Media mogul, actress, philanthropist, and the titles go on, The Queen of All Media, Oprah Winfrey no doubt needs no introduction.
The first black woman billionaire, undoubtedly one of the most influential women in the world whose awe inspiring work earned her the coveted Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation’s highest civilian honor) by President Barack Obama in 2013, Oprah’s journey goes from poverty and a troubled childhood to mega status inspires millions on a daily.
A pacesetter right from the very beginning, even before gracing television screens, her light shone brightly. The 68-year-old after attending Tennessee State University began her career began in the mid-1970s in Nashville and Baltimore, as a local news anchor and presenter at Nashville’s WLAC-TV (now WTVF-TV), where she was both the youngest news anchor and the first black female news anchor, a feat she achieved at age 19. Winfrey was later recruited to join Richard Sher as co-host of WJZ’s local talk show People Are Talking, which premiered on August 14, 1978. She later moved on to A.M Chicago in 1983 which would later become The Oprah Winfrey Show, which broadcast nationally for the first time on September 8, 1986, becoming the highest-rated talk show in TV history. Since then, Oprah has never looked back, scaling untold heights and touching countless lives.
Also a talented actress, she launched her acting career in 1985 when Steven Spielberg cast her in The Colour Purple. Her other feature credits include Selma (2014) and A Wrinkle In Time (2018), etc.
Oprah Winfrey has been honoured with several prestigious awards and accolades including Academy Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Award among others.
Happy Birthday Oprah!
