«I JUST WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING TO ME» -ANDY WARHOL

Two-thirds of the 1,125 billionaires on Forbes' 2008 list are self-made, many from backgrounds as modest as (George) Soros'...It's hard to believe that media mogul Oprah Winfrey was born impoverished in rural Mississippi. When her parents split, she shuttled between various households, at one point living on a pig farm.Despite the fractured family, Winfrey excelled in school. She set her sights on a career in media and never looked back. She started working as a radio DJ while still in high school. At 19, she began anchoring a local Nashville news show. In 1984, she moved to Chicago to host a morning talk show. Her ability to empathize with guests and her accessible demeanor made her a hit. Now her work airs in 135 countries and draws 46 million viewers a week in the US alone.Thanks to its success and other media ventures, including a magazine, Forbes estimates Winfrey's net worth at $2.5 billion. Not bad for a farm girl from Mississippi.

-Forbes
April 24 2008