Oprah Gail Winfrey is known as one of America’s greatest talk show host. She is also an author, producer, actress, and philanthropist. She was born on 29th January, 1954 Mississippi, United States. Oprah’s childhood was less than ideal. Up until she was 6, Oprah lived with her grandmother in great poverty.
Even when she moved back with her mother, who had given birth to her half-sister, the family’s financial constraints only piled after which Oprah was sent away to live in Nashville. Oprah describes to have been abused in the hands of her cousin, uncle, and some known family friends.
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After sustaining years of abuse, she finally fled her home when she was only 13. At 14, Oprah was pregnant with her first son who was born premature and died shortly after being born. As a child Oprah, in spite of her circumstances, did reasonably well in school and was popular as well.
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Oprah earned a scholarship to study at the Tennessee State University where she started studying communication but graduated in 1987 after already having a successful TV career. When Oprah was living in Nashville with her father Vernon Winfrey, she started working at a radio station while still being in high school.
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When Oprah was only 19, she got a job on a local evening news show as a co-anchor. Her powerful delivery and screen presence immediately peaked the public’s interest and soon she earned a place on daytime talk shows. Given Oprah’s exemplary performance, she was single-handedly able to boost the ratings of the show and bringing it to the first place.
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Given her early success, Oprah’s confidence in her abilities was significantly boosted and she eventually started her own company. In 1986, Oprah started her own talk show called The Oprah Winfrey Show which is, till date, one of the highest rated shows of its kind. The show enjoyed a long run of over 25 years.
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On this show, Oprah hosted some of the World’s most famous personalities from all walks of life including film stars, dignitaries, and even royalty. Being invited on Oprah’s show became a measure of success for her guests. In the mid-1990s, Oprah reinvented her show to go beyond a regular celebrity talk show and inculcate literature, mindfulness, self-improvement, and spirituality.
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In 2008, Oprah was a significant face for the Presidential elections. Her endorsement of democratic candidate Barack Obama was said to have granted him significant advantage in the elections estimating her endorsement to be worth ‘1 million votes’.
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Having revolutionized tabloid talk shows as the world knows it, Oprah earned high praises for her work and is also a highly decorated individual. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 by then President Obama. She is also a recipient of honorary doctorate degrees from Harvard and Duke.
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She was inducted into the National Women’s hall of Fame in 1994 and has won 18 Daytime Emmy awards. Oprah is also a recipient of a Tony Award and the Bob Hope Humanitarian award. In 2008, she started the Oprah Winfrey Network.
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Oprah influence is such that she is often called the greatest black philanthropist that the US has produced and was also the world’s only black billionaire for a long time. She is also known to be the richest African-American in the 20th Century and often features on the list of the World’s Most influential people.
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