by Kitty Kelley
Now, decades later, the pilot light that fired her ambitions since childhood still flames, and for Oprah her work and the applause that comes from it fill her soul, giving her her greatest pleasure in life. Consequently, she will never retire. Without children and grandchildren, it seems as if she will fill her later years with the rewards of work. Yes, she has slowed down a bit and often seems fatigued, occasionally appearing listless on her show, the one hour a day when she had sparkled in the past. During the last year her producers began booking more segments to move it along at a faster pace so everyone, including the host, would stay engaged.
As she gets older, Oprah no longer expends the energy necessary to stay in shape, and she remains seventy-five pounds overweight, sagging into her mother’s genes after years of swearing to fight heredity. The responsibility of her $40 million school in South Africa has also weighed on her, especially as the sex scandals involving a dorm matron and several students dragged through the courts. The publicity surrounding the sordid case was demoralizing, and prompted some to question how anyone, even with Oprah’s vast resources, could take care of three hundred children eighty-seven hundred miles away. Still, she remains committed to her “girls” and flies to South Africa at least once a year. But even in her own private jet the seventeen-hour trip takes its toll.
Despite a setback in her show’s ratings, a dip in her magazine’s circulation, and a couple of chinks in the armor of her public image, Oprah remains the most influential woman of her generation. She has always lived on the ascent, and even as she ages, she continues aiming upward.
She has dominated her era by reaching uncommon and unexpected heights, and in doing so, she has become an icon, especially to women. For she has broken through all the barriers that once held them back, and her life story inspires others because she has never stopped pushing ahead. She has remained driven, and in all likelihood will continue to remain so to the end of her days because she has always embraced the poetry of Robert Browning, who wrote that “a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”
Some Oprah Credits, 1984–2009
OPRAH AS ACTOR/PERFORMER/INTERVIEWER/NARRATOR/HOST, TV AND MOVIES, 1984–2009
A. M. Chicago (1984–1985, Chicago WLS-TV, local daytime talk show, premiered 1/2/84), host
Survival: Everything to Live For (according to McCall’s in August 1987, Oprah had in her office an Emmy for this special on teenage suicide)
When the School Bell Rings (1984, Chicago WLS-TV, children’s program), host
The Oprah Winfrey Show (1985–1986, Chicago WLS-TV, local daytime talk show, successor to A. M. Chicago, premiered 9/30/85), host
The Color Purple (1985, theatrical release; available on DVD), Sofia
Saturday Night Live (1986, NBC, comedy, episode originally aired 4/12/86), guest host
Native Son (1986, theatrical release), Mrs. Thomas
Throw Momma from the Train (1987, theatrical release, comedy, available on DVD), herself
Chicago Grapevine (1987, ABC, pilot for sitcom taped in April 1987, rejected in June 1987, never seen publicly), starring role as talk show host
Star-Spangled Celebration (1987, ABC, prime-time special, originally aired 7/4/87), cohost with Robert Urich
Dolly (1987, ABC, first episode of Dolly Parton’s second variety TV show, originally aired 9/27/87), singing
Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special (1988, CBS, prime-time special, originally aired 12/21/88; available on DVD), herself
America’s All-Star Tribute to Oprah Winfrey (1990, ABC, prime-time special, originally aired 9/18/90), recipient of America’s Hope Award from Bob Hope
Gabriel’s Fire (1990, ABC, “’Tis the Season” episode of James Earl Jones’s dramatic series, originally aired 12/20/90), talk show host
Scared Silent (1992, NBC, CBS, PBS, documentary, originally aired 9/4/92; aired on ABC 9/6/92), host
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1992, NBC, “A Night at the Oprah” episode of Quincy Jones–produced comedy series, originally aired 11/9/92), herself
Lincoln (1992, ABC, documentary, originally aired 12/26 and 12/27/92), voice of Elizabeth Keckley
Learning Not to Hurt (1993, ABC, Afterschool Special, discussion, originally aired 5/27/93), introduction
All-American Girl (1995, ABC, “A Night at the Oprah” episode of Margaret Cho comedy series, originally aired 2/14/95), herself
America’s Top Story (1995, Hearst Broadcasting, town meeting/discussion, originally aired 10/1/95), host
The 68th Annual Academy Awards (ABC, producer Quincy Jones, aired 3/25/96), official greeter on the red carpet
About Us: The Dignity of Children (1997, ABC, prime-time documentary, co–executive producer Jeff Jacobs, Children’s Dignity Project), host
Ellen (1997, ABC, parts 1 and 2 of “The Puppy Episode” of comedy series, originally aired 4/30/97; available on DVD, Ellen Season 4), Ellen’s therapist
Our Friend Martin (1999, Starz!, animated educational film; available on DVD), voice of Coretta Scott King
Home Improvement (1999, ABC, “Home Alone” episode of comedy series, originally aired 1/19/99), herself
The Hughleys (1999, ABC, “Milsap Moves Up” episode of comedy series, originally aired 10/1/99), herself
Bette (2000, CBS, “Two Days at a Time” episode of Bette Midler comedy series, originally aired 11/8/2000), herself
Chicago Matters (2001, Chicago WTTW-11, “Teaching Readers” episode of public television documentary series, originally aired 4/19/01), narrator
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (2003, HBO, documentary, originally aired 2/10/03; available on DVD), reader
Brothers of the Borderland (2004, continuing film exhibit at National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati), narrator
Emmanuel’s Gift (2004, documentary, limited theatrical release; available on DVD), narrator
Kennedy Center Honors (2005, CBS, prime-time special, originally aired 12/26/05), giving tribute to Tina Turner
Charlotte’s Web (2006, animated theatrical release; available on DVD), voice of Gussy Goose
African American Lives (2007, special episode “Oprah’s Roots” in PBS documentary series, originally aired 1/24/07), interviewed by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Ocean’s 13 (2007, theatrical release; available on DVD), herself
Bee Movie (2007, animated theatrical release; available on DVD), voice of Judge Bumbleden
60th Annual Emmy Awards (2008, ABC, originally aired 9/21/08), opening statement
30 Rock (2008, NBC, episode of Tina Fey comedy series, originally aired 11/6/08), herself
The Princess and the Frog (2009, animated theatrical release), voice of Eudora
OPRAH AS PRODUCER AND PERFORMER/INTERVIEWER/NARRATOR/HOST, TV AND MOVIES, 1984–2009
The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986–present, nationally syndicated daytime talk show, premiered 9/8/86; produced by Harpo since 1988), host; Harpo Productions
No One Dies Alone (1988, ABC, prime-time special documentary, directed by Lloyd Kramer, cowritten by Juan Williams; originally aired 12/88), narrator; Harpo Productions
The Women of Brewster Place (1989, ABC, prime-time miniseries; originally aired 3/19 and 3/20/89; available on DVD), starring role as Mattie; Harpo Productions
Just Between Friends (1989, ABC, prime-time special, originally aired 6/10/89), host; Harpo Productions
Brewster Place (1990, ABC, prime-time weekly series, half-hour drama, eleven episodes aired, premiered 5/1/90; available on DVD) starring role as Mattie; Harpo Productions
In the Name of Self-Esteem (1990, ABC, prime-time special, originally aired 1990), host; Harpo Productions
Oprah Behind the Scenes (1992, ABC, prime-time special, with Michael Bolton, Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, and Dustin Hoffman, originally aired 5/19/92), host; Harpo Productions
Surviving a Break-up (1992, ABC, Afterschool Special, discussion, originally aired 10/1/92), host/moderator; Harpo Productions
Oprah Behind the Scenes (1992, ABC, prime-time special with Jodie Foster, Richard Gere, Vanessa Williams, and the Simpsons, originally aired 11/4/92), host; Harpo Productions
Shades of a Single Protein (1993, ABC, Afterschool Special, discussion, originally aired 1/28/93), host/moderator; Harpo Productions
Michael Jackson Talks…to Oprah (1993, ABC, prime-time special, originally aired 2/10/93), interviewer; Harpo Productions
I Hate the Way I Look (1993, ABC, Afterschool Special, discussion, originally aired 3/18/93), host/moderator; Harpo Productions
Girlfriend (1993, ABC, Afterschool Special, drama, originally aired 4/15/93), host; Harpo Productions
There Are No Children Here (1993, ABC, prime-time drama special, originally aired 11/28/93), starring role as Lajoe Rivers; Harpo Productions
Oprah Winfrey Presents: Before Women Had Wings (1997, ABC, prime-time drama special, originally aired 11/2/97; available on DVD), starring role as Zora; Harpo Films
Beloved (1998, theatrical release; available on DVD), starring role as Sethe; Harpo Films
Oprah Goes Online (2000, Oxygen Network, series of twelve weekly episodes, premiered 2/6/00), cohost with Gayle King; Oxygen Media, Oprah Winfrey executive producer
Use Your Life (2001, Oxygen Network, series of twelve weekly episodes, premiered 9/10/01), host; Oxygen Media, Oprah Winfrey executive producer
Oprah After the Show (2002–2007, Oxygen Network, weekday series 2002–2004, weekly series 2005–2007, premiered 9/16/02), host; Harpo Productions
Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Ball (2006, ABC, prime-time special, originally aired 5/22/06), host/narrator; Harpo Productions
Building a Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy (2007, ABC, prime-time special, originally aired 2/26/07; available on DVD), host/narrator; Harpo Productions
The Oprah Winfrey Oscar Special (2007, ABC, prime-time special, originally aired 5/27/07), host; Harpo Productions
Oprah’s Big Give (2008, ABC, prime-time reality show, eight weekly episodes, premiered 3/2/08), Oprah made appearances in each episode; Harpo Productions
OPRAH AS PRODUCER, TV/MOVIES, 1984–2009
Nine (1992, TV documentary, originally aired 4/4/92, directed by Lloyd Kramer), Harpo Productions
Overexposed (1992, ABC, prime-time drama special, originally aired 10/11/92), Harpo Productions
Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Wedding (1998, ABC, prime-time drama special, originally aired 2/22 and 2/23/98), Harpo Films
Oprah Winfrey Presents: David and Lisa (1998, ABC, prime-time drama special, originally aired 11/1/98), Harpo Productions
Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesdays with Morrie (1999, ABC prime-time drama special, originally aired 12/5/99; available on DVD), Harpo Productions
Oprah Winfrey Presents: Amy and Isabelle (2001, ABC, prime-time drama special, originally aired 3/4/01), Harpo Films
Dr. Phil (2002–present, syndicated weekday talk show, premiered 9/16/02), Harpo Productions until 2005 (when Dr. Phil McGraw’s company took over production)
Oprah Winfrey Presents: Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005, ABC, prime-time drama special, originally aired 3/5/05; available on DVD), Harpo Films
Rachael Ray (2006–present, syndicated weekday talk/cooking show, premiered 9/18/06), Harpo Productions
Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom’s For One More Day (2007, ABC, prime-time drama special, directed by Lloyd Kramer, originally aired 12/9/07; available on DVD), Harpo Films
The Great Debaters (2007, theatrical release; available on DVD), Harpo Films
Dr. Oz (2009–present, syndicated weekday talk show, premiered 9/14/09), Harpo Productions
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009, theatrical release, originally Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire), credited as executive producer, with Tyler Perry and others
OPRAH AS PRODUCER, THEATER, 1984–2009
From the Mississippi Delta (1991–1992, Circle in the Square Theatre, New York), with Susan Quint Gallin, Calvin Skaggs, Susan Wexler, and Judith Resnick
The Song of Jacob Zulu (1992, Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago), with others
The Color Purple (2005–2008, Broadway Theatre, New York; 2007–present, national tours), with Scott Sanders, Roy Furman, Quincy Jones, and others
Notes
FOREWORD
ARTICLES: Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts, “The Reliable Source,” Washington Post, Dec. 14, 2006; George Rush and Joanna Molloy, “Dad’s Book Is No Oprah Pick,” New York Daily News, May 22, 2007; transcript, “A New Earth Online Class, Chapter 7,” www.oprah.com, Apr. 14, 2008.
INTERVIEWS: Judy Stone, Apr. 2, 2007; Jonathan Van Meter, Dec. 2, 2007; Jura Konscius, Mar. 3, 2008; correspondence with Erin Moriarty, June 16, 2007; Tim Watts, May 23, 2007, and correspondence with Tim Watts, June 30, 2007.
ONE
RECORDS: Transcript, “Oprah” segment, 60 Minutes, CBS, Dec. 14, 1986; Oprah Winfrey testimony in “Hearing Before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, 102nd Congress, Second Session, on The National Child Protection Act of 1991, Nov. 12, 1991.”
BOOKS: Robert Waldron, Oprah! (St. Martin’s Press, 1987); Bill Adler, ed., The Uncommon Wisdom of Oprah Winfrey (Citadel Press, 1997); Eva Illouz, Oprah Winfrey and the Glamour of Misery (Columbia University Press, 2003); Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Finding Oprah’s Roots (Crown Publishers, 2007).
ARTICLES: Bill Zehme, “It Came from Chicago,” Spy, Dec. 1986; Richard Sanders and Barbara Kleban Mills, “TV Host Oprah Winfrey Boots Up for Star-Making Role,” People Weekly, Dec. 16, 1985; “INC.lings…,” Chicago Tribune, Jan. 2, 1984; Judy Flander, “TV Highlights,” Chicago Tribune, Jan. 2, 1984; P. J. Bednarski, “The Talk Show Diva Named Oprah,” Channels of Communication, Jan./Feb. 1986; “Chicago’s Grand New Oprah,” Newsweek, Dec. 31, 1984; “Oprah Talks Up Her Show,” New York Daily News, Aug. 19, 1986; Bruce Cook, “Oprah Enjoying Sweet Success,” L.A. Life/Daily News, Mar. 17, 1986; Joanna Powell, “I Was Trying to Fill Something Deeper,” Good Housekeeping, Oct. 1996; Lee Winfrey, “Talking Her Way to TV Stardom,” Philadelphia Inquirer TV Magazine, Sept. 7, 1986; Anne Chambers, “She’s Been Fat and Thin,” Woman, Dec. 1989; Pamela Noel, “Lights! Camera! Oprah!” Ebony, Apr. 1985; Jonathan Van Meter, “Oprah’s Moment,” Vogue, Oct. 1998; Bill Zwecker, “Color Purple Nostalgic,” Chicago Sun-Times, May 4, 2007; Edward Wyatt, “Oprah Winfrey to Back ‘Purple,’ ” New York Times, Sept. 26, 2005; John C. Shelton, “Ex-Local TV Anchor Enjoys Her Success,” Nashville Banner, Dec. 26, 1985; P. J. Bednarski, “Winfrey’s Dream Hits High Gear,” Chicago Sun-Times, May 22, 1984; Academy of Achievement, “Oprah Winfrey Interview,” Feb. 21, 1991, www.achievement.org; Vyvyan Mackeson, “A Day in the Life of Oprah Winfrey,” London Sunday Times, Sept. 8, 1991; Alan Richman, “Oprah,” People Weekly, Jan. 12, 1987; Eirik Knutzen, “Oprah Kicks Past for Bright Future,” Boston Herald, Jan. 13, 1987; “In Time of Trouble, Oprah Looks for Help from Above,” Newsday, July 14, 1987; Mary H. J. Farrell, et al., “Oprah’s Crusade,” People Weekly, Dec. 2, 1991; Ken Potter, “Oprah Winfrey: How I Changed My Life—and How You Can Too,” National Enquirer, Jan. 26, 1988; Jim Nelson and Roger Capettini, “Oprah in Tears,” National Enquirer, Nov. 19, 1991; Honie Stevens, “From Rags to Riches,” Saga, May 2002; Cheryl Lavin, “It’s All Going Oprah’s Way,” Chicago Tribune, Dec. 19, 1985; Morgan Thomas, “Troubled Girl’s Evolution into an Oscar Nominee,” New York Times, Mar. 4, 1986; Maralyn Lois Polak, “Oprah Winfrey, So Much to Reveal,” Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, Oct. 12, 1986; P. J. Bednarski, “Pandering Her Way to No. 1,” Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 28, 1985; P. J. Bednarski, “When Nothing’s Off Limits,” Chicago Sun-Times, Aug. 2, 1984; Joan Barthel, “Here Comes Oprah,” Ms., Aug. 1986; P. J. Bednarski, “All About Oprah Inc.,” Broadcasting and Cable, June 24, 2005; “Oprah Winfrey Is Hotter Than Hot,” Afro-American, Sept. 20, 1986; Jon Anderson, “Wingin’ It with Ch. 7’s Oprah Winfrey,” Chicago Tribune, Mar. 13, 1984; P. J. Bednarski, “Oprah Exposes Nudity,” Chicago Sun-Times,
Feb. 6, 1985; Judy Markey, “Brassy, Sassy Oprah Winfrey,” Cosmopolitan, Sept. 1986; Alan Artner, “Oprah Winfrey: A Cutup Becomes a Slice of Life,” Chicago Tribune, Jan. 10, 1988; Howard Rosenberg, “Winfrey Zeroing in on Donahue,” Los Angeles Times, Sept. 12, 1986; Stephanie Mansfield, “And Now, Heeeeeeere’s Oprah,” Washington Post, Oct. 21, 1986; Richard Zoglin, “ ‘People Sense the Realness,’ ” Time, Sept. 15, 1986; Lloyd Sachs, “Does Oprah Still Make the Grade?” Chicago Sun-Times, July 29, 1985; Chrissy Iley, “The Power of Oprah,” Daily Mail, Oct. 14, 1989; Peter Conrad, “The Divine Oprah,” The Observer, June 3, 1990; Robert Feder, “Ch. 7 Taps Winfrey as Anchor,” Chicago Sun-Times, Mar. 24, 1984; P. J. Bednarski, “Oprah Winfrey Rides the Whirlwind,” Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 17, 1985; Audrey Andrews, “Stealing the Show,” Essence, Oct. 1986; Bill Brashler, “Next on Oprah…,” Ladies’ Home Journal, Aug. 1991; Sujata Moorti, “Cathartic Confessions or Emancipatory Texts? Rape Narratives on The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Social Text 57 16, no. 4 (Winter 1998); “On Abuse,” USA Today, Sept. 3, 1992; Jennifer Mangan, “Facing Abuse,” Chicago Tribune, May 25, 1994; “America’s Shame,” www.oprah.com, Oct. 4, 2005; “Court Rejects Appeal by Convicted Molester,” Indianapolis Star, May 9, 2007; Karen S. Peterson, “The Toast of Chicago TV Goes National,” USA Today, Sept. 18, 1986; Richard Zoglin, “Lady with a Calling,” Time, Aug. 8, 1988; Jackie Roberts, “Understanding Oprah,” Redbook, Sept. 1993; Laura B. Randolph, “Oprah Opens Up About Her Weight, Her Wedding, and Why She Withheld the Book,” Ebony, Oct. 1993; P. J. Bednarski, “ ‘Blue Thunder’ Boundless in Its Brutality and Telefascism,” Chicago Sun-Times, Jan. 6, 1984; Ian Woodward, “The World of Oprah,” OK!, June 29, 1994; Nancy Griffin, “Oprah (Lite),” Us, Mar. 20, 1989; Sharon Ring, title unknown, News of the World, Oct. 1998; Lyn Tornabene, “Here’s Oprah,” Woman’s Day, Oct. 1, 1986; Pat Colander, “Oprah Winfrey’s Odyssey: Talk Show Host to Mogul,” New York Times, Mar. 12, 1989.