Oprah Winfrey Career Story: The Oprah Show, Films and Awards

September 2026 marked 40 years since The Oprah Winfrey Show first went into national syndication in the United States, launching a 25-year run that changed daytime television for good. Four decades on, Oprah Winfrey remains one of the most influential media figures in the world.

From local radio in Nashville to her own TV network, here is the story of the Queen of Talk. Browse our TV personalities collection for more tribute designs.

Oprah Winfrey Fact File

Full name	Oprah Gail Winfrey
Date of birth	29 January 1954 (age 72)
Place of birth	Kosciusko, Mississippi, USA
Nationality	American
Occupation	Talk show host, producer, actress, author, media proprietor
Years active	1973-present
Known for	The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986-2011)
Companies	Harpo Productions, OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network)
Signature feature	Oprah's Book Club
Nickname	The Queen of Talk

Career History

Years	Station / Network	Key role
1970s	WVOL radio and WLAC-TV, Nashville	Reporter, then news anchor
1976-1983	WJZ-TV, Baltimore	News co-anchor, then People Are Talking co-host
1984-1986	WLS-TV, Chicago	Host of AM Chicago
1986-2011	National syndication	The Oprah Winfrey Show
2011-present	OWN	Founder

Television and radio career highlights. The Oprah Winfrey Show ran in national syndication from 8 September 1986 to 25 May 2011.

Early Years and First Broadcasts

Oprah Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in January 1954. While still in high school and college in Nashville, she worked part-time as a news reporter at radio station WVOL.

She then became the youngest news anchor, and the first Black female news anchor, at WLAC-TV in Nashville, before moving to WJZ-TV in Baltimore in 1976, where she co-hosted the talk show People Are Talking.

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Chicago and The Oprah Winfrey Show

In 1984 she moved to Chicago to host AM Chicago on WLS-TV, and the show soon overtook Donahue in the local ratings. It was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and launched nationally on 8 September 1986.

Over the next 25 years it became the highest-rated talk show in American television history, winning a string of Daytime Emmys. In 1996 she launched Oprah's Book Club, which helped turn many of its picks into bestsellers.

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Acting and Producing

Winfrey made her film debut in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple (1985), earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She later produced and starred in Beloved (1998), appeared in The Butler (2013) and played Mrs. Which in A Wrinkle in Time (2018).

She also won a Tony Award as a producer of the Broadway revival of The Color Purple.

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Building a Media Empire

Through Harpo Productions, founded in 1986, Winfrey owned and produced her own show. On 1 January 2011 she launched OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and her final talk show episode aired that May.

Awards and Honours

Television

Multiple Daytime Emmy Awards for The Oprah Winfrey Show
Primetime Emmy for Tuesdays with Morrie (2000)
Television Academy Hall of Fame (1993)

Film and stage

Academy Award nomination for The Color Purple (1985)
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (2011)
Golden Globes Cecil B. DeMille Award (2018)
Tony Award for The Color Purple revival (2016)

Public honours

Kennedy Center Honors (2010)
Presidential Medal of Freedom (2013)

Away From the Spotlight

In January 2007 Winfrey opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Henley-on-Klip, South Africa, investing a reported 40 million US dollars in the school. She has supported education and charitable causes throughout her career.

FAQs

How old is Oprah Winfrey?

Oprah Winfrey was born on 29 January 1954, which makes her 72 years old.

What is Oprah's real name?

Her full name is Oprah Gail Winfrey. Her birth certificate originally recorded her first name as Orpah.

Where was Oprah Winfrey born?

She was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in the United States.

How long did The Oprah Winfrey Show run?

The Oprah Winfrey Show ran in national syndication for 25 years, from September 1986 to May 2011.

Was Oprah Winfrey nominated for an Oscar?

Yes. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Color Purple (1985), and later received the honorary Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2011.