Oprah Winfrey -
Talk show host, Entertainer and Entrepreneur

Oprah Winfrey was born in the South and though she had a fairly traumatic childhood, rose up to become a prominent talk show host and businesswoman. Through her company, HARPO (Oprah spelled backwards), she has expanded her stable of investments from the Oprah Winfrey Show, to O Magazine and Oxygen Cable Network.

She was born in Mississippi in 1954 to Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey - unmarried parents - and lived with her grandmother till the age of six. She then moved back to live with her mother, but was molested on several occasions and became fairly rebellious as a result. Her rebelliousness was somewhat restrained when she moved to stay with her strict father when she was fourteen years old. He inspired her to be the best she can be and won a scholarship to Tennessee State University.

Her career in television began as a news reporter and anchor for a station in Nashville. In 1976 she moved to Baltimore and featured in the early morning talk show 'People Are Talking'. This was the type of atmosphere she liked as she could talk about- and express the things she felt strongly about. In 1984 she became the host of 'AM Chicago', which later changed to The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Rising above her troubled past, Oprah has become one of the most successful businesswomen around and frequently ranks in Fortune's list of the richest people in the world. She owns about 90% of HARPO Productions and her wealth is estimated at $1 billion. Though she claims to know little about business, this mere figure suggests differently.

The thing I admire about Oprah Winfrey, besides her compelling and compassionate talk shows, is the way she has branded herself. One only has to mention the name Oprah and people instantly know whom you are talking about. Even her upstart magazine, O, when branded to her, became the most successful new magazine eclipsing even the likes of Fortune, Martha Stewart Living and Vogue in terms of paid subscribers.

Oprah continues to be an inspiration to women (and some men) around the world and her non-assuming business acumen will keep her at the pinnacle of business success.