Oprah Winfrey
Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Winfrey was named "Orpah" after a character in the Book of Ruth. People made the mistake of calling her "Oprah". She decided to keep this name. Her parents are Vernita Lee, a maid, and Vernon Winfrey, a barber. At the age of 13, she ran away from home. At the age of 14, she had a son, but he was born prematurely and passed soon after. She went to Tennessee State University in 1971. She started to work in radio and television in Nashville. She hosted television programs in Baltimore and Chicago.