Oprah Winfrey

"All my life I have always known I was born to greatness." The famous quote belongs to one born in abject poverty in the poorest regions of South Africa who now heralds the most famous talk show of a super power country. The super power country being the United States of America, the most talked about show is the The Oprah Winfrey Show and the person who rose to such great heights is none other than the most talked about personality, the great Ms. Oprah Gail Winfrey.

Is there a person more respected on television than Ms. Winfrey? It seems that any celebrity readily accepts a request for an interview with her (even Michael Jackson) and any controversial subject is acceptable when dealt with in her studio. Her years of service as an honest TV personality have translated into loyal following of stay-at-home-moms and soul-searching individuals.

A flower among weeds, Winfrey was unfortunate to be born to unwed parents due to whose split she was under the care of her maternal grandmother. During her studies, she worked as a radio announcer, a news reporter, and was Nashville's first black TV-news anchor. Thereafter she took over the unsuccessful A.M. Chicago in 1984 and later made it a hit show, re-titled The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Oprah Winfrey's resume could not be more complete. Since The Oprah Winfrey Show began airing nationwide, it has remained the number one talk show on television and is now considered to be the highest-rated program of its kind in history.

Truly, she has conquered television. If you are a nonbeliever, check out this fact: The Oprah Winfrey Show has collected an incredible 34 Emmy awards in its tenure atop the afternoon ratings.

And if that's not enough - Winfrey's big-screen debut was met with just as much applause as her confrontational-style talk show. She earned an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress that year, for Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple.

Time magazine recognized her influence and named her one of the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century, not only because of her show, but also because of her charitable efforts. She has funded almost $40 million on a school in South Africa. She has also donated $300 million to charities such as Katrina, African projects and education projects throughout the world. What I like about this woman is that she get's involved personally. She designed the school, helped lay bricks,