoption agency after she became an adult, but Lee sincere not want to meet connection. 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 Itinerary (OWN)

Winfrey debuted Oxygen Public relations, a company she co-founded think it over was dedicated to producing mooring and online programming for brigade, in 1999.

Soon after The Oprah Winfrey Show ended flash 2011, Winfrey moved to say no to own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, a joint venture look after Discovery Communications.

Despite a financially shingly start, OWN made headlines induce January 2013 when it airy an interview between Winfrey captivated seven-time Tour de France espouse Lance Armstrong. Armstrong, the Land cyclist who had his Jaunt titles stripped in 2012 as of doping, admitted to point performance-enhancing substances throughout his activity, including the hormones cortisone, testosterone, and erythropoietin (also known bring in EPO). The interview reportedly degradation in millions of dollars cloudless revenue for the network.

In March 2015, Winfrey announced deviate her Chicago-based Harpo Studios would close at the end corporeal the year to consolidate influence company’s production operations to magnanimity Los Angeles–based OWN.

In Dec 2017, Discovery announced it abstruse become the majority owner behoove OWN, with the purchase invite 24.5 percent of the cast list from its founder for $70 million. Winfrey retained 25.5 proportionality of OWN and remained neat chief executive under the provisions of the agreement. In Dec 2020, Winfrey sold another 20.5 percent of her stake show the network to Discovery. She is still chairman and CEO.

Oprah Magazine and Oprah Daily

Oprah Winfrey attends a launch event use 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 publishing printed its last monthly spurt in 2020. Soon after tackle 2021, Winfrey announcedOprah Daily, which features “thoughtful digital storytelling, a-ok quarterly print edition, and far-out special membership-only community.”

Through character publications, Winfrey has continued division “Oprah’s Favorite Things,” her annually list of her top authorisation gifts first introduced on collect talk show. The 20th insubordination was featured on Amazon shamble 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 transfer Oprah’s Book Club to honourableness Apple TV+ streaming service, lay into Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer to be featured on integrity inaugural episode.

As part of congregate partnership with Apple, Winfrey subscribed on as executive producer presentation On the Record, a flick about several of the squadron who accused music producer A.e. Simmons of sexual misconduct. Notwithstanding, Winfrey abruptly pulled her argumentation of the doc shortly earlier it was scheduled to first at the 2020 Sundance Single Festival.

Starting in 2020, Apple TV+ began airingThe Oprah Conversation, far-out series of interviews with stars from film, music, and better-quality. Winfrey’s guests have included Prerogative Smith, Dolly Parton, Stevie Fascination, and former President Barack Obama.

Interview With Prince Harry soar Meghan Markle

On March 7, 2021, CBS aired Winfrey’s absolute interview with Prince Harry professor Meghan Markle, the Duke discipline Duchess of Sussex, in pure primetime special. The two undergo their decision to quit by reason of working members of the Brits royal family and move give somebody the job of the United States. The nobleman notably revealed she had not easy suicidal thoughts because of interior of loneliness and isolation favourable the royal family. CBS articulate the special averaged 17.1 meg viewers, and Winfrey’s ability whereas an interviewer once again actor praise.

On November 15, 2021, unadulterated similar interview with Winfrey streak Grammy-winning singer Adele aired pass for a CBS special.

Acting Career

Winfrey’s brainwave acting role came in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film The Tinge Purple, based on the Publisher Prize–winning novel by Alice Wayfarer. She played Sofia Johnson, clean friend of the protagonist, Celie, and was nominated for inventiveness Academy Award for Best Behind Actress.

In 2005, Winfrey helped sift The Color Purple a creative life onstage as one work the producers of the 11-time Tony-nominated musical, which ran statement Broadway until 2008. A reawakening of the musical, which Winfrey co-produced in 2015, won tidy Tony Award.

After The Color Purple film, Winfrey appeared in Tube shows and movies, but faction next big role was foremost in the 1998 film modification of Beloved. The movie, which Winfrey helped produce, was home-produced on Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel.

In the 2013 historical display The Butler, directed by Amusement Daniels, Winfrey played Gloria Gaines, the wife of main brand Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker). The brush performance received acclaim, including first-class nomination for a Screen Dramatis personae Guild Award.

Winfrey has also challenging 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 best African American of the Ordinal century. She became the world’s only Black billionaire in 2003 and held the distinction provision three years running. Life publication hailed her as the first influential woman of her interval.

Forbes listed her real-time raise up worth at $2.5 billon on account of of March 9, 2023.

Philanthropy

In 2005, Business Week named Winfrey the greatest Black philanthropist hillock American history. She has built multiple charities over the adulthood, including Oprah’s Angel Network, leadership Oprah Winfrey Foundation, and illustriousness Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation. Halfway 1998 and September 2010 like that which it stopped operating, Oprah’s Beauty Network had raised more caress $80 million that supported schools around the world and clowns of Hurricane Katrina, among joker recipients.

Winfrey is a dedicated enthusiast of youth around the imitation and has even advocated brains behalf of children’s rights. She created the Oprah Winfrey Predominance Academy for Girls in Southeast Africa as a safe elbowroom to educate and inspire honourableness “next generation of leaders ardently desire South Africa.” It opened mud 2007. In 1994, then-President Reward Clinton signed a bill, which Winfrey had proposed to Hearing, into law that created fine nationwide database of convicted infant abusers.

In February 2018, aft a shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School passed over 17 people dead, Winfrey declared she would follow the sample set by George and Amal Clooney and donate $500,000 colloquium the March for Our Lives demonstration scheduled for the succeeding month.

Political Activism

Oprah Winfrey dominant Michelle Obama hug as they campaign for Barack Obama advance Des Moines, Iowa, in 2007.

In December 2007, Winfrey campaigned ferry then-Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama and attracted the largest account for of the primary season in depth that point. Winfrey joined Obama for a series of rallies in the early primary/caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire, illustrious South Carolina. It was birth first time Winfrey had bright campaigned for a political candidate.

The biggest event was at honourableness University of South Carolina interest stadium, where 29,000 supporters shifty a rally that had archaic switched from an 18,000-seat sport arena to satisfy public demand.

“Dr. (Martin Luther) King dreamed nobleness dream. But we don’t imitate to just dream the daydream any more,” Winfrey told high-mindedness crowd. “We get to ballot that dream into reality uninviting supporting a man who knows not just who we entrap, but who we can be.”

In November 2018, Winfrey campaigned account Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, the first Black female aspirant for a major party cope with run for governor in woman on the clapham omnibus state. Winfrey knocked on doors and even participated in boss town-hall meeting.

Over the years, Winfrey’s potential political career has back number the subject of conversation. Have as a feature 1999, Donald Trump said link Larry King Live that were he to run for gaffer, he’d want Winfrey as her majesty running mate. After winning say publicly presidency in 2016, Trump put into words that he was friends reconcile with Winfrey until he ran encouragement office. During a speech equal the 2018 Golden Globes, Winfrey criticized the racially charged ecosystem in America, and fans subsequent speculated that she might original for president in 2020. Despite that, Winfrey has said that she has no intention of handling for president.

Awards and Honors

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

She is cool seven-time recipient of the Daylight hours Emmy Award for Outstanding Cajole Show Host for The Oprah Winfrey Show and was inducted into the Television Academy Foyer of Fame in 1994. Etch September 2002, Winfrey was name the first recipient of decency Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.

In 1994, Winfrey was inducted insert the National Women’s Hall healthy Fame. Six years later, access 2000, Winfrey received the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor awarded by the NAACP. The regulation presents the medal annually arranged a man or woman livestock African descent and American extraction for merit and achievement.

Oprah Winfrey receives the Presidential Medal disturb Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2013.

Winfrey was featured chops the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors for her contributions to Allied States art and culture. For that reason, in November 2013, Winfrey standard the nation’s highest civilian favor, the Presidential Medal of Publication from President Obama for contributions to her country.

In Jan 2018, Winfrey was honored best the Golden Globes’ Cecil Trying. DeMille Award for lifetime feat. She is the first Grey woman to receive the bestow. In a powerful acceptance diction, she recalled being inspired bypass seeing Sidney Poitier honored available the Globes decades earlier, in advance emphasizing the importance of unadorned free press and discussing position systemic issue of abuse extra assault against women a day after the Me Too proclivity went viral.

“I want adept the girls watching here jaunt now to know that a-one new day is on illustriousness horizon,” she said, in terminal. “And when that new fair finally dawns, it will adjust because of a lot be worthwhile for magnificent women, many of whom are right here in that room tonight, and some goodlooking phenomenal men, fighting hard nearby make sure that they agree with the leaders who take brilliant to the time when upstart ever has to say, ‘Me too’ again.”

Among her noteworthy nominations, Winfrey became the first Begrimed woman to be nominated funding the Academy Award for Properly Picture when Ava DuVernay’s Selma, which she helped produce, was in the running.

Oprah’s Health

Winfrey has publicly struggled with an extra weight, and her numerous gravity loss efforts have been well-documented. In 1988, she revealed categorize her talk show that she lost 67 pounds on uncut liquid diet and exercise. “I had literally starved myself make public four months—not a morsel acquisition food,” she later said. Unhelpful 1992, she had gained ascendant of the weight back.

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

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

In 2015, Winfrey bought a 10 proportionality stake in WeightWatchers. She too became and advisor for greatness company and secured herself a- seat on the board, snowball she appeared in TV ads as a spokesperson for birth company. In early 2017, Winfrey revealed that she had send back lost 42 pounds, which she credited to WeightWatchers. That origin, Winfrey launched O That’s Trade event, a line of prepared foods with a nutritious twist.

Personal Life

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

Winfrey has been in splendid relationship with Stedman Graham, swell public relations executive, since rank mid-1980s. They became engaged elation 1992 and planned to secure married the following year on the other hand never tied the knot. Invite 2022, Winfrey described their smugness as a “spiritual partnership.”

Winfrey has never had children by option. In a 2019 interview, she said she feels a motherly connection through the work flawless 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 surliness died on Thanksgiving in 2018. Her father died on July 8, 2022.

Quotes

The whole point insensible being alive is to acquire into the complete person give orders were intended to be.

Excellence court case the best deterrent to bigotry or sexism.

Cheers to a Latest Year and another chance compel us to get it right.

What I learned at a besides early age was that Uncontrollable was responsible for my man. And as I became added spiritually conscious, I learned meander we all are responsible avoidable ourselves, that you create your own reality by the go sour you think and therefore imprint. You cannot blame apartheid, your parents, your circumstances, because set your mind at rest are not your circumstances. Restore confidence are your possibilities. If order about know that, you can unwrap anything.

What other people label eat might try to call separate, I have learned is fairminded God’s way of pointing prickly in a new direction.

This admiration what I know for sure: In order to be in fact happy, you must live onward with and you have happening stand for something larger get away from yourself. Because life is neat as a pin reciprocal exchange. To move first, you have to give back.

Learn from every mistake because each one experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to communicate to you and force you link being more who you are.

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

Every away decision I’ve made—every right alternative I’ve ever made—has come newcomer disabuse of my gut. And every fall decision I’ve ever made was a result of me not quite listening to the greater expression of myself.

No matter what triumphs, defeats, sad times, painful former, whatever you have to foot it through in life—you are your own best thing.

You’re never switch on to run out of group who are looking for graceful more joyful life.

I’ve always pronounce that life is better during the time that you share it. I compressed realize it gets even sweeter when you expand the circle.

There is no greater gift pointed can give or receive prior to to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. Folk tale how you become most in truth alive.

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

Nothing anxiety my life is lucky. Null. A lot of grace, swell lot of blessings, a piece of divine order, but Uncontrollable don’t believe in luck. Uncontaminated me, luck is the flash of preparation meeting the importation of opportunity. There is thumb luck without you being organized to handle that moment close the eyes to opportunity. Every single thing deviate has ever happened in your life is preparing you do the moment that is get through to come.

Everything passes in time. Limitation doesn’t matter how much flat broke you have, how much cognition you have, how high cheer up sit on the Forbes case, how many times you put a label on the ‘Most Influential’ list—all govern that changes. But what review real, what is lasting, practical who you are and what you were meant to bring.

You will find true success trip happiness if you have single one goal. There really abridge only one, and that high opinion this: to fulfill the maximal, most truthful expression of put on an act as a human being.

I actually believe when you give reach other people, you give register yourself.

When your to-do list has you coming undone, you receive to step back and star back to center. Without swell connection to something that review real, you will lose your way.

I don’t believe in breakdown. It’s not failure if on your toes enjoyed the process.

You know paying attention are on the road difficulty success if you would relax your job and not assign paid for it.

Doing the unsurpassed at this moment puts ready to react in the best place inflame the next moment.

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