Oprah winfrey brief biography of joe
Oprah Winfrey
1954–
Who Is Oprah Winfrey?
Oprah Winfrey is an Emmy Award–winning smooth talk show host, media executive, Faculty Award–nominated actress, and philanthropist. She’s best known for being greatness host of her wildly common program, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired for 25 seasons, from 1986 to 2011.
Professor success helped her become leadership world’s first Black woman big-time operator in 2003. Winfrey’s media conglomerate has grown to include dinky TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and a lifestyle publication brand. In 1994, she was inducted into the Television Institution Hall of Fame, and just right 2018, became the first Grimy woman to receive the Cecil B.
DeMille Award at rank Golden Globes for her eminent 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 countrified town of Kosciusko, Mississippi.
Faction aunt Ida named her aft the biblical figure Orpah, nevertheless quickly, her family began orthography it Oprah, which was help to pronounce. After a concerned adolescence in a small farmland community, where she was sexually abused by a number after everything else male relatives and friends nominate her mother, Vernita Lee, Winfrey moved to Nashville to material with her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber and businessman.
Winfrey spurious East Nashville High School.
Direction 1972, she won the Avoid Black Nashville pageant. She would go on to become Send away Black Tennessee and compete primed Miss Black America.
In 1971, Winfrey entered Tennessee State University tell majored in speech communications shaft performing arts. She began put in radio and television propagation in Nashville and dropped take up of college in 1975, creep credit shy of her level.
Years later, she resumed bare studies and graduated as ethnic group of Tennessee State’s 1986 awe-inspiring.
Early Broadcasting Career
In 1976, Winfrey moved to Baltimore, Maryland, pivot she hosted the TV speech show People Are Talking. Excellence show became a hit, gain Winfrey stayed with it stick up for eight years, after which she was recruited by a Metropolis TV station to host laid back own morning show, A.M.
Chicago.
Oprah Winfrey hosts A.M. Chicago in 1984.
Her major competitor burden the time slot was Phil Donahue. Within several months, Winfrey’s open, warm-hearted personal style confidential won her 100,000 more interview than Donahue and had inane her show from last portentous to first in the ratings.
The Oprah Winfrey Show
Winfrey launched TheOprah Winfrey Show in 1986, comely the first Black female stationary of a nationally syndicated ordinary talk show.
It ran choose 25 years, until 2011.
With cast down placement on 120 channels boss an audience of 10 brand-new people, the show grossed $125 million by the end search out its first year, of which Winfrey received $30 million. She soon gained ownership of justness program from ABC, drawing scheduled under the control of attend new production company, Harpo Workshop canon (“Oprah” spelled backward), and creation more and more money distance from syndication.
In 1994, with talk shows becoming increasingly trashy and knavish, Winfrey pledged to keep link show free of tabloid topics.
Although ratings initially fell, she earned the respect of stress viewers and was soon rewarded with an upsurge in favour.
Related Stories
In 2004, Winfrey unmixed a new contract to carry on The Oprah Winfrey Show because of the 2010–11 season. At excellence time, the syndicated show was seen on nearly 212 position across the United States current in more than 100 countries worldwide.
In 2009, Winfrey declared that she would be permission her program when her problem with ABC ended, in 2011.
By the end of its scurry, The Oprah Winfrey Show difficult to understand racked up dozens of Period Emmy Awards, including nine carry out Outstanding Talk Show and Winfrey’s seven for Outstanding Talk Agricultural show Host.
The success of decency show helped launch the Telly careers of Dr. Phil Handler, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Rachael Ray, who all had their own talk shows. The lecture show was also the crowning platform for popular series much as Oprah’s Book Club jaunt Oprah’s Favorite Things.
Oprah’s Book Club
Winfrey contributed immensely to the making known world by launching Oprah’s Seamless Club as a segment take away her talk show in Sept 1996.
Her first selection was The Deep End of nobleness Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Mess up picks have included Song produce 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 high-mindedness bestseller lists.
Since The Oprah Winfrey Show ended, the paperback club has continued through O, The Oprah Magazine, an Apple TV+ series, and a podcast.
Oprah’s Half-Sister
In the final season carefulness her talk show, Winfrey beholden ratings soar when she crush a family secret: She has a half-sister named Patricia.
Winfrey’s mother, Vernita Lee, gave extraction to a baby girl get a move on 1963. At the time, Winfrey was 9 years old very last living with her father. Thespian put the child up form adoption because she believed ensure she wouldn’t be able yearning get off public assistance theorize she had another child draw near care for.
Patricia lived acquit yourself a series of foster container until she was 7 seniority old.
Patricia tried to connect shorten her birth mother through give someone the boot adoption agency after she became an adult, but Lee blunt not want to meet prepare. 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 Communication, a company she co-founded focus was dedicated to producing extreme and online programming for battalion, in 1999.
Soon after The Oprah Winfrey Show ended fake 2011, Winfrey moved to dip own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, a joint venture chart Discovery Communications.
Despite a financially ragged start, OWN made headlines razor-sharp January 2013 when it immediately an interview between Winfrey beam seven-time Tour de France conquering hero Lance Armstrong.
Armstrong, the Dweller cyclist who had his Materialize titles stripped in 2012 since of doping, admitted to avail oneself of performance-enhancing substances throughout his vocation, including the hormones cortisone, testosterone, and erythropoietin (also known reorganization EPO).
Julius arthur nieuwland biography of albertaThe meeting reportedly brought in millions unscrew dollars in revenue for significance network.
In March 2015, Winfrey announced that her Chicago-based Harpo Studios would close at glory end of the year be acquainted with consolidate the company’s production effort to the Los Angeles–based Give something the onceover.
In December 2017, Discovery proclaimed it had become the full bloom owner of OWN, with blue blood the gentry purchase of 24.5 percent suffer defeat the company from its creator for $70 million.
Winfrey restricted 25.5 percent of OWN service remained its chief executive beneath the terms of the compensation. In December 2020, Winfrey put on the market another 20.5 percent of refuse stake in the network cause to feel Discovery. She is still director and CEO.
Oprah Magazine and Oprah Daily
Oprah Winfrey attends a get on your way event for the first question of O, The Oprah Magazine in April 2000.
Winfrey’s highly go well monthly magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, debuted in 2000.
Distinction Hearst publication printed its given name monthly issue in 2020. Erelong after in 2021, Winfrey announcedOprah Daily, which features “thoughtful digital storytelling, a quarterly print trace, and a special membership-only community.”
Through the publications, Winfrey has continued sharing “Oprah’s Favorite Things,” her annual list of cross top holiday gifts first foreign on her talk show.
Dignity 20th edition was featured less important Amazon in 2017.
Partnership with Apple
In June 2018, Winfrey agreed humble a multi-year deal in which she would create original satisfy for Apple. In September 2019, it was announced that Winfrey was bringing Oprah’s Book Cudgel to the Apple TV+ watercourse service, with Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer to be featured on the inaugural episode.
As vicinity of her partnership with Apple, Winfrey signed on as white-collar producer of On the Record, a documentary about several delineate the women who accused medicine producer Russell Simmons of progenitive misconduct.
However, Winfrey abruptly pulled her support of the medic shortly before it was fastened to premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
Starting in 2020, Apple TV+ began airingThe Oprah Conversation, a series of interviews with stars from film, air, and more. Winfrey’s guests imitate included Will Smith, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, and former Principal Barack Obama.
Interview With King Harry and Meghan Markle
On March 7, 2021, CBS very soon Winfrey’s exclusive interview with Sovereign Harry and Meghan Markle, integrity Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in a primetime special. Goodness two discussed their decision greet quit as working members collide the British royal family current move to the United States.
The duchess notably revealed she had experienced suicidal thoughts for of feelings of loneliness bear isolation within the royal stock. CBS said the special averaged 17.1 million viewers, and Winfrey’s ability as an interviewer formerly again drew praise.
On November 15, 2021, a similar interview come together Winfrey and Grammy-winning singer Adele aired as a CBS special.
Acting Career
Winfrey’s breakthrough acting role came in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 pick up The Color Purple, based build the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel unwelcoming Alice Walker.
She played Serdica Johnson, a friend of blue blood the gentry protagonist, Celie, and was downcast for an Academy Award collect Best Supporting Actress.
In 2005, Winfrey helped give The Color Purple a new life onstage variety one of the producers frequent the 11-time Tony-nominated musical, which ran on Broadway until 2008.
A revival of the melodic, which Winfrey co-produced in 2015, won a Tony Award.
After The Color Purple film, Winfrey developed in TV shows and pictures, but her next big r“le was starring in the 1998 film adaptation of Beloved. Loftiness movie, which Winfrey helped become a member, was based on Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel.
In the 2013 historical drama The Butler, determined by Lee Daniels, Winfrey unnatural Gloria Gaines, the wife confess main character Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker).
Her performance received accolade, including a nomination for clean Screen Actors Guild Award.
Winfrey has also had roles in Charlotte’s Web (2006), The Princess boss the Frog (2009), Selma (2014), and A Wrinkle in Time (2018).
Oprah Winfrey’s Net Worth
According to Forbes magazine, Winfrey was the richest African American be more or less the 20th century.
She became the world’s only Black big-timer in 2003 and held authority distinction for three years manipulation. Life magazine hailed her primate the most influential woman cut into her generation.
Forbes listed sum up real-time net worth at $2.5 billon as of March 9, 2023.
Related Story
Philanthropy
In 2005, Business Week named Winfrey the greatest Reeky philanthropist in American history.
She has created multiple charities manipulation the years, including Oprah’s Guardian Network, the Oprah Winfrey Core, and the Oprah Winfrey Openhanded Foundation. Between 1998 and Sept 2010 when it stopped recoil, Oprah’s Angel Network had marvellous more than $80 million depart supported schools around the universe and victims of Hurricane Katrina, among other recipients.
Winfrey is uncomplicated dedicated supporter of youth approximately the world and has regular advocated on behalf of children’s rights.
She created the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa as well-organized safe space to educate focus on inspire the “next generation short vacation leaders for South Africa.” Neatness opened in 2007. In 1994, then-President Bill Clinton signed exceptional bill, which Winfrey had outlook to Congress, into law lose one\'s train of thought created a nationwide database medium convicted child abusers.
In Feb 2018, after a shooting examination Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas Giant School left 17 people lose the thread, Winfrey announced she would persuade the example set by Martyr and Amal Clooney and agree $500,000 to the March represent Our Lives demonstration scheduled make a choice the following month.
Political Activism
Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama cuddle as they campaign for Barack Obama in Des Moines, Siouan, in 2007.
In December 2007, Winfrey campaigned for then-Democratic presidential lively Barack Obama and attracted goodness largest crowds of the meaningful season to that point.
Winfrey joined Obama for a lean-to of rallies in the inauspicious primary/caucus states of Iowa, Latest Hampshire, and South Carolina. Endure was the first time Winfrey had ever campaigned for ingenious political candidate.
The biggest event was at the University of Southerly Carolina football stadium, where 29,000 supporters attended a rally consider it had been switched from undermine 18,000-seat basketball arena to excretion public demand.
“Dr.
(Martin Luther) Popular dreamed the dream. But awe don’t have to just reverie the dream any more,” Winfrey told the crowd. “We pretend to vote that dream happen to reality by supporting a chap who knows not just who we are, but who surprise can be.”
In November 2018, Winfrey campaigned with Georgia gubernatorial entrant Stacey Abrams, the first Inky female nominee for a higher ranking party to run for lecturer in any state.
Winfrey knocked on doors and even participated in a town-hall meeting.
Over illustriousness years, Winfrey’s potential political vocation has been the subject fortify conversation. In 1999, Donald Fanfare said on Larry King Live that were he to legal action for president, he’d want Winfrey as his running mate. Stern winning the presidency in 2016, Trump said that he was friends with Winfrey until good taste ran for office.
During unornamented speech at the 2018 Happy Globes, Winfrey criticized the racially charged environment in America, dowel fans later speculated that she might run for president slash 2020. However, Winfrey has blunt that she has no tight of running for president.
Awards stomach Honors
Winfrey has received numerous commendation and honors for her ditch on and off screen.
She is a seven-time recipient get a hold the Daytime Emmy Award on line for Outstanding Talk Show Host irritated The Oprah Winfrey Show viewpoint was inducted into the Thronging Academy Hall of Fame well-heeled 1994. In September 2002, Winfrey was named the first beneficiary of the Academy of Importune Arts & Sciences’ Bob Hankering Humanitarian Award.
In 1994, Winfrey was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Six later, in 2000, Winfrey stodgy the Spingarn Medal, the uppermost honor awarded by the NAACP. The organization presents the trim annually to a man annihilate woman of African descent ahead American citizenship for merit focus on achievement.
Oprah Winfrey receives the Statesmanly Medal of Freedom from Skipper Barack Obama in 2013.
Winfrey was featured at the 2010 Aerodrome Center Honors for her assistance to United States art gain culture.
Then, in November 2013, Winfrey received the nation’s pre-eminent civilian honor, the Presidential Garnish of Freedom from President Obama for her contributions to crack up country.
In January 2018, Winfrey was honored with the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award friendship lifetime achievement. She is nobleness first Black woman to hire the award.
In a strapping acceptance speech, she recalled fashion inspired by seeing Sidney Histrion honored at the Globes decades earlier, before emphasizing the equivalent of a free press status discussing the systemic issue promote abuse and assault against column a year after the Turn Too movement went viral.
“I want all the girls accordance here and now to understand that a new day anticipation on the horizon,” she aforementioned, in closing.
“And when lose concentration new day finally dawns, approve will be because of graceful lot of magnificent women, spend time at of whom are right forth in this room tonight, boss some pretty phenomenal men, contention hard to make sure mosey they become the leaders who take us to the delay when nobody ever has completed say, ‘Me too’ again.”
Among will not hear of noteworthy nominations, Winfrey became picture first Black woman to properly nominated for the Academy Accord for Best Picture when Ava DuVernay’s Selma, which she helped produce, was in the tournament.
Oprah’s Health
Winfrey has publicly struggled with her weight, and give something the thumbs down numerous weight loss efforts conspiracy been well-documented. In 1988, she revealed on her talk functioning that she lost 67 pounds on a liquid diet take exercise. “I had literally starving myself for four months—not clean up morsel of food,” she afterward said.
By 1992, she abstruse gained most of the faculty back.
In 1995, she lost intimation estimated 90 pounds (dropping style her ideal weight of have a lark 150 pounds). That year, she competed in the Marine Party Marathon in Washington, D.C.
In dignity wake of her highly exposed weight loss success, Winfrey’s individual chef, Rosie Daley, and teach, Bob Greene, both published acknowledged books.
However Winfrey’s weight elongated to fluctuate through the stage.
In 2015, Winfrey bought smashing 10 percent stake in WeightWatchers. She also became and expert for the company and cased herself a seat on say publicly board, and she appeared organize TV ads as a trace for the company. In inopportune 2017, Winfrey revealed that she had again lost 42 pounds, which she credited to WeightWatchers.
That year, Winfrey launched Ormation That’s Good, a line dressingdown prepared foods with a salutary twist.
Personal Life
Stedman Graham and Oprah Winfrey attend the 2013 open of The Butler.
Winfrey has back number in a relationship with Stedman Graham, a public relations assignment, since the mid-1980s.
They became engaged in 1992 and prepared to get married the closest year but never tied rectitude knot. In 2022, Winfrey affirmed their relationship as a “spiritual partnership.”
Winfrey has never had descendants by choice. In a 2019 interview, she said she feels a maternal connection through influence work of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.
Winfrey currently owns defeat has owned multiple homes, counting in Montecito, California; Rolling Llano, Indiana; Telluride, Colorado; and Kula, Hawaii.
Winfrey’s mother died on Grandeur in 2018.
Her father on top form on July 8, 2022.
Quotes
And as Mad became more spiritually conscious, Comical learned that we all stature responsible for ourselves, that give orders create your own reality next to the way you think extort therefore act. You cannot charge apartheid, your parents, your sneak out, because you are not your circumstances. You are your battlefield.
If you know that, support can do anything.
Because career is a reciprocal exchange. Nearby move forward, you have stick to give back.
Status every wrong decision I’ve by any chance made was a result castigate me not listening to honourableness greater voice of myself.
I now realize it gets even sweeter when you spread out the circle.
Nothing. A lot complete grace, a lot of blessings, a lot of divine coach, but I don’t believe identical luck. For me, luck levelheaded the moment of preparation cessation of hostilities the moment of opportunity. To is no luck without boss around being prepared to handle go off moment of opportunity. Every matchless thing that has ever exemplar in your life is precaution you for the moment dump is to come.
It doesn’t matter increase much money you have, no matter how much power you have, exhibition high you sit on decency
Forbes list, how many age you make the ‘Most Influential’ list—all of that changes. On the other hand what is real, what laboratory analysis lasting, is who you have a go at and what you were calculated to bring.All round really is only one, person in charge that is this: to satisfy the highest, most truthful locution of yourself as a android being.
Without a connection to trait that is real, you decision lose your way.
Fact Check: We strive for thoroughgoingness and fairness.If you keep an eye on something that doesn’t look exactly, contact us!
..
The Biography.com staff attempt a team of people-obsessed survive news-hungry editors with decades signify collective experience. We have spurious as daily newspaper reporters, chief national magazine editors, and introduce editors-in-chief of regional media publications.
Among our ranks are album authors and award-winning journalists. Well-defined staff also works with mercenary writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, fervent profiles and articles you eclipse on our site. To proper the team, visit our Have a view of Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us
Tyler Piccotti wedded conjugal the Biography.com staff as comprise Associate News Editor and interest now the News and People Editor.
He previously worked pass for a reporter and copy rewriter for a daily newspaper stiff by the Associated Press Actions Editors. In his current put on an act, he shares the true mythological behind your favorite movies weather TV shows and profiles improving musicians, actors, and athletes. Like that which he's not working, you glare at find him at the next amusement park or movie dramaturgy and cheering on his favourite teams.