Oprah Winfrey is a well-known name in the world of television talk shows in America. She holds multiple skills as a philanthropist, a TV producer, actress, and is also an author. However, she is mostly famous for her famous talk show program The Oprah Winfrey Show. The broadcasting of this talk show is done from Chicago.
All the television viewers need to know that this talk show has made its mark in the history of television in being the most highly-rated TV program. It aired for many years (from 1986 to 2011). Coming on to Oprah Winfrey, she is given the name of Queen of All Media.
Oprah Winfrey is an epitome of hard work and a perfect example of sheer dedication to the path of success and worldwide fame. She did not come from an affluent background as she struggled with poverty with an unmarried mother who raised her under challenging circumstances. Other than poverty, Oprah also had to suffer one more dark phase during her childhood days.
During the 90s, her name was mentioned in the category of the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Oprah is a recipient of several awards including Academy Awards, Peabody Award, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences in the current year 2021. Now let us get to know more about her life, career, earnings, etc in this article. She is a woman to be known in depth.
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Personal Details
| Full Name: | Oprah Gail Winfrey |
| Stage Name: | Oprah Winfrey |
| Gender: | Female |
| Birthday: | 29 January 1954 |
| Place Of Origin: | Kosciusko, Mississippi, United States |
| Age: | 67 years old |
| Height: | 1.69 m |
| Weight: | 65 kg |
| Nationality: | American |
| Sexual orientation: | Straight |
| Status: | Married |
| Spouse: | Stedman Graham |
| Profession: | American media executive, actress, talk show host, television producer, and philanthropist |
| Total Net Worth: | $3.5 billion |
Early Life
Oprah was born in Mississippi on 29th January 1954. She was not the only child born to her parents. Oprah has 3 siblings. Coming on to her education, she went to a high school and completed her education. Afterward, she graduated from a reputed university. She explored traveling to different US states including Illinois and New Jersey at the time of her childhood.
There is an interesting story behind her name Oprah. It dates back to her childhood days when she was being named Orpah indicating a biblical figure. But at the time when she was an infant, people used to call her Oprah. And so the name became her identity. Oprah’s mother was a housemaid who gave birth as an unmarried mother. Her father worked in the Armed Forces. He used to do odd jobs including hair-cutting, mining coal, and as a councilman.
During childhood, Oprah and her mother started living with her grandmother. The family was poverty-stricken. Such was the condition that little Oprah did not even have a school dress to wear. She made potato sacks as her dress. So now you can imagine what hardships she has been through in becoming what she is now.
When Oprah was a minor, she relocated to Milwaukee. Here her mother earned her living by working as a maid. At this time she gave birth to the younger sister of Oprah. But destiny seemed too cruel for her that she snatched the happiness of sibling love from her. Her sister passed away due to cocaine abuse, and her brother died of AIDS.
Oprah at a very young age had to suffer abuse from her father. So she thought it right to escape from the torture. When she turned 14, she became a mother but not for long, as her infant premature child died very soon.
Job At Local Radio Station
When Oprah became 17 years old she became the winner of a beauty pageant competition. This paved her early career at a local radio station WVOL. There she worked as a news anchor. She also got a scholarship from Tennessee State University and opted for communication study. Later on, she left the school and made up her mind to make a full-time career in media.
Personal Life
In 1986, she married a man named Stedman Graham but never had children with him. After the previous incident of her baby’s premature death at the age of 14, she still could not become a mother a second time also. Oprah suffered another shock when her baby who was born in 1968 died in the same year. After that, she never planned for kids in the future.
Career
Oprah began her career in 1983 in the entertainment business. Initially, she aimed to become an actress. She also explored becoming a model for regional magazines. Her show The Oprah Winfrey Show aired for the first time in 1986 on television screens. It continued till 2011. During that decade, many big celebrities including comedian-actor Jim Carry, action star Will Smith, and singing sensation Rihanna had come to her famous talk show. Being a producer she has produced dozens of projects (films and television).
In 1985, her dream of becoming an actress came true with the film The Color Purple. After that, she starred in more films including Lincoln, The Butler, Bee Movie, Greenleaf, The Princess, and the Frog, etc. After becoming an established actress, Oprah also became an author with 3 books. There is one big reason behind her audience-driven talk show which is that it contained an emotional approach that led to controversy some time.
Oprah never hesitated to question her celebrity guests in pitching an emotional angle. The Oprah Winfrey Show became a worldwide success with issues involving mental health, magic, laws of attraction, and even sex. Her belief in the show became an inspiration for others to follow what they feel from their soul.
Net Worth of Oprah Winfrey
As of 2021, $3.5 billion is the estimated net worth of talk host Oprah Winfrey. She earned her fortune with her popular show, films in which she acted, and becoming the popular face for big brands. This helped her make a million wealth. Her speculated salary is known to be around $75 million.
