Oprah Winfrey is an American talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. From humble beginnings and a difficult childhood marred by abuse, Oprah diligently pursued her education and became one of the wealthiest, most influential women in the world.
Oprah Winfrey was born in 1954, in a small, impoverished Mississippi town. Soon after her birth, her mother went north to make a life for herself and left her baby to be raised by her own mother. Oprah’s grandmother was very influential during Oprah’s earliest years. Although a lonely child, Oprah showed a great imagination. Her grandmother instilled her religious values in Oprah and taught her to read and write at a young age.
At just six years old, Oprah was sent to live with her mother in Milwaukee where her mother worked as a maid. She was often left alone with her cousins who abused and molested her. Oprah was sent to Nashville, Tennessee for a time to live with her father who taught her the value of education. When she returned to her mother, Oprah was continually abused. She ran away from home at 13 years old and was pregnant at 14. Her son died at birth, and Oprah decided it meant a second chance. She returned to Nashville where she finished high school, excelling at speech and drama.
Just out of high school, Oprah landed a job reading the news on the radio. Before graduating from college, she was hired by a television station in Baltimore, Maryland to co-anchor the news for a CBS television station. She took the job and it led to hosting a morning talk show, “People Are Talking”. Oprah’s skill as an ad-lib speaker got her hired to host a morning talk show in Chicago called “A.M.” in 1981.
In 1985, Oprah’s talk show started broadcasting nationwide as The Oprah Winfrey Show. She became a sensation across America. Her show was originally geared toward women but became known for intimate self-help discussions and exposing controversial topics. Oprah began her acting career that year and starred as Sophia in “The Color Purple”. She went on to win several daytime Emmy awards and her career soared.
In 2005, Winfrey was named the greatest woman in American history. She has been ranked the richest African-American of the 20th century and is currently North America’s only black billionaire.