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Photo montage of Oprah Winfrey by Teresa Goss.

OPRAH WINFREY
Talkshow host

By TERESA GOSS
fhspress.com Staff
Posted February 19, 2016

Oprah Winfrey or Oprah Gail was born In January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. She is an actress and she became a the host of her own T.V. show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which became one of the most popular T.V. shows in America.

In 1986, it had about twelve seasons and 33 million spectators; the show had grown quite big. Because Oprah had her own show, she became very well-known. The show played in 135 countries; it spread around the world. It’s quite interesting how one woman who hosts a talk show became famous, popular, and even won awards for her work.

In 1985, she was given a Golden Globe for having one of the best actress administration in the film The Color Purple. It was directed by the Director Steven Spielberg. In 1986, she accepted an Emmy for being a wonderful actress and host.

But Oprah Winfrey wasn’t always so famous and popular; she had to go far to get where she’s at. She was living with her grandmother in the city she was born in, but when Oprah became six she was sent to her mother in Milwaukee which is the largest city in Wisconsin. When Oprah was living with her mother, she was getting paid to help with menial tasks like cleaning and she had two half-brothers living with her.

Oprah was abused and she decided to run away when she was only thirteen. She was soon sent to be with her father who was very strict. Her father lived in Nashville, Tennessee. This is how Oprah found a way to get to college. While Oprah was in Milwaukee, Oprah started performing, speaking publicly, reciting poems at societies, organizations, and tea houses.

While she was with her father she started attracting attention. When Oprah was sixteen she won a contest at a club called Elks for the publics speaking. She was rewarded with a scholarship to go to college at Tennessee State University. When Oprah was a freshman she won the African American Woman talents and the African American Woman area of talent of Tennessee Pageants; which is about outdoor performance and historical scene.

After college, Oprah started getting ready for her career in 1973. She worked at WVOL radio in Nashville and after two years of that she soon allied with WTVF-TV and became a journalist and a supporter. In 1976, Oprah decided to go to WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland. Soon in 1978, Oprah became what is called a joint host of a talk show. In January 1984, Oprah went to Chicago, Illinois where she became a host in WLS-TV’s which is a local talk show. Less than a year after she started, she became very popular and she started gaining fame, awards, and also becoming the best, most famous African American woman actress and host. She’s now 61 years old. Oprah is probably still making millions or more. After all, Oprah Winfrey may just be one of the richest African American woman to ever live.

Sources:

"Winfrey, Oprah 1954-." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 10: 1990-1999. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Student Resources in Context. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. Use the Gale database on the library homepage to find this source

“ Oprah Winfrey,” Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History Gale, 2006, Student Resources in Context, Web, 28 Jan, 2016. Use the Gale database on the library homepage to find this source.

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