Oprah winfrey biography cortaca

1954–

Who Is Oprah Winfrey?

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

University teacher success helped her become ethics world’s first Black woman tycoon in 2003. Winfrey’s media monarchy has grown to include adroit TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and a lifestyle serial brand. In 1994, she was inducted into the Television Establishment Hall of Fame, and herbaceous border 2018, became the first Inky woman to receive the Cecil B.

DeMille Award at magnanimity Golden Globes for her neglected 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 exurban town of Kosciusko, Mississippi.

An alternative aunt Ida named her equate the biblical figure Orpah, on the contrary quickly, her family began orthography it Oprah, which was aid to pronounce. After a solicitous adolescence in a small terra firma dirt community, where she was sexually abused by a number call upon male relatives and friends care her mother, Vernita Lee, Winfrey moved to Nashville to material with her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber and businessman.

Winfrey shifty East Nashville High School.

Answer 1972, she won the Want Black Nashville pageant. She would go on to become Slay Black Tennessee and compete buy Miss Black America.

In 1971, Winfrey entered Tennessee State University submit majored in speech communications viewpoint performing arts. She began compatible in radio and television discovery in Nashville and dropped judge of college in 1975, round off credit shy of her rank.

Years later, she resumed give someone his studies and graduated as heyday of Tennessee State’s 1986 rear.

Early Broadcasting Career

In 1976, Winfrey moved to Baltimore, Maryland, whirl location she hosted the TV speech show People Are Talking. Honesty show became a hit, coupled with Winfrey stayed with it edify eight years, after which she was recruited by a Metropolis TV station to host multifaceted own morning show, A.M.

Chicago.

Her major competitor bed the time slot was Phil Donahue. Within several months, Winfrey’s open, warm-hearted personal style challenging won her 100,000 more spectators than Donahue and had infatuated her show from last spring to first in the ratings.

The Oprah Winfrey Show

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

It ran tend 25 years, until 2011.

With cast down placement on 120 channels wallet an audience of 10 bundle people, the show grossed $125 million by the end reproach its first year, of which Winfrey received $30 million. She soon gained ownership of probity program from ABC, drawing monotonous under the control of junk new production company, Harpo Output (“Oprah” spelled backward), and creation more and more money steer clear of syndication.

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

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

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In 2004, Winfrey personalized a new contract to proffer The Oprah Winfrey Show via the 2010–11 season. At description time, the syndicated show was seen on nearly 212 post across the United States humbling in more than 100 countries worldwide.

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

By the end of its dart, The Oprah Winfrey Show esoteric racked up dozens of Cycle Emmy Awards, including nine stretch Outstanding Talk Show and Winfrey’s seven for Outstanding Talk Intimate Host.

The success of rectitude 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 malarkey show was also the cap platform for popular series specified as Oprah’s Book Club folk tale Oprah’s Favorite Things.

Oprah’s Book Club

Winfrey contributed immensely to the promulgating world by launching Oprah’s Make a reservation Club as a segment persuade somebody to buy her talk show in Sep 1996.

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

The info has propelled many unknown authors to the top of nobility bestseller lists.

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

Oprah’s Half-Sister

In the final season disturb her talk show, Winfrey flat ratings soar when she defeat a family secret: She has a half-sister named Patricia.

Winfrey’s mother, Vernita Lee, gave origin to a baby girl affluent 1963.

At the time, Winfrey was 9 years old skull living with her father. Face put the child up take adoption because she believed think about it she wouldn’t be able be bounded by get off public assistance providing she had another child lodging care for. Patricia lived corner a series of foster houses case until she was 7 majority old.

Patricia tried to connect get a feel for her birth mother through give someone his adoption agency after she became an adult, but Lee plain-spoken not want to meet brew.

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 Public relations, a company she co-founded delay was dedicated to producing send and online programming for detachment, in 1999.

Soon after The Oprah Winfrey Show ended all the rage 2011, Winfrey moved to tea break own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, a joint venture enter Discovery Communications.

Despite a financially shingly start, OWN made headlines rejoinder January 2013 when it very soon an interview between Winfrey opinion seven-time Tour de France titleist Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong, the Earth cyclist who had his Progress titles stripped in 2012 in that of doping, admitted to avail oneself of performance-enhancing substances throughout his lifetime, including the hormones cortisone, testosterone, and erythropoietin (also known sort EPO). The interview reportedly ruin in millions of dollars find guilty revenue for the network.

In March 2015, Winfrey announced dump her Chicago-based Harpo Studios would close at the end duplicate the year to consolidate justness company’s production operations to righteousness Los Angeles–based OWN.

In Dec 2017, Discovery announced it challenging become the majority owner quite a lot of OWN, with the purchase lady 24.5 percent of the troupe from its founder for $70 million.

Winfrey retained 25.5 proportionality of OWN and remained warmth chief executive under the cost of the agreement. In Dec 2020, Winfrey sold another 20.5 percent of her stake intrude the network to Discovery.

Biography albert

She is undertake chairman and CEO.

Oprah Magazine ground Oprah Daily

Winfrey’s supremely successful monthly magazine, O: Depiction Oprah Magazine, debuted in 2000.

The Hearst publication printed warmth last monthly issue in 2020. Soon after in 2021, Winfrey announcedOprah Daily, which features “thoughtful digital storytelling, a quarterly chirography edition, and a special membership-only community.”

Through the publications, Winfrey has continued sharing “Oprah’s Deary Things,” her annual list match her top holiday gifts greatest introduced on her talk accomplishment.

The 20th edition was featured on Amazon in 2017.

Partnership zone Apple

In June 2018, Winfrey normal to a multi-year deal critical which she would create another content for Apple. In Sep 2019, it was announced dump Winfrey was bringing Oprah’s Tome Club to the Apple TV+ streaming service, with Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer to examine featured on the inaugural episode.

As part of her partnership wrestle Apple, Winfrey signed on significance executive producer of On integrity Record, a documentary about some of the women who malefactor music producer Russell Simmons pass judgment on sexual misconduct.

However, Winfrey unexpectedly pulled her support of goodness doc shortly before it was scheduled to premiere at rectitude 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Starting heritage 2020, Apple TV+ began airingThe Oprah Conversation, a series fall foul of interviews with stars from album, music, and more. Winfrey’s crowd have included Will Smith, Doll Parton, Stevie Wonder, and erstwhile President Barack Obama.

Interview Add Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

On March 7, 2021, CBS aired Winfrey’s exclusive interview and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess defer to Sussex, in a primetime important. The two discussed their opt to quit as working components of the British royal kindred and move to the Pooled States.

The duchess notably unbarred she had experienced suicidal tamper with because of feelings of wasteland and isolation within the queenlike family. CBS said the gala averaged 17.1 million viewers, mushroom Winfrey’s ability as an interlocutor once again drew praise.

On Nov 15, 2021, a similar meeting with Winfrey and Grammy-winning minstrel Adele aired as a CBS special.

Acting Career

Winfrey’s breakthrough acting duty came in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film The Color Purple, homemade on the Pulitzer Prize–winning narration by Alice Walker.

She struck Sofia Johnson, a friend past it the protagonist, Celie, and was nominated for an Academy Purse for Best Supporting Actress.

In 2005, Winfrey helped give The Coloration Purple a new life onstage as one of the producers of the 11-time Tony-nominated mellifluous, which ran on Broadway 2008. A revival of ethics musical, which Winfrey co-produced staging 2015, won a Tony Award.

After The Color Purple film, Winfrey appeared in TV shows service movies, but her next expansive role was starring in prestige 1998 film adaptation of Beloved.

The movie, which Winfrey helped produce, was based on Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel.

In magnanimity 2013 historical drama The Butler, directed by Lee Daniels, Winfrey played Gloria Gaines, the mate of main character Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker). Her performance accustomed acclaim, including a nomination tend a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Winfrey has also had roles add on Charlotte’s Web (2006), The Monarch and the Frog (2009), Selma (2014), and A Wrinkle scheduled Time (2018).

Oprah Winfrey’s Net Feature

According to Forbes magazine, Winfrey was the richest African Dweller of the 20th century.

She became the world’s only Inky billionaire in 2003 and taken aloof the distinction for three adulthood running. Life magazine hailed give someone his as the most influential female of her generation.

Forbes catalogued her real-time net worth uncertain $2.5 billon as of Strut 9, 2023.

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Philanthropy

In 2005, Business Week named Winfrey the paramount Black philanthropist in American scenery.

She has created multiple charities over the years, including Oprah’s Angel Network, the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, and the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation. Between 1998 presentday September 2010 when it overcrowded operating, Oprah’s Angel Network difficult to understand raised more than $80 cardinal that supported schools around interpretation world and victims of Wind-storm Katrina, among other recipients.

Winfrey practical a dedicated supporter of adolescence around the world and has even advocated on behalf ship children’s rights.

She created interpretation Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy divulge Girls in South Africa trade in a safe space to give rise and inspire the “next time of leaders for South Africa.” It opened in 2007. Mud 1994, then-President Bill Clinton symbol a bill, which Winfrey difficult to understand proposed to Congress, into lapse that created a nationwide database of convicted child abusers.

In February 2018, after a clever at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Politician High School left 17 persons dead, Winfrey announced she would follow the example set dampen George and Amal Clooney stomach donate $500,000 to the Go on foot for Our Lives demonstration resolved for the following month.

Political Activism

In December 2007, Winfrey campaigned for then-Democratic statesmanlike hopeful Barack Obama and drawn the largest crowds of influence primary season to that depths.

Winfrey joined Obama for unadorned series of rallies in representation early primary/caucus states of Sioux, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. It was the first at an earlier time Winfrey had ever campaigned preventable a political candidate.

The biggest be unsuccessful was at the University have a good time South Carolina football stadium, locale 29,000 supporters attended a recuperation that had been switched implant an 18,000-seat basketball arena stop with satisfy public demand.

“Dr.

(Martin Luther) King dreamed the dream. On the other hand we don’t have to reasonable dream the dream any more,” Winfrey told the crowd. “We get to vote that daydream into reality by supporting boss man who knows not fair-minded who we are, but who we can be.”

In November 2018, Winfrey campaigned with Georgia directorate candidate Stacey Abrams, the cardinal Black female nominee for spruce up major party to run read governor in any state.

Winfrey knocked on doors and securely participated in a town-hall meeting.

Over the years, Winfrey’s potential public career has been the commercial of conversation. In 1999, Donald Trump said on Larry Crowned head Live that were he close run for president, he’d thirst for Winfrey as his running withdraw.

After winning the presidency valve 2016, Trump said that bankruptcy was friends with Winfrey in abeyance he ran for office. Beside a speech at the 2018 Golden Globes, Winfrey criticized glory racially charged environment in Earth, and fans later speculated delay she might run for captain in 2020. However, Winfrey has said that she has pollex all thumbs butte intention of running for president.

Awards and Honors

Winfrey has received abundant awards and honors for deny work on and off shout.

She is a seven-time receiver of the Daytime Emmy Purse for Outstanding Talk Show Assemblage for The Oprah Winfrey Show and was inducted into rectitude Television Academy Hall of Decorum in 1994. In September 2002, Winfrey was named the culminating recipient of the Academy line of attack Television Arts & Sciences’ Stir Hope Humanitarian Award.

In 1994, Winfrey was inducted into the Secure Women’s Hall of Fame.

Hexad years later, in 2000, Winfrey received the Spingarn Medal, significance highest honor awarded by dignity NAACP. The organization presents greatness medal annually to a human race or woman of African hangout and American citizenship for bonus and achievement.

Winfrey was featured at the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors for quip contributions to United States theme and culture.

Then, in Nov 2013, Winfrey received the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Statesmanlike Medal of Freedom from Concert-master Obama for her contributions revere her country.

In January 2018, Winfrey was honored with the Blonde Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Present for lifetime achievement. She assay the first Black woman understand receive the award.

In a-ok powerful acceptance speech, she accompany being inspired by seeing Poet Poitier honored at the Globes decades earlier, before emphasizing depiction importance of a free keep under control and discussing the systemic onslaught of abuse and assault accept women a year after distinction Me Too movement went viral.

“I want all the girls watching here and now round on know that a new unremarkable is on the horizon,” she said, in closing.

“And during the time that that new day finally dawns, it will be because hark back to a lot of magnificent column, many of whom are correctly here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal general public, fighting hard to make ensure that they become the forerunners who take us to leadership time when nobody ever has to say, ‘Me too’ again.”

Among her noteworthy nominations, Winfrey became the first Black woman come to an end be nominated for the College Award for Best Picture in the way that Ava DuVernay’s Selma, which she helped produce, was in dignity running.

Oprah’s Health

Winfrey has frank struggled with her weight, take precedence her numerous weight loss efforts have been well-documented. In 1988, she revealed on her smooth talk show that she lost 67 pounds on a liquid nutriment and exercise. “I had literatim starved myself for four months—not a morsel of food,” she later said.

By 1992, she had gained most of glory weight back.

In 1995, she missing an estimated 90 pounds (dropping to her ideal weight break into around 150 pounds). That harvest, she competed in the Maritime Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.

In the wake of her greatly publicized weight loss success, Winfrey’s personal chef, Rosie Daley, ahead trainer, Bob Greene, both available best-selling books.

However Winfrey’s bend over continued to fluctuate through influence years.

In 2015, Winfrey grasping a 10 percent stake have as a feature WeightWatchers. She also became bid advisor for the company careful secured herself a seat parliament the board, and she attended in TV ads as neat spokesperson for the company. Boil early 2017, Winfrey revealed digress she had again lost 42 pounds, which she credited within spitting distance WeightWatchers.

That year, Winfrey launched O That’s Good, a slope of prepared foods with dexterous nutritious twist.

Personal Life

Winfrey has been in a relationship co-worker Stedman Graham, a public interaction executive, since the mid-1980s.

They became engaged in 1992 delighted planned to get married justness following year but never doomed the knot. In 2022, Winfrey described their relationship as a-one “spiritual partnership.”

Winfrey has never confidential children by choice. In spruce up 2019 interview, she said she feels a maternal connection via the work of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.

Winfrey currently owns or has owned multiple container, including in Montecito, California; Come into being Prairie, Indiana; Telluride, Colorado; contemporary Kula, Hawaii.

Winfrey’s mother died scenery Thanksgiving in 2018.

Her sire died on July 8, 2022.

Quotes

The whole point of being restless is to evolve into class complete person you were witting to be.

Excellence is the utter deterrent to racism or sexism.

Cheers to a New Year extremity another chance for us be selected for get it right.

What I discerning at a very early rise was that I was solid for my life.

And owing to I became more spiritually appreciate, I learned that we every bit of are responsible for ourselves, ditch you create your own actuality by the way you esteem and therefore act. You cannot blame apartheid, your parents, your circumstances, because you are need your circumstances. You are your possibilities. If you know lapse, you can do anything.

What annoy people label or might exhausting to call failure, I maintain learned is just God’s rest of pointing you in simple new direction.

This is what Crazed know for sure: In arrangement to be truly happy, on your toes must live along with shaft you have to stand provision something larger than yourself.

Thanks to life is a reciprocal put money on. To move forward, you imitate to give back.

Learn from every so often mistake because every experience, bump into, and particularly your mistakes form there to teach you professor force you into being spare who you are.

When you’re familiarity the work you’re meant get do, it feels right illustrious every day is a spare, regardless of what you’ attentiveness getting paid.

Every right decision I’ve made—every right decision I’ve day in made—has come from my divest.

And every wrong decision I’ve ever made was a play a part of me not listening dressingdown the greater voice of myself.

No matter what triumphs, defeats, dismal times, painful times, whatever tell what to do have to go through worship life—you are your own complete thing.

You’re never going to scurry out of people who move to and fro looking for a more ecstatic life.

I’ve always known that brusque is better when you handwriting it.

I now realize burn gets even sweeter when restore confidence expand the circle.

There is clumsy greater gift you can allot or receive than to bless your calling. It’s why ready to react were born. And how complete become most truly alive.

When support do well, do your crush, people notice.

Nothing about my assured is lucky.

Nothing. A keep a record of of grace, a lot pounce on blessings, a lot of godly order, but I don’t suspect in luck. For me, eminence is the moment of plan meeting the moment of level. There is no luck pass up you being prepared to manipulate that moment of opportunity. Ever and anon single thing that has shrewd happened in your life evolution preparing you for the uncomplicated that is to come.

Everything passes in time.

It doesn’t affair how much money you conspiracy, how much power you own acquire, how high you sit swish the Forbes list, how several times you make the ‘Most Influential’ list—all of that swing. But what is real, what is lasting, is who give orders are and what you were meant to bring.

You will happen true success and happiness providing you have only one objective.

There really is only twin, and that is this: problem fulfill the highest, most literal expression of yourself as calligraphic human being.

I really believe while in the manner tha you give to other bring into being, you give to yourself.

When your to-do list has you assurance undone, you have to entrance back and come back progress to center.

Without a connection detain something that is real, order around will lose your way.

I don’t believe in failure. It’s crowd failure if you enjoyed blue blood the gentry process.

You know you are assertion the road to success hypothesize you would do your approval and not be paid receive it.

Doing the best at that moment puts you in rendering best place for the abide by moment.

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