Oprah Winfrey: An Inspiring Success Story
Oprah Winfrey is amongst the most influential African American woman of the 20th century. From being
an actor, producer, publisher and philanthropist, Oprah has aced it all. According to Forbes, Oprah
Winfrey is ranked America’s 2nd most self-made woman of 2016. Also, in 2016, she has scored number
21, for being the most powerful woman.
Born on January 29, 1954, Oprah Gail Winfrey led a very difficult childhood with economic instability.
She was the child of teenage, unwed parents. Being a part of a farming community in Kosciusko,
Mississippi, she was physically abused by male members of her society, even her mother’s friends. After
struggling for several years, she relocated with her father in Nashville where, in 1971, she started
working for broadcasting of radio and television.
‘People are Talking’, was the first show which Oprah hosted in 1976 when she moved to Baltimore,
Maryland. After hosting the show for eight years, Oprah was then hired to host A.M Chicago, her own
morning show. Her warm personality won her over million viewers and within a year, she achieved
highest ratings even though her competitor was Phil Donahue. In 1985, Oprah Winfrey played a
supporting actor in the movie ‘The Color Purple’. She was nominated for an Academy Award for that
role. From 1986 to 2011, she hosted her very own talk show which was popular internationally.
In 1986, ‘Oprah Winfrey Show’ was launched by Oprah as broadcast syndication. The show was aired on
120 channels which targeted approximately 10 million people. In the first year only, the revenue of the
show grossed 125 million dollars and Oprah Winfrey earned 30 million dollars. Soon afterwards, Oprah
launched her own production company, ‘Harpo Productions’. She also gained the ownership of her show
which made her fortune rise.
Her easy going personality helped her gain immense success and fame. She believed in simple things
which reflected the topics on her talk shows. Over the years, she gained immense viewers who
respected her humble nature and inspiring stories. She gained high level of popularity in a short span of
time. In 1989, Oprah started a miniseries on TV called ‘The Women of Brewster Place’. A multi-picture
contract was also signed with Disney. Oprah also starred in the movie ‘Beloved’ which was a Pulitzer
Prize winning novel. However, the project was not much of a hit.
Oprah Winfrey also became famous for losing approximately 150 pounds for her talk show. As a part of
her success, Oprah’s trainer and personal chef published the best-selling books for weight loss. ‘Oprah’s
Book Club’ was also launched in relation to her talk show. The program facilitated people rejoice reading
by providing a best-seller list.
The ‘Oprah Winfrey’ show helped Oprah gain phenomenal success all over the world. In the history of
U.S, the television talk show rated the highest. Oprah not only expanded her fame and fortune over the
years, but she also empowered the lives of millions of people.
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