BIOGRAPHY

Oprah Gail Winfrey (born January 29, 1954) is an American media personality and one of the most influential celebrities in the world. Originally named Orpah Gail Winfrey, the media icon has successfully built multiple careers in the Showbiz business. She is a Talk Show host, TV, film producer, actress, philanthropist, and author. She is the host and producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show, which has brought her international fame. At a time, Oprah Winfrey was the only Black Billionaire and formerly held the record of the richest African-American in the world.

EARLY LIFE

Oprah Winfrey was born on the 29th of January 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. After a biblical figure, she was originally named Orpah, but because people often mispronounced her name like “Oprah,” she decided to stick with the latter name. Her siblings are Patricia Lofton, Patricia Lee Lloyd, and Jeffrey Lee. She was born to Vernon Winfrey and Vernita Lee. Her parents were unmarried at the time of her birth. Oprah Winfrey‘s mum was still a teenager when she gave birth to her. Her father, Vernon Winfrey, was a coal miner who also worked as a Barber and became elected as a councilman later in his life. At the same time, her mother, Vernita Lee, worked as a housemaid.

After giving birth to Oprah Winfrey, Vernita Lee left Mississippi for the northern part of the country, searching for work opportunities. So, Oprah Winfrey spent the first six years living with her maternal grandmother. Her grandmother taught her how to read from the age of three. She later moved in with her mother.

EDUCATION

Oprah Winfrey studied at Lincoln High School, Milwaukee, for her secondary school education.

However, she didn’t complete her studies in the school and later transferred to Nicolet High School.

She also attended East Nashville High School. After graduating from high school, she secured a scholarship to study Communication at Tennessee State University. Oprah Winfrey bagged her Bachelor’s degree in 1987.

CAREER

While Oprah Winfrey was still a high school student, she landed her first job at a radio station in Tennessee. By the time she was nineteen, she had become the co-anchor for the local evening news. After that, she moved to Chicago and began to work as a daytime talk show host/anchor. She succeeded in turning a third-rated show in Chicago into the leading show in the city.

After launching her own production company, she started The Oprah Winfrey Show. The debut episode was broadcast nationally on the 8th of September 1986. By 1998, the show had become the number one daytime talk show in the country. Initially, the show was a tabloid talk show. Later on, Oprah Winfrey broadened her topics to include discussions on heart disease, spirituality, geopolitics, and meditation.

As a filmmaker, Oprah Winfrey produced and starred in the drama miniseries, The Women Of Brewster Place in 1988. She played the role of Sofia in The Color Purple, released in 1985. She has starred in other films such as The Native Son, Brewster Place, Lincoln, There Are No Children Here, Ellen, Before Women Had Wings, Beloved, Charlotte’s Web, and Sesame Street.

A highly influential figure, Oprah Winfrey‘s endorsement of Barack Obama in the run-up to the 2008 elections helped him secure about one million votes. In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded her with the Presidential Medal Of Freedom. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall Of Fame in 1994.

Her work in the media industry has been recognized, with several awards to her credit. Oprah Winfrey has won 18 Daytime Emmy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Peabody Award, and the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. She has also received the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which is awarded by the Academy Awards. In 2021, she was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

SOCIAL MEDIA

There are over 1.4 million followers on the Oprah Winfrey TV Instagram page. While Oprah Winfrey has over 43.2 million followers on her personal Twitter page.

Twitter handle: @Oprah
Instagram handle: @owntv

PERSONAL LIFE

Oprah Winfrey has been in a relationship with Stedman Graham since 1986. Although the couple got engaged and were supposed to be married in November 1992, they never tied the knot.

Before meeting Stedman Graham, she had been in a romantic relationship with several men. She once dated movie critic Roger Ebert. She also dated reporter Lloyd Kramer and Josh Tesh.

Her best friend is Gayle King, who is also a media personality. Gayle King is the former host of The Gayle King Show and the current editor of O, Oprah Magazine.

Oprah Winfrey currently resides on a 42-acre estate which is dubbed The Promise Land. The estate is located in Montecito, California. She also owns choice properties in New Jersey, Chicago, Florida, Colorado, Hawaii, and Washington State.

Oprah Winfrey doesn’t have a child of her own.