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HOW IT ALL BEGAN ....
Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi,
Oprah Winfrey was reared by her grandmother on a farm where she
"began her broadcasting career" by learning to read aloud and
perform recitations at the age of three. From age six to 13, she
lived in Milwaukee with her mother. After suffering abuse and
molestation, she ran away and was sent to a juvenile detention
home at the age of 13, only to be denied admission because all
the beds were filled. As a last resort, she was sent to
Nashville to live under her father's strict discipline. Vernon
Winfrey saw to it that his daughter met a midnight curfew, and
he required her to read a book and write a book report each
week. "As strict as he was," says Oprah, "he had some concerns
about me making the best of my life, and would not accept
anything less than what he thought was my best."
HER CAREER ....
Oprah Winfrey's broadcasting career began at age 17, when
she was hired by WVOL radio in Nashville, and two years
later signed on with WTVF-TV in Nashville as a
reporter/anchor. She attended Tennessee State University,
where she majored in Speech Communications and Performing
Arts.
In 1976, she moved to Baltimore to join WJZ-TV news as a
co-anchor, and in 1978 discovered her talent for hosting talk
shows when she became co-host of WJZ-TV's "People Are Talking,"
while continuing to serve as anchor and news reporter.
In January 1984, she came to Chicago to host WLS-TV's "AM
Chicago," a faltering local talk show. In less than a year, she
turned "AM Chicago" into the hottest show in town. The format
was soon expanded to one hour, and in September 1985 it was
renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Seen nationally since September 8, 1986, "The Oprah Winfrey
Show" became the number one talk show in national syndication in
less than a year. In June 1987, in its first year of
eligibility, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" received three Daytime
Emmy Awards in the categories of Outstanding Host, Outstanding
Talk/Service Program and Outstanding Direction. In June 1988,
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" received its second consecutive Daytime
Emmy Award as Outstanding Talk/Service Program, and she herself
received the International Radio and Television Society's
"Broadcaster of the Year" Award. She was the youngest person and
only the fifth woman ever to receive the honor in IRTS's 25-year
history.
CONQUERING AMERICA...
Before America fell in love with
Oprah Winfrey the talk show host, she captured the nation's
attention with her poignant portrayal of Sofia in Steven
Spielberg's 1985 adaptation of Alice Walker's novel, The
Color Purple. Winfrey's performance earned her nominations
for an Oscar and Golden Globe Award in the category of Best
Supporting Actress. Critics again lauded her performance in
Native Son, a movie adaptation of Richard Wright's classic
1940 novel.
LOVE OF ACTING ...
Her love of acting and her desire to bring quality
entertainment projects into production prompted her to form
her own production company, HARPO Productions, Inc., in
1986. Today, HARPO is a formidable force in film and
television production. Based in Chicago, HARPO Entertainment
Group includes HARPO Productions, Inc., HARPO Films and
HARPO Video, Inc. In October, 1988, HARPO Productions, Inc.
acquired ownership and all production responsibilities for
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" from Capitol Cities/ABC, making
Oprah Winfrey the first woman in history to own and produce
her own talk show. The following year, HARPO produced it
first television miniseries, the The Women of Brewster
Place, with Oprah Winfrey as star and Executive Producer. It
has been followed by the TV movies There Are No Children
Here (1993), and Before Women Had Wings(1997), which she
both produced and appeared in. In 1998, she starred in the
feature film Beloved, from the book by the Nobel
Prize-winning American author Toni Morrison.
THE OPRAH BILL...
In 1991, motivated in part by her own memories of childhood
abuse, she initiated a campaign to establish a national database
of convicted child abusers, and testified before a U.S. Senate
Judiciary Committee on behalf of a National Child Protection
Act. President Clinton signed the "Oprah Bill" into law in 1993,
establishing the national database she had sought, which is now
available to law enforcement agencies and concerned parties
across the country.
ACHIEVEMENT...
Oprah Winfrey was named one of the
100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century by Time
Magazine, and in 1998 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from
the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Her
influence extended to the publishing industry when she began an
on-air book club. Oprah Book Club selections became instant
bestsellers, and in 1999 she was presented with the National
Book Foundation's 50th anniversary gold medal for her service to
books and authors.
She is one of the partners in Oxygen Media, Inc., a cable
channel and interactive network presenting programming
designed primarily for women. In 2000, Oprah's Angel Network
began presenting a $100,000 "Use Your Life Award" to people
who are using their lives to improve the lives of others.
When Forbes magazine published its list of America's
billionaires for the year 2003, it disclosed that Oprah
Winfrey was the first African-American woman to become a
billionaire.
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