Oprah Gail Winfrey is a US media mogul, talk show host, actress, producer, philanthropist and spiritual leader. Her TV talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, was the highest-rated programme ever of its type. She is the first black US billionaire and is seen as the greatest black philanthropist. Many considered her to be the most influential woman in the world. In 2013, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
Winfrey was born in 1954 in rural Mississippi to a poor teenage single mother. She had a hard and troubled upbringing. She was sexually abused as a child by a number of male relatives and friends of her mother. At the age of 14, she bore a son who died in infancy.
While still in high school, Oprah took a job at the local radio station and, by the age of 19, she was co-anchoring the local evening news. In 1976, Winfrey moved to Baltimore, where she hosted a hit television chat show, People Are Talking. Her fresh, emotional and open-hearted style of hosting became increasingly popular. A Chicago TV station offered her the chance to host her own morning show. The Oprah Winfrey Show became a massive hit that ran for 25 seasons, from 1986 to 2011. It was syndicated to over 200 TV stations and more than 100 countries across the world. At the same time, she developed her acting career. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film The Color Purple. Winfrey launched her own TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, in 2011.
She revolutionised the daytime TV talk show with a confessional style of interview that broke taboos. Openly, she discussed issues such as her own sexual abuse and weight loss problems. She espoused gay and lesbian rights. In the 1990s, she reinvented her show with a focus on self-help, literature and spirituality. She launched her book club, which encouraged people to read and boosted the careers of hitherto unknown authors. She supported Barack Obama in his bid for the White House and is credited with adding millions of votes to his campaign. Life magazine hailed her the most influential woman of her generation.
She is renowned for her good works and philanthropy. Winfrey’s Angel Network has raised more than $50 million for causes ranging from girls’ education in South Africa to relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. She is an activist for children’s rights and proposed a bill to Congress for the naming of child abusers. It became law in 1994.
Try a different and more personal style. Whilst other TV hosts were seen as ingratiating, polished, aggressive or patronising, Winfrey developed her own style, which was warm and open. Because she was candid about her own background and issues, she encouraged people to be truthful and open about theirs.
Embody the change you want to see. Like Gandhi, Winfrey’s life exemplifies the values she espouses – particularly openness and empowerment for women and children. You can lead by example to inspire others to change.
Help and become a role model for others. As a woman from a poor background who has overcome disadvantage and abuse, Winfrey has become a role model across the world. Her programme is particularly popular in the Arab world and in Saudi Arabia. Many women there admire her for her modest, yet confident, triumph over adversity.