Oprah Winfrey, an iconic American journalist, rose to fame as a talk show host in the late1980′s. Her popularity has made her one of the most influential and powerful personalities in the media. Oprah is the CEO of Harpo Productions, a company that produces her show, funds schools and contributes to countless charities worldwide. She is a billionaire and is ranked as both one of the richest African Americans of our time and one of the most philanthropic.

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born in rural Mississippi in 1954 and was later raised in an impoverished section of Milwaukee. During high school she moved to Tennessee. Her rise to television fame began with a job as an anchor woman for the local, evening news in Tennessee. Her spunk and magnetic personality caught viewers attention. Oprah later moved to Chicago where she launched her own production company and television talk show, the Opray Winfrey Show. The show went on to become internationally syndicated.

The Oprah Winfrey Show launched in the 1980′s. According to a Yale University study, it broke many 20th Century cultural taboos. Oprah invited guests who were gay, transgender or transsexual to her show. This gave the mainstream viewing audience the opportunity to see and hear from people who were viewed as outside the norm. In the 1990′s, Oprah broadened the shows focus to include segments on literary themes, self-improvement and spirituality.

Oprah has earned many awards throughout her long career. She won the George Foster Peabody’s Individual Achievement Award in 1995, the Peoples Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer, and Newsweek’s Most Important Person in Books and Media Award. She is also the co-author, with fitness guru Bob Greene, of Make the Connection: Ten Steps to a Better Body and-a Better Life .

Oprah’s popularity continues to soar and she is a household name across America. One of her current projects is the Angel Network, a non-profit organization that supports women, children and families through education and empowerment incentives. Oprah Winfrey lives in Chicago, and also owns homes in California and Hawaii where she often spends time.

~ Amanda Miller