Photo: Maryland GovPics / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi, United States and is credited as a television presenter, patron of the arts and television producer. As of 2026, Oprah Winfrey is 72 years old. Education on record includes Lincoln High School and Tennessee State University. Listed accolades include Presidential Medal of Freedom (2013), Peabody Awards (1995), honorary doctor of Harvard University (2013) and 5 more. Notable works include The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Women of Brewster Place and The Color Purple.
My Take
For me, Oprah Winfrey's real genius isn't the empire, it's the listening. Twenty-five years of daily television built on the simple act of taking ordinary people's stories seriously is a far harder trick than it looks, and nobody has replicated it. I'm struck by how she converted a hard childhood in rural Mississippi into a kind of radical empathy, then scaled that empathy into film, publishing, and philanthropy. Critics call her influence outsized, and maybe it is, but I'd argue she earned it one conversation at a time. She remains, to me, the definitive proof that attention can be a force for good.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Oprah Winfrey
- Name (Japanese)
- オプラ・ウィンフリー
- Reading
- おぷら・うぃんふりー
- Born
- January 29, 1954 (age 72)
- Origin
- Kosciusko, Mississippi, United States
- Occupation
- television presenter / patron of the arts / television producer / film producer / businessperson
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Horse
2. Background
- High school
- Lincoln High School
- University
- Tennessee State University
Awards & achievements
- 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom
- 1995 Peabody Awards
- 2013 honorary doctor of Harvard University
- Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century
- 2004 Time 100
- 2000 Spingarn Medal
- 2002 Bob Hope Humanitarian Award
- 1998 Jefferson Awards for Public Service
3. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Notable work | The Oprah Winfrey Show |
| Notable work | The Women of Brewster Place |
| Notable work | The Color Purple |
| Notable work | Beloved |
| Notable work | Their Eyes Were Watching God |
| Notable work | Charlotte's Web |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://oprah.com
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/oprah/
- Xhttps://x.com/Oprah
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah%20Winfrey
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AA%E3%83%97%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%95%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55800
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Oprah Winfrey born?
Born January 29, 1954 (age 72).
Where is Oprah Winfrey from?
Oprah Winfrey is from Kosciusko, Mississippi, United States.
What does Oprah Winfrey do?
Oprah Winfrey works as television presenter, patron of the arts, television producer, film producer, businessperson.
What is Oprah Winfrey known for?
Notable works include The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Women of Brewster Place, The Color Purple.
Television presenter — see all → · Patron of the arts — see all → · More people from the United States →