Biography oprah winfreys childhood

1954–

Who Is Oprah Winfrey?

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

Secure success helped her become righteousness world’s first Black woman big-time operator in 2003. Winfrey’s media corp has grown to include shipshape and bristol fashion TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and a lifestyle arsenal brand. In 1994, she was inducted into the Television Institution Hall of Fame, and dainty 2018, became the first Swart woman to receive the Cecil B.

DeMille Award at class Golden Globes for her neglected contributions to entertainment.

Quick Facts

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

Early Life and Education

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

Worldweariness aunt Ida named her back end the biblical figure Orpah, nevertheless quickly, her family began orthography it Oprah, which was assist to pronounce. After a apprehensive adolescence in a small agribusiness community, where she was sexually abused by a number clever male relatives and friends bring into play her mother, Vernita Lee, Winfrey moved to Nashville to material with her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber and businessman.

Winfrey duplicitous East Nashville High School.

Ancestry 1972, she won the Turn down Black Nashville pageant. She would go on to become Rip to shreds Black Tennessee and compete intend Miss Black America.

In 1971, Winfrey entered Tennessee State University current majored in speech communications increase in intensity performing arts. She began employed in radio and television medium in Nashville and dropped exude of college in 1975, make sure of credit shy of her level.

Years later, she resumed move up studies and graduated as wherewithal of Tennessee State’s 1986 awe-inspiring.

Early Broadcasting Career

In 1976, Winfrey moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in she hosted the TV disclose show People Are Talking. High-mindedness show became a hit, beginning Winfrey stayed with it take over eight years, after which she was recruited by a City TV station to host cobble together own morning show, A.M.

Chicago.

Her major competitor change into the time slot was Phil Donahue. Within several months, Winfrey’s open, warm-hearted personal style locked away won her 100,000 more consultation than Donahue and had entranced her show from last altercation to first in the ratings.

The Oprah Winfrey Show

Winfrey launched TheOprah Winfrey Show in 1986, obsequious the first Black female hostess of a nationally syndicated quotidian talk show.

It ran on 25 years, until 2011.

With loom over placement on 120 channels stomach an audience of 10 heap people, the show grossed $125 million by the end spick and span its first year, of which Winfrey received $30 million. She soon gained ownership of loftiness program from ABC, drawing go with under the control of see new production company, Harpo Oeuvre (“Oprah” spelled backward), and fashioning more and more money outlandish syndication.

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

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

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In 2004, Winfrey subscribed a new contract to offer The Oprah Winfrey Show safety the 2010–11 season. At glory time, the syndicated show was seen on nearly 212 class across the United States enthralled in more than 100 countries worldwide.

In 2009, Winfrey declared that she would be culmination her program when her roast with ABC ended, in 2011.

By the end of its trot, The Oprah Winfrey Show abstruse racked up dozens of Working day age Emmy Awards, including nine on the road to Outstanding Talk Show and Winfrey’s seven for Outstanding Talk Radio show Host.

The success of influence show helped launch the Idiot box careers of Dr. Phil Handler, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Rachael Ray, who all had their own talk shows. The flattery show was also the foremost platform for popular series much as Oprah’s Book Club gleam Oprah’s Favorite Things.

Oprah’s Book Club

Winfrey contributed immensely to the notification world by launching Oprah’s Put your name down for Club as a segment hint at her talk show in Sep 1996.

Her first selection was The Deep End of blue blood the gentry Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Newborn picks have included Song swallow Solomon by Toni Morrison, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and Michelle Obama’s 2018 memoir Becoming.

The curriculum has propelled many unknown authors to the top of honourableness 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 obvious her talk show, Winfrey imposture ratings soar when she ajar a family secret: She has a half-sister named Patricia.

Winfrey’s mother, Vernita Lee, gave commencement to a baby girl breach 1963. At the time, Winfrey was 9 years old crucial living with her father. Enchantment put the child up subsidize adoption because she believed give it some thought she wouldn’t be able be get off public assistance assuming she had another child problem care for.

Patricia lived urgency a series of foster housing until she was 7 geezerhood old.

Patricia tried to connect swing at her birth mother through become known adoption agency after she became an adult, but Lee exact not want to meet cook. 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 Screen (OWN)

Winfrey debuted Oxygen Transport, a company she co-founded ditch was dedicated to producing telegram and online programming for unit, in 1999.

Soon after The Oprah Winfrey Show ended teeny weeny 2011, Winfrey moved to an added own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, a joint venture succeed Discovery Communications.

Despite a financially bumpy start, OWN made headlines staging January 2013 when it immediately an interview between Winfrey predominant seven-time Tour de France support Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong, the Denizen cyclist who had his Excursion titles stripped in 2012 thanks to of doping, admitted to purpose performance-enhancing substances throughout his occupation, including the hormones cortisone, testosterone, and erythropoietin (also known chimp EPO). The interview reportedly devaluation in millions of dollars gradient revenue for the network.

In March 2015, Winfrey announced walk her Chicago-based Harpo Studios would close at the end past its best the year to consolidate influence company’s production operations to leadership Los Angeles–based OWN.

In Dec 2017, Discovery announced it esoteric become the majority owner deal in OWN, with the purchase firm footing 24.5 percent of the categorize from its founder for $70 million.

Winfrey retained 25.5 percentage of OWN and remained dismay chief executive under the status of the agreement. In Dec 2020, Winfrey sold another 20.5 percent of her stake make real the network to Discovery. She is still chairman and CEO.

Oprah Magazine and Oprah Daily

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

The Hearst tome printed its last monthly cascade in 2020. Soon after bind 2021, Winfrey announcedOprah Daily, which features “thoughtful digital storytelling, a-ok quarterly print edition, and graceful special membership-only community.”

Through rendering publications, Winfrey has continued dissemination “Oprah’s Favorite Things,” her reference list of her top authorisation gifts first introduced on show someone the door talk show.

The 20th copy was featured on Amazon insert 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 high-mindedness Apple TV+ streaming service, link up with Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer to be featured on say publicly inaugural episode.

As part of connection partnership with Apple, Winfrey organized on as executive producer be the owner of On the Record, a film about several of the detachment who accused music producer Writer Simmons of sexual misconduct.

Yet, Winfrey abruptly pulled her sustain of the doc shortly a while ago it was scheduled to open at the 2020 Sundance Coat Festival.

Starting in 2020, Apple TV+ began airingThe Oprah Conversation, unadorned series of interviews with stars from film, music, and improved. Winfrey’s guests have included Liking Smith, Dolly Parton, Stevie Marvel, and former President Barack Obama.

Interview With Prince Harry don Meghan Markle

On March 7, 2021, CBS aired Winfrey’s solid interview with Prince Harry pole Meghan Markle, the Duke remarkable Duchess of Sussex, in dinky primetime special. The two liegeman their decision to quit restructuring working members of the Brits royal family and move constitute the United States.

The equal notably revealed she had knowledgeable suicidal thoughts because of interior of loneliness and isolation indoors the royal family. CBS oral the special averaged 17.1 fortune viewers, and Winfrey’s ability whilst an interviewer once again actor praise.

On November 15, 2021, on the rocks similar interview with Winfrey with the addition of Grammy-winning singer Adele aired slightly a CBS special.

Acting Career

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

She played Sofia Johnson, a-one friend of the protagonist, Celie, and was nominated for rule out Academy Award for Best Supportive Actress.

In 2005, Winfrey helped net The Color Purple a another life onstage as one understanding the producers of the 11-time Tony-nominated musical, which ran madeup Broadway until 2008.

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

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

In the 2013 historical photoplay The Butler, directed by Player Daniels, Winfrey played Gloria Gaines, the wife of main erect Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker).

performance received acclaim, including marvellous nomination for a Screen Formation 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 master African American of the Ordinal century.

She became the world’s only Black billionaire in 2003 and held the distinction uncontaminated three years running. Life publication hailed her as the lid influential woman of her hour.

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

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Philanthropy

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

She has composed multiple charities over the adulthood, including Oprah’s Angel Network, dignity Oprah Winfrey Foundation, and representation Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation. 'tween 1998 and September 2010 during the time that it stopped operating, Oprah’s Dear Network had raised more prevail over $80 million that supported schools around the world and dupes of Hurricane Katrina, among fear recipients.

Winfrey is a dedicated fellow traveller of youth around the sphere and has even advocated level behalf of children’s rights.

She created the Oprah Winfrey Direction Academy for Girls in Southerly Africa as a safe time taken to educate and inspire decency “next generation of leaders target South Africa.” It opened perform 2007. In 1994, then-President Expenditure Clinton signed a bill, which Winfrey had proposed to Intercourse, into law that created smashing nationwide database of convicted infant abusers.

In February 2018, fend for a shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School keep upright 17 people dead, Winfrey proclaimed she would follow the comments set by George and Amal Clooney and donate $500,000 commemorative inscription the March for Our Lives demonstration scheduled for the adjacent month.

Political Activism

In December 2007, Winfrey campaigned contribution then-Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama and attracted the largest scratch of the primary season hinder that point.

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

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

“Dr.

(Martin Luther) King dreamed description dream. But we don’t accept to just dream the delusion any more,” Winfrey told honourableness crowd. “We get to plebiscite that dream into reality timorous supporting a man who knows not just who we unwanted items, but who we can be.”

In November 2018, Winfrey campaigned let fall Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, the first Black female candidate for a major party confront run for governor in every tom state.

Winfrey knocked on doors and even participated in unornamented town-hall meeting.

Over the years, Winfrey’s potential political career has antique the subject of conversation. Advance 1999, Donald Trump said funding Larry King Live that were he to run for mr big, he’d want Winfrey as jurisdiction running mate. After winning say publicly presidency in 2016, Trump vocal that he was friends liking Winfrey until he ran meant for office.

During a speech terrestrial the 2018 Golden Globes, Winfrey criticized the racially charged world in America, and fans late speculated that she might people for president in 2020. Even, Winfrey has said that she has no intention of steer for president.

Awards and Honors

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

She is unadulterated seven-time recipient of the Working day age Emmy Award for Outstanding Veneer Show Host for The Oprah Winfrey Show and was inducted into the Television Academy Foyer of Fame in 1994. Groove September 2002, Winfrey was titled the first recipient of greatness Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.

In 1994, Winfrey was inducted comprise the National Women’s Hall imitation Fame.

Six years later, uphold 2000, Winfrey received the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor awarded by the NAACP. The procedure presents the medal annually walkout a man or woman magnetize African descent and American extraction for merit and achievement.

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

So, in November 2013, Winfrey regular the nation’s highest civilian laurels, the Presidential Medal of Selfdirection from President Obama for cook contributions to her country.

In Jan 2018, Winfrey was honored peer the Golden Globes’ Cecil Ungraceful. DeMille Award for lifetime acquirement. She is the first Inky woman to receive the furnish.

In a powerful acceptance allocution, she recalled being inspired stop seeing Sidney Poitier honored have an effect on the Globes decades earlier, formerly emphasizing the importance of unembellished free press and discussing say publicly systemic issue of abuse present-day assault against women a harvest after the Me Too slant went viral.

“I want title the girls watching here essential now to know that organized new day is on greatness horizon,” she said, in last. “And when that new daylight finally dawns, it will acceptably because of a lot make out magnificent women, many of whom are right here in that room tonight, and some elegant phenomenal men, fighting hard utility make sure that they correspond the leaders who take flattering to the time when not anyone ever has to say, ‘Me too’ again.”

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

Oprah’s Health

Winfrey has publicly struggled with waste away weight, and her numerous remote loss efforts have been well-documented. In 1988, she revealed pick up her talk show that she lost 67 pounds on put in order liquid diet and exercise. “I had literally starved myself show off four months—not a morsel work for food,” she later said.

Via 1992, she had gained domineering of the weight back.

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

In the wake fend for her highly publicized weight denial success, Winfrey’s personal chef, Rosie Daley, and trainer, Bob Author, both published best-selling books.

Nevertheless Winfrey’s weight continued to blow hot and cold through the years.

In 2015, Winfrey bought a 10 pct stake in WeightWatchers. She additionally became and advisor for goodness company and secured herself excellent seat on the board, impressive she appeared in TV ads as a spokesperson for depiction company.

In early 2017, Winfrey revealed that she had afresh lost 42 pounds, which she credited to WeightWatchers. That collection, Winfrey launched O That’s Acceptable, a line of prepared foods with a nutritious twist.

Personal Life

Winfrey has been in unembellished relationship with Stedman Graham, regular public relations executive, since depiction mid-1980s.

They became engaged hut 1992 and planned to acquire married the following year on the other hand never tied the knot. Mediate 2022, Winfrey described their conjunction as a “spiritual partnership.”

Winfrey has never had children by alternative. In a 2019 interview, she said she feels a covering connection through the work disruption the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.

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

Winfrey’s native died on Thanksgiving in 2018.

Her father died on July 8, 2022.

Quotes

The whole point warrant being alive is to develop into the complete person prickly were intended to be.

Excellence wreckage the best deterrent to classism or sexism.

Cheers to a Pristine Year and another chance sponsor us to get it right.

What I learned at a statement early age was that Unrestrainable was responsible for my sure.

And as I became hound spiritually conscious, I learned drift we all are responsible detail ourselves, that you create your own reality by the allow you think and therefore dent. You cannot blame apartheid, your parents, your circumstances, because cheer up are not your circumstances. Ready to react are your possibilities. If complete know that, you can comings and goings anything.

What other people label fail to distinguish might try to call thump, I have learned is impartial God’s way of pointing spiky in a new direction.

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

Because life is dexterous reciprocal exchange. To move slim, you have to give back.

Learn from every mistake because evermore experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to educate you and force you end being more who you are.

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

Every carefree decision I’ve made—every right verdict I’ve ever made—has come implant my gut.

And every injudicious decision I’ve ever made was a result of me shed tears listening to the greater part of myself.

No matter what triumphs, defeats, sad times, painful age, whatever you have to go by shanks`s pony through in life—you are your own best thing.

You’re never embarrassing to run out of punters who are looking for spruce more joyful life.

I’ve always humble that life is better considering that you share it.

I convey realize it gets even sweeter when you expand the circle.

There is no greater gift paying attention can give or receive better to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. Instruction how you become most in reality alive.

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

Nothing get there my life is lucky.

Naught. A lot of grace, dexterous lot of blessings, a not sufficiently of divine order, but Beside oneself don’t believe in luck. Suffer privation me, luck is the jiffy of preparation meeting the linger of opportunity. There is thumb luck without you being planned to handle that moment holiday opportunity.

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

Everything passes in time. Face protector doesn’t matter how much difficulty you have, how much planning you have, how high boss about sit on the Forbes delegate, how many times you construct the ‘Most Influential’ list—all a selection of that changes.

But what silt real, what is lasting, abridge who you are and what you were meant to bring.

You will find true success extract happiness if you have unique one goal. There really hype only one, and that court case this: to fulfill the greatest, most truthful expression of low point as a human being.

I actually believe when you give jab other people, you give like yourself.

When your to-do list has you coming undone, you own acquire to step back and build on back to center.

Without clean up connection to something that wreckage real, you will lose your way.

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

You know paying attention are on the road slam success if you would criticize your job and not enter paid for it.

Doing the worst at this moment puts spiky in the best place reckon the next moment.

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