From television to film, Oprah Winfrey has shown that she’s an all-around entertainment disruptor. While the media mogul had been rightfully lauded for her roles in the first film adaptation of “The Color Purple,” “The Women of Brewster Place” and “A Wrinkle in Time,” sprinkled in between are historical roles, where Winfrey has played the likes of Coretta Scott King, Mary McLeod Bethune and more.

As a tribute to Winfrey, who turns 71 today, below, we remember five roles where she’s honored great women in history.

“Our Friend, Martin”

In the 1999 animated film “Our Friend, Martin,” Winfrey had a small role as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dedicated wife and fellow civil rights activist, the late Coretta Scott King. While the classic was a family affair, with the King’s oldest son and daughter, Dexter and Yolanda, also having roles in “Our Friend, Martin,” it was Winfrey’s conviction as Mrs. King that brought matriarchal warmth to the film. 

“The Butler”

Despite Winfrey’s character of Gloria Gaines in the 2013 political historical drama “The Butler” being fictional, it was loosely based on Helene Lee, the wife of White House head butler Eugene Allen, both of whom are deceased. Opposite Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, Winfrey portrayed a determined mother and wife, who fought for reconciliation between her husband and their son, Louis. Mrs. Gaines also strives to vote for the nation’s 44th U.S. president, Barack Obama, although she tragically dies before casting her vote.

“Selma”

Accompanying an ensemble cast including David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, André Holland, and Lorraine Toussaint in the historical biopic “Selma,” Winfrey (who also co-produced the film) portrayed civil rights activist Annie Lee Cooper. One scene in the Ava DuVernay-directed movie shows Cooper firmly taking the Selma literacy test, which the proctor intentionally denies her. Fed up with the mistreatment of Black Americans in the 1960s Jim Crow South, Cooper strikes a sheriff in order to protect Jimmie Lee Jackson (LaKeith Stanfield).

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”

In revisiting the malpractice involving cervical cancer patient Henrietta Lacks, in the HBO film “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” Winfrey plays the Lacks’ daughter, Deborah, who contends with the exploitation of her mother’s harvested cancer cells.

“The Six Triple Eight”

Winfrey’s appearance in the recent Tyler Perry war drama “The Six Triple Eight” was short but impactful nonetheless. As educator, activist, and humanitarian, Mary McLeod Bethune, she voices her concerns to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt about scattered mail that American soldiers aren’t retrieving during World War II. Playing Bethune, Winfrey acts with urgency, convincing Mrs. Roosevelt to co-create the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion with her.