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Oprah Winfrey

Origin: Kosciusko, Mississippi
(January 29, 1954)

Heroic Values: Achievement, Caring, Courage, Faith, Humility, Integrity, Perseverance, Selflessness, Tolerance, Vision, Wisdom

Background

Oprah was born Orpah, but due to misunderstandings, she switched two letters to form the name that is world-famous now. She was brought up in poverty for most of her childhood, moving around quite a bit. Throughout her childhood she focused on education and won a full scholarship to university.

While at Tenessee State University, Oprah began her broadcast career. She had jobs on radio and then quickly moved to television, finally ending up in Chicago hosting her own talk show in 1984. Her show swiftly rose to prominence eventually topping the ratings chart. The compassion, genuine interest, and down-to-earth nature she showed propelled her to national and the international fame. This success allowed to her to perform in films, start magazines, and create a book club, all of which have also been hugely successful.

Oprah is now known to be the most influential woman in the world and she frequently uses this influence in a positive way. She exchanges publicity on her show for gifts to give to her audience or people in need. She donates more money than any other show business celebrity and has created a school for girls in South Africa.

Sources

Wikipedia
The online encyclopedia

Oprah.com
Oprah's home on the web

The Time 100
Oprah's profile