Oprah Winfrey

A detailed Summary of Oprah Winfrey

There are many famous people who are recognized immediately all over the world by their first names alone. Among them there's Oprah Gail Winfrey who is just not another famous entertainer, but a friend to the world and a role model for all people, of any gender, race, or group. Her warmth as a human being influences and inspires everyone. As a popular daily talk show host, actress, and owner of her own production company, Oprah is one of the most successful women in the entertainment business. Even at an early age, Oprah knew she had to take charge of her life if she wanted to succeed.

Oprah was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 29, 1954. When she was born her father, Veron Winfrey was away in the army. Her mother, Vernita Lee, went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to work as a cleaning lady. Oprah's parents were never married. She was left with her grandmother, Hattie May on a farm in Mississippi. Oprah was lonely on the farm and she didn't have any friends her own age. Looking back at her childhood she says, "There weren't other kids...I played with the animals and talked to the cows" (Saidman 9).

Oprah's grandmother taught her how to read at a very early age and also taught her to speak well. Once when Oprah

Oprah entered Lincoln High School at the age of 13. One of Oprah's teachers realized how smart she was and arranged for her to receive a full scholarship to Nicolet

High School. Nicolet was a private high schooling rich suburb of Milwaukee. Oprah was

visited her father in Nashville, Tennessee she made a speech at a church and was paid $500. The experience made her realize what she wanted to do with her life. She came home from the church and told her father that she planned to be famous and that she wanted to get paid to talk when she grew up.

In 1976, Oprah left WTVF-TV to become a co-anchor and a reporter at WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland. She had good reasons to leave WTVF-TV and to move to WJZ-

WTVF-TV in Nashville. The television station wanted someone with a lot of magnetism and who was friendly, like a next-door neighbor who could tell what was going on. She was immediately was hired even though she does admit, " The day of the audition I was very nervous, but I did not show it." (Mair 9) She became the first female co-anchor and the first black co-anchor in Nashville. At WTVF-TV she worked on the weekend news and even wrote her own scripts. Sometimes she even worked as a reporter, which was extremely difficult for her. She always got emotionally involved with the story and cared too much about the people she was interviewing. After a while Oprah stopped attending Tennessee State University because working at WTVF-TV had occupied all her time. Working there was a full-time job.

thought, this is what I have really should have been doing all along.'" (Saidman 25) Oprah co-hosted the show for 7 years and she eventually began to feel restless. She soon realized that she didn't want to co-host a show, but that she wanted to host a show by herself.

I can honestly say that Oprah has made an impact in my life and that by learning about her has made me realize that there's no such thing as the easy life. You have to fight your way through everything to succeed in life. There will be times when you will feel hopeless with no way out, but don't quit because "winners never quit and quitters never win." Do whatever is in your power to become the person that you want to become. Like Oprah says, " I always if you do right, right will follow." (http://www.girlpower.org/Oprah Winfrey.htm) The amazing thing about Oprah is how well she has been able to deal with success, fame, and wealth. As her life progresses she continues to adapt, grow and become a stronger, deeper, and more spiritual person.

On September 4, 1983, Oprah went to Chicago and signed a 4-year contract with WLS-TV. She was worried about making such a big moved and one way she handled her fears was by eating. She explained later, "Everybody kept telling me that it was going to be impossible to succeed because I was going into Phil Donahue's hometown. So you know, I'd eat and eat. I'd eat of the nervousness of it all." (Mair 18) She started hosting "A.M. Chicago" in January of 1894, and it was an immediate success. The show received great ratings. When Oprah first began hosting "A.M. Chicago" show, Phil Donahue, a native of Chicago, had dominated the l

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Approximate Word count = 2124
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: People