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jollybelieverlover-blog · 6 years ago

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Oprah Winfrey's mother, Vernita Lee, dead at 83

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Oprah Winfrey's mother, Vernita Lee, dead at 83

Vernita Lee, mother of media mogul Oprah Winfrey, has died in 83 years and has reported several media. TMZ first confirmed only the news.

“The family, Vernity Lee, is terrified that she was handed over on 22 November 2018 at her home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,”

Lee survives her daughters, Oprah Winfrey and Patricia Amanda Faye Lee, and many grandchildren and true grandchildren. The spokeswoman added that her son, Jeffrey Lee (1960-1989) and daughter Patricia Lee Lloyd (1959-2003) were the ones to die.

Lee was already laid to rest during a private family funeral, said the deputy

Winfrey, who was brought up by her grandmother in Mississippi during the first few years of her life, spoke of her tense relationship with her mother. She met Lee, where she lived in Wisconsin after being separated from her grandmother when Winfrey was just 6 years old.

Oprah winfrey mother vernita lee

“I suddenly landed in a place that is totally alien to me, I do not know anyone, I never even know my mother,” said Oprah in a HuffPost OWN interview. “I entered the space that felt completely alone and abandoned.”

Lee, who worked as a housekeeper, could not even let Oprah sleep inside the house where she was employed.

I remember the first night she entered the house and I was told that I could not sleep with my mother and I could not sleep in the inner house, “the media mogul recalled and said it was skin color.” Before you they got inside the house, there was a small foyer / porch. I was out there to sleep. ”

Winfrey has previously released a statement about her mother and their relationship on Twitter in 2012 along with the picture of both.

“Thank you my mother, Vernita Lee, for doing the best she knew and could wake me up,” she said.

Thank you to my mother Vernita Lee for doing the best she knew and could do in raising me. pic.twitter.com/JhKTY2RK

— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) May 13, 2012

In addition to her tense relationships that later resurrected with her mother, Oprah also learned in 2011 that she had a sister called Patricia Amanda Faye Lee, who her mother left for admission in 1963.

Oprah was only 8 years old at that time and did not know her mother was even pregnant.

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“This is my friends, the miracle of all the miracles,” Winfrey said in 2011 when she introduced her half-sister to the world and added that Patricia “never thought she would sell this story.”

#oprah mom #oprah mother #oprah winfrey #oprah winfrey mother #oprah winfrey mother vernita lee #oprah's mom #Vernita Lee

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celebrityalbum · 8 years ago

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Oprah Winfrey and her mother, Vernita Lee

#vernita lee #oprah winfrey #mother #oprah winfrey show #millionare #billionare #celebrities #young #yearbook

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doomonfilm · 5 years ago

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Favorites : Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)

I love martial arts movies. I love revenge films. I love the films of Quentin Tarantino. I’m pretty sure this is why sometime in 2001 or 2002, when I heard the news of Kill Bill being in the development stages, I knew I was in for a treat. The premise sounded strong, the cast connected to it at that time was already stellar, and Tarantino was hitting a stride unparalleled in regards to his creative abilities and box office draw. Needles to say, Kill Bill Vol. 1 hit the general viewing public like an atomic bomb, firmly cementing Quentin Tarantino as a legend.

B------ (Uma Thurman) is dead set on revenge after being left for dead by her former lover Bill (David Carradine) and her former team, the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. After recovering from being shot in the head by Bill, B------ revives her Black Mamba (former code name) mentality in hopes of crossing names off of her literal kill list. (NOTE : due to the serialized format of the Kill Bill saga, Vol. 1 focuses on Black Mamba’s recovery, her search for a sword crafted by legendary smith Hatori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba), and her encounters with Oren Ishii (Lucy Liu) a.k.a. Cottonmouth and Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) a.k.a. Copperhead).

To use a cliche phrase I use more often than I’d like, this film really hits the ground running... it is jarring from the start, and it never truly lets up to breathe, only to readjust. Quentin Tarantino was clearly running on high cylinders in terms of style and inspiration during the production of this movie, as it has some of the most focused and intense energy found in any of his films. Ultimately, what we’re given is a high-voltage mix of revenge thriller and ‘lone-wolf, lone-cub’ setup story. The highest respect and regard to history is shown to the martial arts film genre, including a beautiful nod to Bruce Lee’s iconic outfit from Game of Death during the go-home section of Vol. 1.

Again, there is an infectious energy found in all aspects of this movie, from the diversity of cast down to visual and sound design. On top of this, there is an amazing plethora of locations and sets, which expands the world of the film, and by proxy, the lore, as the entire presentation comes off as larger than life. Despite the non-linear presentation, the raising of stakes plays in a very linear nature (minus the initial shooting prior to the opening credits). The sequence leading up to and including the Crazy 88 is easily some of my favorite filmmaking I’ve ever witnessed.

Amazing choreography and use of environment is found in every combat scene, thanks to the work of legend Yuen Woo Ping and his team. Like and Tarantino film, there is plenty of humor to be found, even in the most tense moments. A completely mind-blowing animated sequence emerges from thin air, but helpfully desensitizes the presentation of otherwise problematic subject matter in the form of gratuitous violence and pedophilia found in the backstory of Oren Ishii. Like the many locations, there is an impressive variety and implementation of weapons to also be found and enjoyed. Tarantino manages multiple musical reappropriations of material connected to other properties that perfectly help set tone or pace scenes. Several breathtaking camera moves and cuts are present, many of which are overshadowed by the pure spectacle of the film as a whole.

Uma Thurman’s commitment to both the glorious and the less than flattering aspects of the role completely sells the film, making it impossible to not find a connection to her character or the motivation for her journey. Vivica A. Fox helps thrust the movie forward with matching motherly energy, proving herself to be dangerous while validating Thurman’s character’s abilities. Lucy Liu embraces her boss role, carrying a dignity and quiet ferocity she’s always let boil under the surface in past roles. Gordon Liu shines as the boss prior to the final boss, setting us up for a wonderful dual-role payoff in the following film. Chiaki Kuriyama nearly steals the show as the sadistic and vicious Go-Go. Sonny Chiba continues his string of roles as the wise and inspirational legend, continuing to help blur the line between the man and the myth, with plenty of wonderful support from Kenji Oba. James and Michael Parks bring a natural connection to the screen that permeates, making their brief appearance one of the most memorable. The restraint with which Tarantino uses David Carradine, Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah in Vol. 1 sets them up perfectly for larger appearances in Vol. 2. Julie Dreyfuss, Ambrosia Kelly and The 5.6.7.8′s also make special appearances.

As wonderful as Kill Bill Vol. 1 is, it is honestly only half of a film, if taken at face value. I always found myself bothered when people would refer to this as ‘the better movie’, as this film is only the inciting incident, main character background and rising action of what would be a complete story. It is for these exact reasons that I cherish both films, and I secretly wish for there to be a Criterion Collection Director’s Cut one day, where Quentin Tarantino restores his original vision and unites the films as one.

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pixoplanet · 3 years ago

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It's January 29th. On this day in 1954, future 🗽 American 📺 TV talk show host, TV producer, 📰 journalist, 🎥 actress, 📚 author, and 🏧 philanthropist, Ms. Oprah Gail Winfrey, was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Ms. Winfrey's childhood was unstable, having been raised alternately by her mother, Vernita Lee; father, Vernon; and maternal grandmother, Hattie Mae, in various places, including rural Mississippi; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Nashville, Tennessee.

Oprah's mother was a single mom and worked long hours as a maid, so wasn't as supportive and encouraging as her grandmother and father were. Oprah's grandmother instilled discipline, encouraged her to speak in public, and gave her a positive sense of herself. Hattie Mae once said that Oprah was on a stage ever since she could talk. As a preview of things to come, Oprah used to interview her corncob doll and the crows on the fence of her family's property.

Oprah's father was strict and made her education a priority. At East Nashville 🏫 High School, she became an Honor Student, was voted Most Popular Girl (Why doesn't that surprise me?), won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant, and placed second in the nation in dramatic interpretation as a member of the Speech Team.

Oprah's career in broadcast journalism also began in high school – she worked at 📻 radio station WVOL part-time, reading the news. After high school, Oprah became the youngest and first Black female news anchor at Nashville's 📺 WLAC-TV – the first of an endless string of firsts.

I can't think of anybody who's gotten more out of life than Ms. Oprah Winfrey. She's accomplished so much, won so many accolades and awards, helped so many people and great causes! Probably her most important gift to the world, though, has been her service as a role model and source of inspiration to people the world over. 🎂 Happy Birthday, Oprah! 🙏 Thank you. ❤️ We love you. ☮️ Peace… Jamiese of Pixoplanet

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onlinework2002 · 3 years ago

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Oprah Winfrey Net worth

Oprah Winfrey Net Worth:

$3.5 Billion

Oprah Winfrey's Salary

$300 Million Per Year

What is Oprah Winfrey's Net Worth?

Oprah Winfrey is an American news big shot, TV host, and creator. Oprah's net worth is $3.5 billion. Today she procures around $315 million every year because of her exceptionally worthwhile expanded media domain.

KEY FACTS

• First turned into a mogul in 1989

• By 1995 her net worth crossed $500 million

• Became a very rich person in 2000

• Makes $300 million every year

• Owns $200 million worth of land

• Has gave basically $400 million to good cause to date

• Is the most extravagant independent lady in America

Early Life

Oprah Winfrey rose from destitution, misuse, and bias to become one of the most powerful individuals on the planet. She was conceived Orpah Gail Winfrey on January 29, 1954. That was not an incorrect spelling. Her given name was "Orpah," a reference to the scriptural figure in the Book of Ruth. As a child individuals routinely misspoke the name as "Oprah" which in the end stuck. She was brought into the world in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her mom, Vernita Lee, was an unmarried high school housemaid. Her natural dad, Vernon Winfrey, was in the Armed Forces at the hour of Oprah's introduction to the world. He ultimately functioned as a hairdresser, coal digger, and city councilman. It has been supposed that her organic dad may have been another man named Noah Robinson.

Media Career

Oprah turned into the principal dark female commentator at WLAC-TV in Nashville. She was likewise the most youthful anchor in the station's set of experiences. At the point when she was 22 she was recruited by a station in Baltimore considered WJZ to co-anchor the six o'clock news, a pined for position.

#oprah winfrey son #oprah winfrey net worth 2021 #oprah winfrey network #oprah winfrey house

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olivierdemangeon · 7 years ago

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Synopsis : Une tueuse à gage professionnelle, La Mariée, décide de quitter Bill et son organisation criminelle. Au cours de son mariage, ses anciens partenaires font irruption dans l’église et tirent sur la foule. Laissée pour morte, la tueuse retrouve ses esprits après un coma de quatre ans et n’a plus qu’une idée en tête : tuer Bill…

Origine du film : États-Unis Réalisateur : Quentin Tarantino Scénariste : Quentin Tarantino Acteurs : Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Sonny Chiba, Julie Dreyfus, Chiaki Kuriyama, Gordon Liu, Michael Parks Musique : RZA Genre : Action, Crime, Thriller Durée : 1 heure et 51 minutes Date de sortie : 25 novembre 2003 (France) Année de production : 2003 Sociétés de production : A Band Apart Distribué par : Miramax Films Titre original : Kill Bill: Volume 1 Notre note : ★★★★☆

Notre commentaire : “Kill Bill: Volume 1” est un film d’action et d’arts martiaux américain datant de 2003, écrit et réalisé par Quentin Tarantino, à qui l’on doit également “Les Huit Salopards” (2015). Les acteurs principaux sont Uma Thurman, qu’on a pu voir dans “Bienvenue à Gattaca” (1997), Lucy Liu, qu’on a pu voir dans “Ballistic” (2002), Michael Madsen, qu’on a pu voir dans “Run or Die” (2012), Daryl Hannah, qu’on a pu voir dans “Blade Runner” (1982), Gordon Liu, qu’on a pu voir dans “Nightfall” (2012), et Michael Parks, qu’on a pu voir dans “Blood Father” (2016).

Du point de vue du concept, il est relativement simple, une ancienne tueuse à gages, Black Mamba (Uma Thurman) cherche à se venger de son ancienne équipe, qui l’a laissée pour morte, alors qu’elle était en pleine cérémonie de mariage et enceinte jusqu’aux yeux. Après être sortie du coma, et avoir repris du poil de la bête, elle part en quête de ses anciens “collègues” afin de leur régler leur compte. Elle retrouve rapidement la trace de Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) du nom de code Copperhead, désormais mère de famille et femme au foyer. Dans un combat épique et ultra violent, Black Mamba tuera son adversaire, ouvrant ainsi sa liste noire de meurtres.

Afin de poursuivre sa quête meurtrière, Black Mamba se rend sur l’île d’Okinawa afin de rencontrer Hatori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba) un forgeron de renom désormais à la retraite qui accepte finalement de lui fabriquer un sabre. De là, la vengeresse se rend à Tokyo pour y affronter O-Ren (Lucy Liu), devenue le chef d’un important gang de yakuza. Mais avant de pouvoir en découdre directement avec elle, Black Mamba va devoir affronter le fameux gang des 88, mais également la redoutable Gogo Yubari (Chiaki Kuriyama), une jeune étudiante sadique œuvrant comme garde du corps de d’O-ren. Après avoir défait tous ses adversaires dans un bain de sang, Black Mamba affronte O-ren dans un joli jardin à la Japonaise. Avant de mourir cette dernière lui révèle que sa fille est toujours vivante.

Quentin Tarantino, le scénariste-réalisateur, dans sa conception de “Kill Bill” s’est largement inspiré du cinéma “grindhouse”, un terme pour désigner les films qui étaient diffusés dans les salles américaines bon marché dans les années 1970, où l’on pouvait voir des films d’arts martiaux, des films de samouraï, les films de blaxploitation ou encore les westerns spaghetti. Quentin Tarantino rend hommage au Show Brothers Studio, connu pour ses films d’arts martiaux avec l’inclusion du logo ShawScope dans le générique d’ouverture.

Autre exemple, lorsque la jeune mariée, Black Mamba, rencontre un membre des vipères mortelles, un écran rouge clignotant avec des séquences de flash-back superposées apparaît, en hommage au western spaghetti, “La Mort était au Rendez-vous” (1965) de Giulio Petroni, dont le héros est témoin du massacre de sa famille. Le thème musical de ce film, composé par Ennio Morricone, peut être entendu lorsque Black Mamba affronte O-Ren Ishii. Enfin, le survêtement, le casque et la moto jaune de Black Mamba ressemblent à ceux utilisés par Bruce Lee dans le film “Le Jeu de la Mort” (1978).

On peut cependant aller plus loin dans l’étude des références. En effet, “Kill Bill” partage une grande partie de son intrigue avec le film japonais “Lady Snowblood” (1973) de Toshiya Fujita , dans lequel une femme tue le gang qui a assassiné sa famille. Ce métrage utilise d’ailleurs également des illustrations et des images pour certaines parties du récit, tout comme “Kill Bill” utilise une animation de style japonais pour briser le récit. L’intrigue ressemble également au film français “La Mariée était en Noir” (1968) de François Truffaut, dans lequel une mariée cherche à se venger de cinq membres de gangs et les supprime dans l’ordre d’une liste qu’elle a établie.

La mort était au rendez-vous (1967)

Le jeu de la mort (1978)

Shurayukihime (1973)

La mariée était en noir (1968)

Il faut donc reconnaître tout simplement que “Kill Bill” n’est rien d’autre, comme je soulignais précédemment, qu’un thriller de vengeance. Sa force, c’est qu’il est fortement stylisé et que Quentin Tarantino est un réalisateur a l’esprit foisonnant, accompagnant sa mise en scène par une surabondance inventive et stylisée. Il y a une forme d’esthétisme, un véritable talent pour la chorégraphie de la violence, mais le réalisateur-scénariste est assurément un cinéphile hors pair. À bien y réfléchir, l’histoire proposée par “Kill Bill” est certainement la partie la moins intéressante de l’équation.

Enfin dans cette période troublée que nous vivons actuellement avec la vague amorcée par l’affaire Weinstein, un personnage comme Black Mamba, superbement interprété par Uma Thurman fait assurément du bien. Rappelez-vous le sort qu’elle réserve, au début du film, à l’homme venu la violer alors qu’elle est supposée être dans le coma. N’ai-je pas entendu Laurence dire “qu’est-ce que j’aimerais être une femme comme ça…”.

Comme dans les long-métrages précédents de Quentin Tarantino, “Kill Bill” présente une bande originale éclectique comprenant de nombreux genres musicaux. La musique va du style country aux partitions musicales des western spaghetti signé Ennio Morricone. Le thème de Bernard Herrmann, tiré du film “Twisted Nerve” (1968) est sifflé par la menaçante Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) dans la scène se déroulant à l’hôpital. Un court extrait de 15 secondes de l’ouverture du thème musical signé Quincy Jones pour la série télévisée “L’Homme de Fer” est utilisé comme signal de vengeance lorsque Black Mamba se retrouve face à sa prochaine cible.

Uma Thurman a reçu une nomination pour le Golden Globe de la Meilleure Actrice en 2004. Elle a également été nommée en 2004 pour un BAFTA Award toujours dans la catégorie de Meilleure Actrice dans un Rôle Principal. En plus de quatre autres nominations aux BAFTA. “Kill Bill : Volume 1” a été placé dans la liste des 500 plus grands films de tous les temps dans le classement du magazine Empire. Le personnage incarné par Uma Thurman a également été classé à la 66ème place du classement des “100 plus grands personnages de film” par le même magazine.

“Kill Bill: Volume 1” fut le premier film de Quentin Tarantino, six ans après la sortie de “Jackie Brown” (1997). Ce métrage a rapporté 70 millions de dollars en Amérique du Nord et près de 111 millions de dollars dans les autres pays, engrangeant près de 181 millions de dollars au box-office mondial.

“Kill Bill – Vol. 1” a fait l’objet d’une édition en DVD ainsi qu’en Blu-ray, paru le 26 mai 2004 chez Universal Pictures Vidéo (France). Pour de plus amples renseignements, n’hésitez pas à consulter la fiche du film sur le site DVD.Fr.

En conclusion, “Kill Bill: Volume 1” est un très bon thriller d’action, disposant d’une histoire classique de vengeance, et d’une intrigue relativement familière. Le film de Quentin Tarantino brille par sa mise en scène particulière, rendant hommage à une certaine forme de cinéma. Les visuels sont particulièrement soignés, avec des scènes d’action dignes des plus grands métrages d’arts martiaux, particulièrement sanglants, pour ne pas dire gores. La distribution est excellente, et Uma Thurman se balade tout au long de cette histoire, katana à la main, comme d’autres se baladeraient avec un parapluie. Le rythme est plaisant et la bande originale est particulièrement engageante. Un divertissement qui fonctionne encore pleinement quinze ans après sa sortie, pourquoi s’en priver ?

Bande-annonce :

KILL BILL: VOLUME 1 (2003) ★★★★☆ Synopsis : Une tueuse à gage professionnelle, La Mariée, décide de quitter Bill et son organisation criminelle.

#Chiaki Kuriyama #Daryl Hannah #David Carradine #Gordon Liu #Julie Dreyfus #Lucy Liu #Michael Madsen #Michael Parks #Quentin Tarantino #Sonny Chiba #Uma Thurman #Vivica A. Fox

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humanistauno · 5 years ago

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The Woman Of Conciousness: Oprah and Her

Expedition Towards The Success

by: Jihad Lumagan

The Agony of Her Childhood

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 to Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey on an isolated farmland in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her name was supposed to be Orpah, from the Bible, but due to difficulty of spelling and pronunciation, she was known as Oprah almost from birth. Oprah Winfrey's unmarried parents separated paths soon after she was born and left her in the care of her maternal grandmother Hattie Mae Lee on the farm.

As a child, Winfrey entertained herself by blissfully "play acting" in front of an audience of their farm animals , according to her she do it everyday to boost her self-esteem, confidence and to at least forget her loneliness for the negligence of her both parents. Oprah's grandmother encouraged her love of books by teaching her how to read at the age of 2. She started by reading the Bible and soon began speaking at her church. Later, she would recite memorized verses to her grandmother's friends and she addressed and had a talk to her church congregation about "when Jesus rose on Easter Day” when she was two years old. Under the strict guidance of her grandmother, she learned to read at two and a half years old. Then Winfrey skipped pre-school after writing a note to her teacher on the first day of school saying she belonged in to the first grade. She was promoted to third grade after that year. To be with her mother when Winfrey turned six years old she was sent north to accompany her mother and two half-brothers in a Milwaukee ghetto, an extremely poor and dangerous neighborhood. Then at twelve years old she was then sent to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee due to poverty and her mother couldn’t sustain for a living. Feeling secure and satisfied for a short period she began making speeches at social gatherings and churches, and one time earned five hundred dollars for a speech. She knew then that she wanted to be "paid to talk."

Winfrey, again, was asked back by her mother, and she had to leave the safety of her father's home. The poor, urban lifestyle had its negative effect on Winfrey as a young teenager, and her problems were compounded by repeated sexual abuse, starting at age nine, by men that others in her family trusted. While babysitting Vernita's children, Oprah's 19-year-old cousin raped her, took her out for ice cream, and told her to keep it a secret. She did, but this would not be the end.

Within the next few years, she would face more abuse from a family friend as well as an uncle. She kept silent about all of it for years. Her mother worked odd jobs and did not have much time for supervision.

A turning point

In her early teens she was sent to Nashville to live with her father, who proved to be a positive influence in her life. According to Winfrey her father saved her life. He was very strict and provided her with guidance, structure, rules, and books. He required Winfrey to complete weekly book reports, and she went punished without dinner until she learned five new vocabulary words each day.

Winfrey became an excellent student, known in her school, participating as well in the drama club, debate club, and student council. In an Elks Club speaking contest, she was granted a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. The following year she was invited to a White House Conference on Youth. Winfrey was crowned Miss Fire Prevention by WVOL, a local Nashville radio station, and was hired by the station to read afternoon newscasts.

Winfrey became Miss Black Nashville and Miss Tennessee during her freshman year at Tennessee State. At age 19 Winfrey became a news anchor for the local CBS television station. Following her graduation from Tennessee State University in 1976, she was made a reporter and coanchor for the ABC news affiliate in Baltimore, Maryland. She found herself constrained by the objectivity required of news reporting, and in 1977 she became cohost of the Baltimore morning show People Are Talking. The Nashville Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) affiliate offered her a job; Winfrey turned it down twice, but finally took the advice of a speech teacher, who reminded her that job offers from CBS were "the reason people go to college." The show was seen each evening on WTVF-TV, and Winfrey was Nashville's first African American female coanchor of the evening news. She was nineteen years old and still a sophomore in college.

The Track She’s All About

After Winfrey graduated, WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland, scheduled her to do the local news updates, called cut-ins, during Good Morning, America, and soon she was moved to the morning talk show Baltimore Is Talking with cohost Richard Sher. After seven years on the show, the general manager of WLS-TV, American Broadcasting Company's (ABC) Chicago affiliate, saw Winfrey in an audition tape sent in by her producer, Debra DiMaio. At the time her ratings in Baltimore were better than Phil Donahue's, a national talk-show host, and she and DiMaio were hired. Winfrey moved to Chicago, Illinois, in January 1984 and took over as anchor on A.M. Chicago, a morning talk show that was consistently last in the ratings. She changed the emphasis of the show from traditional women's issues to current and controversial (debatable) topics, and after one month the show was even with Donahue's program. Winfrey excelled in the casual and personal talk-show format, and in 1984 she moved to Chicago to host the faltering talk show AM Chicago. Winfrey’s honest and engaging personality quickly turned the program into a success, and in 1985 it was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. Syndicated nationally in 1986, the program became the highest-rated television talk show in the United States and earned several Emmy Awards.

Three months later it had inched ahead. In September 1985 the program, renamed the Oprah Winfrey Show, was expanded to one hour. As a result, Donahue moved to New York City.

In 1985 Winfrey appeared in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Alice Walker’s 1982 novel The Color Purple. The History of Black Women Through Drama and Song, which she performed during an African American theater festival in 1978.

Her critically acclaimed performance led to other roles, including a performance in the television miniseries The Women of Brewster Place (1989). Winfrey formed her own television production company, Harpo Productions, Inc., in 1986, and a film production company, Harpo Films, in 1990. The companies began buying film rights to literary works, including Connie May Fowler’s Before Women Had Wings, which appeared in 1997 with Winfrey as both star and producer, and Toni Morrison’s Beloved, which appeared in 1998, also with Winfrey in a starring role.

Winfrey later lent her voice to several animated films, including Charlotte’s Web (2006) and The Princess and the Frog (2009), and appeared in Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013). Selma (2014), a film about Martin Luther King, Jr., that Winfrey produced and also appeared in, was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture. She subsequently starred in the HBO TV movie The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017), portraying the daughter of a woman whose cancerous cells were, unbeknownst to her and her family, used in research that led to numerous scientific advances. Winfrey then appeared as Mrs. Which in the 2018 film adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s acclaimed 1962 sci-fi novel, A Wrinkle in Time.

Winfrey broke new ground in 1996 by starting an on-air book club. She announced selections two to four weeks in advance and then discussed the book on her show with a select group of people. Each book chosen quickly rose to the top of the best-seller charts, and Winfrey’s effect on the publishing industry was significant. Winfrey further expanded her presence in the publishing industry with the highly successful launch of O, the Oprah Magazine in 2000 and O at Home in 2004; the latter folded in 2008.

In 1998 Winfrey expanded her media entertainment empire when she cofounded Oxygen Media, which launched a cable television network for women. In 2006 the Oprah & Friends channel debuted on satellite radio. She brokered a partnership with Discovery Communications in 2008, through which the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) replaced the Discovery Health Channel in January 2011. In 2009 Winfrey announced that her television talk show would end in 2011; it was speculated that she would focus on OWN. The last episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired in May 2011, and Oprah’s Next Chapter, a weekly prime-time interview program on OWN, debuted in January 2012. In 2017 it was announced that Discovery was acquiring a majority share in OWN, though Winfrey would remain involved in the channel. That year she also became a special correspondent for the newsmagazine 60 Minutes, which aired on CBS.

Winfrey engaged in numerous philanthropic activities, including the creation of Oprah’s Angel Network, which sponsors charitable initiatives worldwide. In 2007 she opened a $40 million school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa. She became an outspoken crusader against child abuse and received many honours and awards from civic, philanthropic, and entertainment organizations. In 2010 she was named a Kennedy Center honoree, and the following year she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2013 Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She won the Cecil B. DeMille Award (a Golden Globe for lifetime achievement) in 2018, and her impassioned speech—in which she called for racial and gender equality—was widely seen as one of the ceremony’s most memorable moments.

The Limelight of Oprah

The popularity of Winfrey's show skyrocketed after the success of The Color Purple, and in September 1985 the distributor King World bought the syndication rights (the rights to distribute a television program) to air the program in one hundred thirty-eight cities, a record for first-time syndication. That year, although Donahue was being aired on two hundred stations, Winfrey won her time slot by 31 percent, drew twice the Chicago audience as Donahue, and carried the top ten markets in the United States.

In 1986 Winfrey received a special award from the Chicago Academy for the Arts for unique contributions to the city's artistic community and was named Woman of Achievement by the National Organization of Women. The Oprah Winfrey Show won several Emmys for Best Talk Show, and Winfrey was honored as Best Talk Show Host.

Production

Winfrey formed her own production company, Harpo, Inc., in August 1986 to produce the topics that she wanted to see produced, including the television drama miniseries based on Gloria Naylor's The Women of Brewster Place, in which Winfrey was featured along with Cicely Tyson, Robin Givens, Olivia Cole, Jackee, Paula Kelly, and Lynn Whitfield. The miniseries aired in March 1989 and a regular series called Brewster Place, also starring Winfrey, debuted on ABC in May 1990. Winfrey also owned the screen rights to Kaffir Boy, Mark Mathabane's autobiographical (having to do with a story about oneself) book about growing up under apartheid in South Africa, as well as Toni Morrison's (1931–) novel Beloved.

In September 1996 Winfrey started an on-air reading club. On September 17 Winfrey stood up and announced she wanted "to get the country reading." She told her adoring fans to hasten to the stores to buy the book she had chosen. They would then discuss it together on the air the following month.

The initial reaction was astonishing. The Deep End of the Ocean had generated significant sales for a first novel; sixty-eight thousand copies had gone into the stores since June. But between the last week in August, when Winfrey told her plans to the publisher, and the September on-air announcement, Viking printed ninety thousand more. By the time the discussion was broadcast on October 18, there were printed before February 1997.

The club ensured Winfrey as the most powerful book marketer in the United States. She sent more people to bookstores than morning news programs, other daytime shows, evening magazines, radio shows, print reviews, and feature articles combined. But after a six-year run with her book club, Winfrey decided to cut back in the spring of 2002 and no longer have the book club as a monthly feature.

The Talks Ahead

Although one of the wealthiest women in America and the highest paid entertainer in the world, Winfrey has made generous contributions to philanthropic organizations and institutions such as Morehouse College, the Harold Washington Library, the United Negro College Fund, and Tennessee State University.

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