Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29,
1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her mother was Vernita Lee, who lived
on a small family farm. Oprah's biological father, Vernon Winfrey, was a
soldier temporarily stationed at a nearby base. Born to an
unwed mother Oprah grew up in dire poverty, and was primarily raised by her
grandmother. Sexually abused and mistreated as a child, Winfrey rose
above adversity to focus on her primary and high school education.
She shuttled between different caregivers
throughout her childhood, and attended Nashville East High School in
Nashville, Tennessee. In her senior year, Oprah was chosen to read the
news on a local radio station. In the same year, she won the Miss Black
Tennessee contest.
When
she was still a teenager, the local CBS television station in
Nashville, Tennessee offered her a job as a co-anchor. She turned it
down three times. At age 19, Oprah Winfrey said yes after the fourth
offer. She
failed the interview, but instead was offered a job as a full-time
reporter for a Baltimore television news channel. She did poorly as a
reporter, and by age 22 she was fired from the news division. The
director of the station gave Winfrey a boost by selecting her to anchor
a morning talk show entitled ‘People are Talking’. For the next seven
years, her talk show enjoyed excellent ratings.
In 1981, she moved to Chicago to host a
talk show entitled ‘A.M. Chicago’. Four years later, after a tremendous
boost in the ratings, the producers changed the name to ‘The Oprah
Winfrey Show’.
Oprah Winfrey became the richest self-made woman in America and one of the most influential and powerful women in the world. In 2000, this talented artist was honored with the ‘Spingarn Medal’ from the NAACP and In 2013, she was awarded the ‘Presidential
Medal of Freedom’. She has also won dozens of awards and recognitions
for her broadcasting and acting career.
She
lives on a property named ‘The Promised Land’ in California. She has
dated several celebrities, including John Tesh and Roger Ebert, but has
never married. She has officially been in a relationship with her
long-time boyfriend Stedman Graham since 1986.
The
philanthropic talk show host has given over 400 scholarships to
Morehouse College. She has also been ranked as among the 50 most
generous Americans.
Oprah Winfrey made a very stylish appearance at the Oscars in a nude
Vera Wang gown with a plunging neckline and crisscross detailing with her signature hair in a big shock of curls.
Oprah Winfrey added major sparkle to her look with classic elegance with this black wrap top and sequined black skirt at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Oprah Winfrey paired black skinny pants with a purple tunic top accessorized with a simple gray envelope clutch for her dinner date.