Talk Show and Oprah Winfrey free essay sample

The list of Oprah Winfrey’s accomplishments is endless. Talk-show host, news anchor, producer, actress, author, businesswoman – she seems to succeed at whatever she sets her mind to. The Mississippi-born star is currently receiving critical acclaim for her role in The Butler, in which she co-stars with Forest Whitaker. 1. Her real name is actually Orpah,but after people kept mispronouncing it as Oprah, the nickname stuck. 2. The best-selling author was taught to read and write by her grandmother by the age of three. 3. Oprah Winfrey has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century, with a net worth of approximately ? 1. 8billion. She is the first black woman billionaire in world history. 4. Born into a life of extreme poverty, money was so sparse that Oprah didn’t receive her first pair of shoes until she was six years old. 5. During the filming of her latest release The Butler, Oprah asked permission from Forest Whittaker’s wife for the two to work on their chemistry for the role. 6. In November 2010, the talk show host was left completely stunned when she discovered that she had a second half-sister, Patricia, who she had never known about. 7. Ever since she was 15 years old, Oprah has kept a diary recording every day of her life. 8. During her time as a news anchor, a bad perm meant that she had to go on-air after some of her hair fell out. 9. Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first television job because she was deemed â€Å"unfit for TV†. She has called it the â€Å"first and worst failure of my TV career†. 10. After being awarded the Lifetime Achievement award at the 1998 Daytime Emmy Awards, she permanently withdrew herself and her show from consideration for future Emmys. â€Å"After you’ve achieved it for a lifetime,† she explains, â€Å"What else is there? † Oprah Winfrey Fast Facts (CNN) Here is a look at the life of Oprah Winfrey, host of the award-winning The Oprah Winfrey Show. Personal: Father: Vernon Winfrey, a barber Mother: Vernita Lee, a maid (parents never married) Education: Tennessee State University, B. A. , Speech and Performing Arts, 1976 Other Facts: At age 19, while still a sophomore in college, becomes the youngest and first African-American anchor for WTVF-TV in Nashville. Stedman Graham has been her companion for many years. Three Emmy Award nominations with one win. 17 Daytime Emmy Awards wins. Since removing her name from competition in the Daytime Emmy Awards in 1999, The Oprah Winfrey Show has won Emmy awards in the technical categories only. One Academy Award nomination with zero wins. Won one honorary award. One Tony Award nomination with zero wins. Timeline: 1976 Becomes a news co-anchor at WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland. January 1984 Becomes the anchor of A. M. Chicago, which airs opposite Phil Donahue. September 1985 The show is renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. 1985-2011 Host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest rated talk show in history. 1985 Makes her film debut in The Color Purple, for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. November 8, 1986 The Oprah Winfrey Show goes into national syndication. 1987, 1988, 1989, 1996, 1997 Wins Emmy Award each of these years, Best Talk Show for The Oprah Winfrey Show. 1988 Forms her own production company, Harpo Inc. Harpo is Oprah spelled backwards. 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 Wins two Daytime Emmy Awards each of these years, Best Talk Show and Best Talk Show Host for The Oprah Winfrey Show. December 20, 1993 President Clinton honors Oprah by signing into law the Oprah Bill. This bill creates a national database that allows people to search for child abusers. 1993 Wins two Daytime Emmy Awards, Best Talk Show Host for The Oprah Winfrey Show and Outstanding Childrens Special, ABC Afterschool Specials, Shades of a Single Protein. 1996 Starts Oprahs Book Club on her show. The book club becomes very influential in the publishing world as selected books rise to the top of bestseller lists. 1997 Starts Oprahs Angel Network, a charitable foundation. 1998 Wins Emmy Award, Best Talk Show Host for The Oprah Winfrey Show, tying with Rosie ODonnell. 1998 Produces the movie Beloved. 1998 Partners with Oxygen Media which plans to operate a 24-hour cable channel for women. 1999 Withdraws her name for consideration in the Daytime Emmy Awards. 2000 Winner of the Outstanding Made for Television Movie for Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesdays with Morrie. April 2000 Launches O, The Oprah Magazine, and the Oxygen Network. 2002 Wins the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the Primetime Emmys. February 2003 Becomes the first African-American woman on Forbes magazines Worlds Richest People list, with a net worth of about $1 billion. September 13, 2004 Begins a new season of her talk show by giving each member of the audience a brand-new car. September 26, 2005 Winfrey announces that she is investing more than $1 million to bring the musical The Color Purple to Broadway in December 2005. February 9, 2006 XM Satellite Radio announces that it has signed a three year deal with Winfrey worth $55 million. Oprah and Friends begins broadcasting in September 2006. January 2, 2007 The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opens in Henley-on-Klip, South Africa. The school houses 152 girls from deprived backgrounds and provides them with an education. Winfrey has reportedly spent $40 million dollars opening the school. September 8, 2007 Hosts a fundraiser for presidential hopeful Barack Obama at her California home. October 2007 NBC buys the Oxygen Network for $925 million. January 15, 2008 Winfrey and Discovery Communications announce that beginning in 2009 the Discovery Health Channel will be renamed OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. November 20, 2009 Announces on her show that she will discontinue her talk show on September 9, 2011. She will then move to California and launch OWN. December 5, 2010 Winfrey is honored at the Kennedy Center as part of the 33rd annual Kennedy Center Honors gala. January 1, 2011 OWN airs. March 2011 Forbes estimates Winfreys worth to be $2. 7 billion and ranks at #420 in the Worlds Billionaires. May 25, 2011 The last Oprah Winfrey Show airs. There are no guests for this episode. November 12, 2011 Winfrey receives an honorary Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 1, 2012 Winfreys new show, Oprahs Next Chapter, debuts on the OWN network. March 2013 Her net worth is estimated to be $2. 8 billion, putting her at #503 on the Forbes Billionaires list, #168 for American billionaires. Her wealth makes her #151 of the Forbes 400 Richest People in America, and #2 of the Worlds Most Powerful Celebrities. June 26, 2013 Regains #1 spot for Forbes Worlds Most Power Celebrities. November 20, 2013 Is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.