The Life of Oprah Winfrey

  • Oprah finds life on the farm

    Oprah finds life on the farm
    After being born out of wedlock, Oprah went on to live with her grandmother, Hattie Mae. They remained on the farm where Oprah was born until around 1960.
  • The world welcomes Oprah Winfrey

    The world welcomes Oprah Winfrey
    On January 29, 1964, in Kosciusko, Mississippi, a beautiful African American child was born to Vernon Winfrey (a coal miner) and Vernita Lee ( a housemaid).
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    Oprah meets the city...

    Oprah moved to Milwaukee with her mother and other family members. This timespan took a toll on Oprah, as she was abused and sexually assaulted by different family members.
  • The escape

    The escape
    Oprah knew she had to get away from the abusive family. She ran away and became a wild teenager in the inner city of Milwaukee. It was then that she found herself in much trouble and pregnant. After giving birth to a little baby boy, who died shortly after birth, Oprah moved to Nashville with her father.
  • A new Production

    A new Production
    Oprah formed her own television production company called Harpo Productions
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    The changes of Life

    After moving to Nashville with her father and stepmother, Oprah's life changed. She enrolled in school, where she became an honors student. She would eventually attend and graduate from Tennessee State University, with a major in Speech & Performing Arts. It was also during this timeframe that she took part in many pageants, such as Miss Black Tennessee, Miss Fire Prevention, and Miss America. She was crowned Miss Black Tennessee and Miss Fire Prevention.
  • Oprah takes to TV

    Oprah takes to TV
    Oprah became the first black TV news anchor reporter with WTVF-TV
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    The life of an anchorer

    Oprah moved to Baltimore where she worked in several positions with WJZ-TV. While working for this station, she met her BFF, Gayle King. She also became the news anchor for ABC news of Baltimore, Maryland.
  • Oprah moves to Chicago

    Oprah moves to Chicago
    Oprah moves to host A.M. Chicago.
  • The Color Purple

    The Color Purple
    Oprah starred in the Steven Spielberg movie 'The Color Purple' as the character Sofia as was nominated for many awards, including an Emmy.
  • The Opportunity of a Lifetime

    The Opportunity of a Lifetime
    After working so hard with the various talk shows and new stations, Oprah founded her very own tv show, The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her first show would air in the fall of 1986.
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    Hard work pay off...

    Oprah's episode we aired in Forsythe County, Ga, a city where colored people were not allowed to live since 1912. It was also during this time that Oprah won her first Emmy for best talk show host.
  • Oprah's plea to protect the kids.

    Oprah's plea to protect the kids.
    Oprah initiated the Child Protection Act and gave a testimony before Congress. Having survived sexual and physical abuse herself, Oprah advocates for the safety ans protection of all children.
  • Love conquers all

    Love conquers all
    Oprah became engaged to Stedman Graham.
  • Signed and Sealed

    Signed and Sealed
    President Bill Clinton signed the National Child Protection Act which had been strongly supported by Oprah.
  • Michael Jackson comes to visit.

    Michael Jackson comes to visit.
    Oprah hosted an interview with Michael Jackson which reached an audience of one hundred million.
  • I'm RICH!!!

    I'm RICH!!!
    Oprah became the first woman and the only black on Forbes list of 400 richest Americans. She has remained the only black person to rank among America's 400 richest people nearly every year since 1995.
  • Achievements

    Achievements
    Oprah has received numerous awards and acknowledgments from various sources. It was this year that she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmy Awards and an award for top talk show host.
  • The evolution of "O"

    The evolution of "O"
    Fortune called O, the Oprah Magazine the most successful start-up ever in the industry.
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    Hard work pays off

    The Color Purple was made into a Broadway musical of which she was a producer
    Forbes' international rich list has listed Winfrey as the world's only black billionaire
    Became the first blacklisted by Business Week as one of America's top 50 most generous philanthropists
    Signed 3-year contract with XM Satellite Radio to establish a new radio channel based in Chicago
    Named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people of the year
  • Enjoying life

    Enjoying life
    Oprah currently lives on "The Promised Land", her 42 acre estate in Montecito, California and also owns a house in Lavallette, New Jersey.