Oprah Winfrey Bio | Wiki
Oprah Winfrey (Born: Orpah Gail Winfrey) is a famous American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is well known due to her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which became the highest-rated television program of its kind in history and ran in national syndication from 1986 to 2011.
Named the “Queen of All Media,” Oprah was the richest African-American of the 20th century, became once the globe’s only black billionaire, as well as the greatest black philanthropist in United States history. In 2007, Oprah was sometimes positioned as the most influential woman on the globe. His often emotional, extemporaneous delivery finally led to her transfer to the daytime talk show arena, and following boosting a third-rated local Chicago talk show to first place, Oprah launched her own production company.
During the mid-1990s, she had reinvented her show with a focus on literature, self-improvement, mindfulness, as well as spirituality. Besides, Oprah has been criticized for unleashing a confession culture, promoting controversial self-help ideas, and having an emotion-centered approach, Oprah has also been credited for overcoming adversity to become a benefactor to others.
She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, by President Obama and earned honorary doctorate degrees from both Duke and Harvard. Oprah created her own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) in 2008. Praised with creating a more intimate, confessional form of media communication, Oprah popularized and revolutionized the tabloid talk show genre pioneered by Phil Donahue. Oprah was admitted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994. She became appointed as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021.
Oprah Winfrey Age
Oprah was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in the United States. She is 69 years old. Oprah celebrates her birthday on January 29, every year.
Oprah Winfrey Height
She is a woman of above-average stature. Oprah stands at a height of 5 ft 7 in ( Approx 1.7m ).
Oprah Winfrey Parents
She was born on January 29, 1954; her first name was spelled Orpah on her birth certificate following the biblical figure in the Book of Ruth, but people mispronounced it mostly, and “Oprah” stuck. Oprah was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, to an unmarried teenage mom. Oprah’s mother Vernita Lee (1935–2018) worked as a housemaid. Her biological father is usually noted as Vernon Winfrey (born c. 1933), who served as a coal miner turned barber turned city councilman who had been in the Armed Forces when Oprah was born. Besides, Noah Robinson Sr. (born c. 1925) a Mississippi farmer and World War II Veteran has claimed to be Oprah’s biological father.
Following her birth, Oprah’s mother traveled north, and she spent her first six years residing in rural poverty with her maternal grandmother Hattie Mae (Presley) Lee (April 15, 1900 – February 27, 1963). Oprah’s grandmother was so poor that she often wore dresses made of potato sacks, for which other kids made fun of her. Oprah’s grandmother taught her to read before the age of three and took her to the local church, where Oprah was nicknamed “The Preacher” for her ability to say Bible verses.
Lee gave birth to another daughter, Oprah’s younger half-sister named Patricia who passed on of causes related to cocaine addiction in February 2003 at age 43. In 1962, her mother was having difficulty raising both daughters, so Oprah was temporarily sent to stay with her dad Vernon in Nashville, Tennessee. as Oprah was in Nashville, Lee gave birth to a third daughter, who became put up for adoption in the hopes of easing the financial straits that had led to Lee’s being on welfare, and was afterward also named Patricia. As Oprah came back with her mother, Lee had also given birth to Winfrey’s half-brother named Jeffrey, who died in 1989 of AIDS-related causes.
Oprah Winfrey Husband
Oprah has been married several times to different men. Currently, Oprah is in a relationship with Stedman Graham an educator, author, businessman, and public speaker. They began dating in 1986. The pair became engaged to be married in November 1992, but the ceremony never took place.
Oprah Winfrey Children
When Oprah was 13 years old, following suffering what she described as years of abuse, she ran away from home. At 14 years, Oprah became pregnant, but her son Canaan was born prematurely and passed on shortly after birth. She afterward stated she felt betrayed by the family member who had sold the story of her son in 1990 to the National Enquirer.
Oprah Winfrey Daughter
Thando Dlomo was chosen by Oprah to attend her academy and the two built a close relationship during her studies there. She openly refers to Thando Dlomo as her ‘daughter-girl’ and Thando is regularly seen visiting Oprah’s home. Thando Dlomo received a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California and serves as a speaker and multimedia journalist.
Oprah Winfrey Education
She attended Lincoln High School in Milwaukee, but following early success in the Upward Bound program, became transferred to the affluent suburban Nicolet High School. After transferring, Oprah said she was continually reminded of her poverty as she rode the bus to school with fellow African Americans, some of whom were servants of her classmates’ families. Oprah had won an oratory contest, which secured her a full scholarship to Tennessee State University, a historically black institution, where Oprah studied communication. Thus Oprah did not deliver her last paper and earned her degree until 1987, by which time she was a successful television personality.
Oprah Winfrey Network
She co-founded the women’s cable television network Oxygen which was the original network for her Oprah became the Show program from 2002 to 2006 prior to moving to Oprah.com when she sold her stake in the network. Oprah is also the president of Harpo Productions (Oprah spelled backward), a film and TV production company behind The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, The Dr. Oz Show as well as many others. From 1992 to 1994, Oprah also moderated three ABC Afterschool Specials.
She and Discovery Communications reported on January 15, 2008, plans to change Discovery Health Channel into a new channel called OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. It was arranged to launch in 2009 but was delayed, and actually launched on January 1, 2011.
She created the Oprah’s Angel Network, in 1998,a charity that supported charitable projects and offered grants to nonprofit organizations around the globe. Her Angel Network raised over $80 million ($1 million of which became donated by Jon Bon Jovi). She personally met all administrative costs associated with the charity, so 100% of all funds raised went to charity programs. With Oprah’s show ending, the charity stopped accepting donations and was shut down in May 2010.
During the wake of Hurricane Katrina, she created the Oprah Angel Network Katrina registry which raised over $11 million for relief efforts. She personally gave $10 million to the cause.
Interview With Oprah Winfrey
She hosted a rare prime-time interview with Michael Jackson, in 1993, which became the fourth most-watched event in American television history and as the most-watched interview ever, with viewers of 36.5 million. She was seen on the Late Show with David Letterman on December 1, 2005, for the first time in 16 years, to promote the new Broadway musical, The Color Purple, which Oprah produced.
During an interview with GQ magazine, Ludacris said that Oprah gave him a “hard time” about his lyrics, and edited comments he made over an appearance on her show with the cast of the film Crash. Ludacris also said that he wasn’t originally invited on the show with the rest of the cast.
Oprah conducted an interview in 2021, with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as well as her husband Prince Harry, which was broadcast worldwide and earned international media attention.
Oprah Winfrey House
She now lives on “The Promised Land,” her 42-acre (17-ha) estate with ocean and mountain views in Montecito, California. Oprah also owns a house in Lavallette, New Jersey; an apartment in Chicago; an estate on Fisher Island, Florida; a ski house in Telluride, Colorado; as well as properties on Maui, Hawaii; Antigua; and Orcas Island, Washington State. Inside her mansion, spans about 23,000 square feet of living space and contains six bedrooms and fourteen bathrooms.
Oprah Winfrey Quotes
– Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
– Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.
– The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate
– Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.
– Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.
– Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.
– Every day, you’re only as good as your last show.
– Turn your wounds into wisdom.
– When I look into the future, it’s so bright it burns my eyes.
– Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism.
– If you want to feel good, you have to go out and do some good.
– I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.
– I feel that luck is a preparation meeting opportunity.
Oprah Winfrey Movies
– The Color Purple (1985) as Sofia
– Native Son (1986) as Mrs. Thomas
– The Women of Brewster Place (1989) as Mattie Michael
– Brewster Place (1990) as Mattie Michael
– There Are No Children Here (1992) as LaJoe Rivers
– Before Women Had Wings (1997) as Zora Williams
– The Butler (2013) as Gloria Gaines
– The Handmaid’s Tale (2018-2019) as Radio Free America Announcer
– The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017) as Deborah Lacks
Oprah Winfrey Books
– What I Know For Sure (2014)
– What Happened to You? (2021)
– The Path Made Clear (2019)
– Food, Health, and Happiness (2017)
– The Wisdom Journal (2018)
– Journey to Beloved (1998)
– The uncommon wisdom of Oprah Winfrey (1997)
– Make The Connection (1996)
– Flight to Purpose (2016)
Oprah Winfrey Net Worth
Oprah works as a talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist who is well known due to her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which became the highest-rated television program of its kind in history and ran in national syndication from 1986 to 2011. Therefore, Oprah has accumulated a decent fortune over the years. Oprah’s estimated net worth is $2.6 billion.
How Old Is Oprah Winfrey
Oprah is a 69-year-old who was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in the United States.
How Much is Oprah Winfrey Worth
She is a famous American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist who has accumulated a decent fortune over the years. Oprah’s estimated net worth is $2.6 billion.
Is Oprah Winfrey Married
Yes. Oprah is dating her partner Stedman Graham an educator, author, businessman, and public speaker. They began dating in 1986. The pair became engaged to become married in November 1992, but the ceremony never took place.
Oprah Winfrey Social Media Handles
Twitter – @Oprah
Instagram – oprah