Biographical Chart: Oprah Winfrey

● Full Name
Oprah Gail Winfrey

● Lifespan
Born: January 29, 1954
- 65 years old

● Early Family Background and Created Family Structure

- Oprah was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi. She comes from an
impoverished neighborhood, and has separated parents.
- Her mother was a former maid and her father a barber, coal
miner, and city councilman.
- Mainly lived with grandmother
- Oprah was sexually abused by many male relatives and
friends. She had a son as the age of 14 but it died
prematurely.
- Her mother paid little attention to her and with the
pregnancy she was forced to move in with her father.
- When she was living with her father, education was always a
priority.
- Oprah also received surprising information in her life which
was that she has a half sister named Patricia.
- Also had a half brother who died of AIDs.
- learned to read before the age of 3.

● Personality Characteristics and Areas of Aptitude, Talent,

and Interest
- Oprah was made school president in high school.
- She was always interested and strong in public speaking.
- Very smart, she was able to read and write before 3 years old.
- Outgoing personality, led her to her talk show
- She is giving and cares about others well beings.
- Grounded on morals
- Positive sense of herself
- Empathetic
- Able to rise up and overcome diversity at an early age.

● Major Career/Professional Events and Accomplishments

- Hosted a TV chat show in Baltimore, Maryland.
- After some years in Baltimore, she ended up hosting her own
morning show on Chicago TV station.
- She gained a ton of viewers in not a lot of time.
- 1986, she began hosting her own show ​The Oprah Winfrey
Show.​
- Created Harpo Productions, where she owned a program on
ABC and made sure to keep her show drama free.
- Honors student in high school

● Personal Life Themes/Beliefs

- One aspect of her talk show is spirituality.
- She did not want children because of her mother's influence
she had which was not good.
- donates her time and money.
- Growing up in poverty has her live a giving life.
- Raised as a Baptist
- Believed every child should receive an education
- Expressed themes of self improvement
- Throughout life focused on perseverance

● Selected Quotations (at least two)

- “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If
you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever
have enough.” -Oprah Winfrey
(​https://www.goalcast.com/2016/09/28/top-20-inspiring-o
prah-winfrey-quotes-that-will-empower-you/​)
- “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on
significance - and then even the small steps and little victories
along your path will take on greater meaning.” -Oprah
Winfrey
 (​https://www.goalcast.com/2016/09/28/top-20-inspiring-o
prah-winfrey-quotes-that-will-empower-you/​)
- “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s
going to know whether you did it or not.” -Oprah Winfrey
(​https://www.goalcast.com/2016/09/28/top-20-inspiring-o
prah-winfrey-quotes-that-will-empower-you/​)
- “Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center
of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand.”
-Oprah Winfrey
(​https://www.goalcast.com/2016/09/28/top-20-inspiring-o
prah-winfrey-quotes-that-will-empower-you/​)
- “The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete
person you were intended to be.” -Oprah Winfrey
(​https://www.goalcast.com/2016/09/28/top-20-inspiring-o
prah-winfrey-quotes-that-will-empower-you/​)

● Awards and Recognition

- She won a public speaking contest, with the prize being a
scholarship to Tennessee State University.
- She was the first host of nationally syndicated daily talk show
premiering her show ​The Oprah Winfrey Show​ in 1986.
- She was the first recipient of the Academy of Television Arts
and Sciences’ Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2002.
- She was the first black female billionaire in the United States
in 2003.
- She won a Tony award
- She won People's choice awards
- 16 Daytime Emmy Awards
- Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Started the leadership academy for girls in South Africa