Birth Name
Orpah Gail Winfrey
Nickname
O
Deepak Oprah (a sendup of Deepak Chopra, a self-help guru)
Lady O
Height
5' 6½" (1.69 m)
Trivia
Oprah Winfrey permanently withdrew herself and her show from consideration for a Daytime Emmy Award after being awarded the Lifetime Achievement in 1998. She was quoted as saying, "After you've achieved it for a lifetime, what else is there?"
In addition to being a news anchor on WJZ-TV13 in Baltimore, Maryland, Winfrey was co-host with Richard Sher (a reporter) on a local talk show called "People are Talking" on that station.
Graduated from East Nashville High School in Nashville, Tennessee (1971), where she was voted most popular.
Was sued by Texas cattlemen who claimed that Oprah defamed beef on her talk show. The case went to trial, causing Oprah to have to relocate her show's production to Amarillo, Texas, for the duration of the trial. She was found not liable.
She was ranked first in Entertainment Weekly's 1998 list of the most powerful people in show business, but dropped to sixth in the 1999 list. Still, she was the highest ranking performer, as well as the highest ranking woman, and the only African-American to make the list.
Graduate of Tennessee State University, with a degree in Speech and Performing Arts.
Is the first woman in history to own and produce her own talk show.
The given name on her birth certificate is Orpah, but the spelling was eventually changed to Oprah after others had difficulty pronouncing her name.
Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1985" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 37.
Announced that Oprah would receive $130,000,000 for continuing her talk show through the 1999-2000 TV season. [15 September 1997]
Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1997.
Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca, New York. [1994]
She and Stedman Graham are teaching "Dynamics of Leadership" class at Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. [Fall 1999]
Given an honorary National Book Award for her "influential contribution to reading and books". [October 1999]
Awarded (lst) 50th anniversary medal by National Book Foundation, NYC. [November 1999]
Her immensely popular TV talk show is a Harpo Production. Harpo is Oprah spelled backwards. Harpo is also the name of a character in The Color Purple (1985) (Oprah's film debut) played by 'Willard E. Pug'.
Gave birth to a baby boy when she was just 14. The baby died after 2 weeks, from complications of being born 2 months premature.
Was instrumental in the passage of the Oprah Bill, in the early 1990s. The bill was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, and is aimed at stopping child abuse.
Raised in abject poverty, she received her first pair of shoes in 1959 at age 6. She learned to read at age 2½. In fact, when it was time for her to start kindergarten, she wrote a note to her teacher insisting she should be in first grade. The teacher agreed and after finishing that grade she was then skipped to third grade.
Partner is Stedman Graham. [1986 - present]
Born at 7:51 PM EST
She and her former personal trainer Bob Greene announced they are buying seven shoreline lots from Getty Family Trust to build several homes, including one on 102-acre lot for Oprah. They plan to put conservation first and keep site development low key. [April 2002]
Added to Forbes Billionare list, making her the first African American woman to do so. [February 2003]
Ranked #1 on VH1's list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons" (2003)
Measurements: 36-25-37 (as 18 year-old pageant contestant), 44D-29-40 (in 1990 at 200#+), 36C-25-35 (after 1995 diet), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
Elected to the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, NY
Ranked #1 Pop Culture Icon on VH1's "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons" (2003), beating out Superman and Elvis.
Net worth is estimated to be US$1.1 billion. [2004] |
