Oprah Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 29, 1954 to an impoverished Baptist family. She was originally named Orpah Gail Winfrey, after the Bible's Book of Ruth. The midwife switched the "r" and the "p" around when she was writing the birth certificate so.
Biography and Career :
Oprah Winfrey's mother, Vernita Lee, was a housemaid, and her father, Vernon Winfrey, was a coal miner and, later, a barber; then, city councilperson.When Oprah Winfrey was born,Vernon was in the Armed Forces.
Her parents were unmarried teenagers when she was born. After Oprah Winfrey was born, her mother traveled north for better job opportunities, and Winfrey spent her first six years living with her Grandma Haitee Mae.
Oprah Winfrey's grandmother taught her to read and took
her to the local church, where she was nicknamed "The Preacher" for her ability to recite Bible verses. Her grandmother helped her succeed. When Oprah Winfrey was little her grandmother would take a switch (in the South, that custom meant the thin green leafless shoot from certain trees - more for psychological effect than for pain) and would hit her with it when she didn't do chores or if she misbehaved in any way.
As a child, Oprah Winfrey showed signs of extraordinary intelligence and drive, such as learning to read at age two. At age six, Oprah Winfrey moved to Milwaukee with her mother, who was less supportive and encouraging than her grandmother. While there, Oprah Winfrey suffered abuse for her comparatively darker skin, such as being forced to sleep on the porch in the cold, and verbal abuse based on her features. Oprah Winfrey claims that she was raped at age 9, and repeatedly molested by her mother's cousin's boyfriend. After that she had to turn for support to her best friend, Amanda Oser. Oprah Winfrey became progressively sexually promiscuous, and at age 14 her mother sent her to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee. Vernon was strict but encouraging, and made her education a priority. Oprah Winfrey became an honors student and received a full scholarship to Tennessee State University, a historically Black institution, where she studied communications. At age 18, Oprah Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant.
Oprah Winfrey's grandmother has said that ever since Oprah could talk, she was "on stage". In her youth she played games interviewing her corncob doll and the crows on the fence of her family's property. But her true media career began at age seventeen, working at her high school radio show.
Working in local media, she was both the youngest news anchor and the first black female news anchor at Nashville's WTVF-TV. She moved to Baltimore's WJZ-TV in 1976 to co-anchor the six o'clock news. She was then recruited to join Richard Sher as co-host of WJZ's local talk show, People Are Talking, which premiered on August 14, 1978.
Oprah Winfrey Image : nndb.com
External Links :
Oprah Winfrey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
AskMen.com - Oprah Winfrey
Who Dated | Who's Dating Oprah Winfrey?
Google Images Of Oprah Winfrey 
