Oprah Winfrey
As producer and host of her own Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest rated talk show in history, Winfrey has charmed audiences for years. Her personal fortune is estimated to be more than half a billion dollars. She owns her own production company. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in The Color Purple. And she is even a book critic. Which raises the question: Is there anything Oprah can't do?
She was born in 1954 to unmarried parents in Kosciusko, Mississippi, and raised by her grandmother on a farm. As a student at Tennessee State University, she became the first woman, and first African-American person, to be a Nashville TV news anchor. She went on to host the A.M. Chicago show, which ultimately became the Oprah Winfrey Show. From there, she created her empire.
Winfrey is one of the most influential people in the United States today. Books she recommends become bestsellers within the hour, her fundraisers have raked in over $1 million to send disadvantaged children to college and she is routinely named to Forbes' annual list of the world's most powerful celebrities. Winfrey continues to be an inspiration to those with humble beginnings and big dreams.
- Oprah.com
For tips on health, books, beauty and living well, visit Oprah's Web site. Also watch videos, browse photos and get expert advice.
- Winfrey in Time Magazine
Winfrey was named one of the People Who Shape Our World by Time Magazine in 2007. Find out why.
- Academy of Achievement
Read all about why Winfrey was inducted into the Academy of Achievement as America's Beloved Best Friend: her profile, biography and an interview. Also, browse through a photo gallery.
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