Oprah Winfrey Fast Facts
Here is a look at the life of Oprah Winfrey, who hosted the award-winning “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Personal
Birth place: Kosciusko, Mississippi
Father: Vernon Winfrey, a barber
Mother: Vernita Lee, a maid (parents never married)
Education: Tennessee State University, B.A., Speech and Performing Arts, 1976
Other Facts
At age 19, while still a sophomore in college, becomes the youngest and first African-American anchor for WTVF-TV in Nashville.
Winfrey’s first name is spelled Orpah on her birth certificate but there was confusion over how to pronounce the name, so the spelling was changed to Oprah. In an interview with the Academy of Achievement, Winfrey explained that her aunt chose the name Orpah as a bible reference. Winfrey said that she’s happy the spelling got switched to Oprah because backwards it spells Harpo.