Oprah Gail Winfrey!

 Oprah Gail Winfrey was the richest African American of the 20th century, however Orpah Gail Winfrey wasn't born into a rich, or even middle class family. Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award winning  winning talk show, which has become the highest rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986-2011.

Oprah Winfrey was born poor and black in Mississippi in 1954, when poor and black meant no flush toilets, no shoes, and no real chance to get ahead in the world. She was supposed to be "Orpah" Winfrey, named for the Biblical Ruth's sister-in-law, but the name was spelled wrong on her birth certificate, and soon everyone was calling her Oprah. She learned to read at home, and skipped kindergarten to go straight into first grade. She skipped second grade, too. At 17 she was working as a reporter for a local radio station. She was a bright kid.

And beautiful -- at 18, Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant. At 19, she was anchoring a newscast on Nashville's WTVF-TV. She later co-anchored the nightly newscast at WJZ-TV in Baltimore, and co-hosted a local talk show called People Are Talking, before jumping to Chicago's WLS-TV. Her morning talk show there debuted in 1984, and rose to number one in the ratings within a month. Outside of local telecasts, Oprah first drew national attention in her film debut, The Color Purple, for which she snagged an Oscar-nomination as best supporting actress. She's acted in other films since, but never nearly so well.

And beautiful -- at 18, Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant. At 19, she was anchoring a newscast on Nashville's WTVF-TV. She later co-anchored the nightly newscast at WJZ-TV in Baltimore, and co-hosted a local talk show called People Are Talking, before jumping to Chicago's WLS-TV. Her morning talk show there debuted in 1984, and rose to number one in the ratings within a month. Outside of local telecasts, Oprah first drew national attention in her film debut, The Color Purple, for which she snagged an Oscar-nomination as best supporting actress. She's acted in other films since, but never nearly so well.

Winfrey's talk show went national in 1986, and as it had in Chicago, Oprah took the top spot almost immediately. It's been the top-rated daytime talk show ever since. Winfrey's interview style is intimate, emotional, and seemingly sincere. It's been described as televised therapy, and diehard fans say she does more than merely entertain and interview, she helps her viewers deal with life. Others are immune to Winfrey's powers, but the pro-Winfrey crowd can point to her dozens of Emmy awards.Winfrey has spoken of being sexually abused as a child, and stated publicly that she'll never have children of her own. She testified before Congress in support of "The Oprah Bill", establishing a national database of convicted child abusers.

She is the first black American woman billionaire -- net worth $2.4B (Forbes 2010) -- and reportedly makes about half a million dollars a day from her TV show alone. She owns or co-owns the Oxygen Network, O Magazine, her own Harpo Studio, Harpo Productions, Harpo Films, Harpo Print, Harpo Video, and the Oprah Winfrey Network. Harpo, of course, is Oprah spelled backwards.