Oprah Winfrey (1954 - present)

Oprah Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi in 1954. Her teenage parents had only a brief relationship. Although she was raised on welfare she says her grandmother, Hattie Mae "gave me a positive sense of myself." Her grandmother taught her to read before she was three years old.

Oprah was bright at school and able to skip two early grades.

As a child, Oprah was subjected to sexual abuse and at 14 became pregnant (the
baby was born stillborn).

She was sent to live with her father, whose insistence on education eventually
saw Oprah secure a full scholarship to Tennessee State University.

She studied speech, communication and performing arts.

After graduating she worked as a television newscaster.

In 1984 she became host of the talk show A.M. Chicago.

A year later this was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and syndicated nationally.
This led to Winfrey becoming a millionaire at the age of 32 and soon after, a
multi-millionaire businesswoman.

Oprah is often said to be the richest and most powerful black woman in the world.

She is best known for hosting her top-rated, nationally syndicated TV talk show.

“Oprah” the show tends now to focus on self-improvement, spirituality and literature.

She also owns Harpo Productions, which together with Harpo Studios, Harpo Films, and “O”, (the Oprah magazine) create something in the order of $260m earnings.

Oprah is known for raising money for charity through her appeals to the public in her TV shows, but also personally donates much of her own money to charity.

In September 2008, The Giving Back Fund named Oprah Winfrey as the world’s most generous celebrity.

She donates significant amounts to a variety of charities and other philanthropic causes, especially relating to education – including a $40 million school complex for girls in South Africa.

The Oprah's Angel Network is another of her projects, in which she awards $100,000 to people helping others.

Her media exposure and philanthropy have made her one of the biggest cultural icons of the late 20th Century and early 21st Century.

She is now widely regarded as the most influential woman in America.

Her endorsement of Barack Obama in the run up to the 2008 presidential election may have gained him 1 million votes.

The two keys to success which Oprah Winfrey used from a very early age were developing a positive self image and a love of reading.

Why not take a look at the homepage of this site for more inspiration from other Masters of Success?

We list other entertainers, innovators, inspirational authors - the list goes on.

This whole site is about the secret keys that people have used to achieve their successes in life - use it to inspire your own success!

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