Oprah Winfrey isn’t just a person but Oprah is an empire. Born in Mississippi and raised by her grandmother during the early years, Oprah later moved to Wisconsin with her mother where she experienced the worst of times. After running away from home, with good reasons driving her away, Oprah moved in with her father who lived in Nashville, Tennessee.

Oprah was smart and because of her brains and looks, popularity was hers to own as well. She earned a full scholarship to Tennessee State University and by age seventeen, Oprah claimed her spot working for a radio station. Oprah’s career crossed over an important milestone when she moved to Baltimore in 1976. She co-anchored on Baltimore’s WJZ-TV six o’clock evening news.

It wasn’t until 1983 that Oprah’s career took her full speed ahead into television. A morning show in Chicago dubbed AM Chicago was the lowest ranked show on Chicago television but within a short period of time after Oprah took the reins, she bypassed the highly acclaimed Donahue to take the lead in the Chicago market. It was AM Chicago that would later become The Oprah Winfrey Show and Oprah was on her way to national fame.

Oprah Winfrey is an actress as well as a talk show host. She starred in The Color Purple where she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her list of successful ventures would perhaps be too long for anyone to tally but she has definitely gained notoriety in most aspects of entertainment including the literary world.

Oprah’s magazine, "O" was called the most successful start-up magazine by Fortune in 2002. Additionally, Oprah has co-authored numerous books and has quickly become the go-to voice for suggesting winning book titles.

As a philanthropist, Oprah has used her wealth and influence to support some very well meaning projects including her very own Oprah’s Angel Network. Thanks to many of her good deeds, Oprah Winfrey was the first to be awarded the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award and she received this honor at the 2002 Emmy Awards.

Oprah Winfrey is considered the most influential African American woman in the world and she has earned it through hard work and dedication. From her films to her work in radio to Oprah’s Book Club, everyone in the world seemingly knows the name Oprah Winfrey and she’s still going strong with numerous projects still left to conquer.