Oprah Winfrey

Name: Oprah Winfrey
Date of Birth: January 29, 1954
Place of Birth: Kosciusko, Mississippi, USA

Mini-bio:

She permanently withdrew herself and her show from consideration for a Daytime Emmy Award after being awarded the Lifetime Achievement in 1998. She was quoted as saying, "After you've achieved it f

...( read more)or a lifetime, what else is there?"

In addition to being a news anchor on WJZ-TV13 in Baltimore, Maryland, Winfrey was co-host with Richard Sher (a reporter) on a local talk show called "People are Talking" on that station.

Graduated from East Nashville High School in Nashville, Tennessee (1971), where she was voted most popular.

Was sued by Texas cattlemen who claimed that Oprah defamed beef on her talk show. The case went to trial, causing Oprah to have to relocate her show's production to Amarillo, Texas, for the duration of the trial. She was found not liable.

She was ranked first in Entertainment Weekly's 1998 list of the most powerful people in show business, but dropped to sixth in the 1999 list. Still, she was the highest ranking performer, as well as the highest ranking woman, and the only African-American to make the list.

Graduate of Tennessee State University, with a degree in Speech and Performing Arts.

Is the first woman in history to own and produce her own talk show.

The given name on her birth certificate is Orpah, but the spelling was eventually changed to Oprah after others had difficulty pronouncing her name.

Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1985" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 37.

Announced that Oprah would receive $130,000,000 for continuing her talk show through the 1999-2000 TV season. [15 September 1997]

Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1997.

Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca, New York. [1994]

She and Stedman Graham are teaching "Dynamics of Leadership" class at Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. [Fall 1999]

Given an honorary National Book Award for her "influential contribution to reading and books". [October 1999]

Awarded (lst) 50th anniversary medal by National Book Foundation, NYC. [November 1999]

Her immensely popular TV talk show is a Harpo Production. Harpo is Oprah spelled backwards. Harpo is also the name of a character in The Color Purple (1985) (Oprah's film debut) played by 'Willard E. Pug' .

Gave birth to a baby boy when she was just 14. The baby died after 2 weeks, from complications of being born 2 months premature.

Was instrumental in the passage of the Oprah Bill, in the early 1990s. The bill was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, and is aimed at stopping child abuse.

Raised in abject poverty, she received her first pair of shoes in 1959 at age 6. She learned to read at age 2½. In fact, when it was time for her to start kindergarten, she wrote a note to her teacher insisting she should be in first grade. The teacher agreed and after finishing that grade she was then skipped to third grade.

Partner is Stedman Graham. [1986 - present]

Born at 7:51 PM EST

She and her former personal trainer Bob Greene announced they are buying seven shoreline lots from Getty Family Trust to build several homes, including one on 102-acre lot for Oprah. They plan to put conservation first and keep site development low key. [April 2002]

Added to Forbes Billionare list, making her the first African American woman to do so. [February 2003]

Ranked #1 on VH1's list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons" (2003)

Measurements: 36-25-37 (as 18 year-old pageant contestant), 44D-29-40 (in 1990 at 200#+), 36C-25-35 (after 1995 diet), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

Elected to the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, NY

Ranked #1 Pop Culture Icon on VH1's "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons" (2003) (mini), beating out Superman and Elvis.

Net worth is estimated to be US$1.1 billion. [2004]

Purchased a house at 3330 Radcliffe Avenue, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This superb 11,000 sq ft waterfront property was on sale for Cdn $18 million, at the time British Columbia's most expensive house, but she paid Cdn $17 million (US$13 million). [June 2004]

Natural daughter of Vernon Winfrey by Vernita Lee (born 2 May 1935).

According to Forbes magazine, her 2005 net worth is $1.3 billion. She was the first African-American women to make the list of billionaires, in 2003.

Was a guest at friends Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger's star-studded wedding.

First African-American woman to become a billionaire in American history.

After years of publicly criticizing David Letterman's late-night television show, "Late Show with David Letterman" (1993), she and Letterman finally settled their differences when she agreed to appear on the December 1, 2005 episode, during which time she was be in New York to promote her musical of The Color Purple (1985). During the Superbowl of 2007, they appeared in an advertisement together for Letterman's show. In the ad, they sat together on a couch watching the Superbowl, wearing opposing team jerseys. [2005]

Has a cameo playing herself in Throw Momma from the Train (1987). In a "clip" from her show, she interviews a writer (the ex-wife of Billy Crystal's character) whose plagiarized and embellished "life story" is at the top of the bestseller lists (foreshadowing the James Frey controversy twenty years later).

Was #3 on the annual Forbes magazine Celebrity 100 list in 2006.

Collapsed from heat exhaustion during a recent visit to her hometown of Kosciusko, Mississippi. [October 2006]

Winfrey's name was originally "Orpah," after the biblical figure in the book of Ruth. Several different stories allude to the fact that either a misspelling on her birth certificate or a struggle with the pronunciation of her name eventually led to "Oprah" being adopted as her given name.

Has Native American ancestry.

Appearing on the annual "Time 100" list, Time's ranking of the 100 most influential people in the world, in 2007 again, she is the only person who has been on that list five times (May 2007).

Her two-year-old golden retriever, Gracie, died after accidentally choking to death on another dog's ball [July 2007].

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Oprah Winfrey mini-bio:Oprah Gail Winfrey was bornJanuary 29, 1954, inKosciusko,Mississippi. After a troubledadolescence in a small farming community, where she was sexually abused by a number of male relatives and friends of her mother, Vernita, she moved toNashvilleto live with her father,Vernon, a barber and businessman. She enteredTennesseeStateUniversityin 1971 and began working in radio andtelevisionbroadcasting inNashville.

In 1976, Winfrey moved toBaltimore, where she hosted theTVchat show,People Are Talking. The show became a hit and Winfrey stayed with it for eight years, after which she was recruited by a Chicago TV station to host her own morning show,A.M. Chicago. Her major competitor in the time slot wasPhil Donahue. Within several months, Winfrey's open, warm-hearted personal style had won her 100,000 more viewers than Donahue and had taken her show from last place to first in the ratings. Her success led to nationwide fame and a role inSteven Spielberg's1985 film,The Color Purple, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

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Last update: Dec 23 2008, 10:28 AM EST by Collegekid (content history | content tools) (help)

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Muzo09

Hello Oprah
I hope and pray that you find time to read this or someone close to you can read it and tell you this message.
Am a Zambian citizen aged 32.I just received acceptance letter to study at South London College.I have no resource to sponsor myself for the course but I feel if anyone can Help me with this I am ready to work for that sponsorship if it requires that. My email address is musondarc@gmail.com. Please if there is anyone who will read this and has means of helping me they can contact me and I can supply them with details of my acceptance Letter.

posted 163 days ago
Natashasbaby

hey wuts up

posted 419 days ago
risflores

hello oprah winfrey ! have a blessed day ! i really like your show oprah your very good host and very kind to all people especially to the poor ! hope someday we meet n seen you in personal coz i love u and want to talked to u in person ! if u dont mind pls help me also coz im poor ! your a great person ! until then have great day And GOD BLESS ! BEST REGARDS !

posted 555 days ago
sacredartuk

Oprah.Love you, love the show,love what you've achieved.You're an inspiration.Go Sista!!Mwah!

posted 750 days ago
bratzroxkim

i love your show.i watch it when ever i am home from school

posted 758 days ago
SOCCERCHICK91195

MY BROTHER LOVES YOU

posted 842 days ago
NatNat1994

i love you oprah you are the best i love your show i love your topics they are amazing and meaningful you are a very good person you are giving and kind and generous, really generous i hope i would meet you i hope i would come to your show i am trying my best we love you OPRAH!!!

posted 843 days ago
XkrystelX

oprah, you r fantastic, i wish i can come to your show, you rock.

posted 845 days ago
Cutelilrichgrl

hey oprah i love your show

posted 848 days ago
mswinfreylova01

oprah go hard she is off the chane

posted 874 days ago

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Oprah Winfrey Movies

The Princess and the Frog (G, 2009)
Barack Obama: The Power of Change (Unrated, 2008)
The Great Debaters (PG-13, 2007)
Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom's For One More Day (Unrated, 2007)
We Are the Future (Unrated, 2006)
Finding Oprah's Roots: Finding Your Own (Unrated, 2006)
Charlotte's Web (G, 2006)
Emmanuel's Gift (G, 2005)
Unchained Memories: Slave Narratives (Unrated, 2002)
Our Friend, Martin (Unrated, 1999)

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Oprah Winfrey Trivia

What billionaire talk show host had a role in the movie The Color Purple? Answer »
In the movie The Color Purple, what is the name of the character portrayed by Oprah Winfrey? Answer »
Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey were Oscar nominated for their feature film acting debut in The Color Purple ? Answer »
True of False: Oprah Winfrey has been nominated for an Oscar? Answer »

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