Oprah Gail Winfrey - Early Life
Oprah was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her unmarried parents split after her birth, so she was raised on a farm by her grandmother. She was taught to read by the age of three, and skipped kindergarten and second grade. At the age of six, Oprah went to live with her mother in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
She enjoyed reciting poems and bible verses, so she became known at church as "the Little Speaker." At the age of 9, her mother's boyfriend, her cousin, and her uncle began sexually abusing her. She began lying and stealing, and ran away from home. At 14, she was raped by a family friend and gave birth to a stillborn boy.
She then went to live with her dad, who was very strict about education. Oprah began to excel at school, and during high school, she became President of their student council and participated in the drama club. When her senior year came around, she won a scholarship to Tennessee State University, where she attended fall 1971.
Oprah Gail Winfrey - Adulthood
She graduated college in 1976 with a degree in Speech and Drama. Oprah then moved to Baltimore to host a TV show called "People Are Talking" for 8 years. She was later recruited to Chicago to host her own show, "A.M. Chicago." The show was a big hit and her success and national fame led her to her role in Steven Spielberg's film, The Color Purple.
In 1986, Oprah successfully launched her own TV show, The Oprah Winfrey Show. In the first year it had grossed $125 million with an audience of over 20 million people. Oprah soon gained ownership of the show from ABC. She then started Oprah's Book Club, The Oprah Angel Network, OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network), O Magazine, and began her journey of helping others.