Life in Film: Oprah Winfrey

The Oscar nominee's incredible cinematic journey.

Oprah Winfrey - In 2013, Oprah Winfrey added yet another accolade to her growing list of honors when she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama. The internationally successful broadcast journalist headlined The Oprah Winfrey Show, which became the highest rated talk show in America for 25 years. Winfrey has also touched the lives of many through her philanthropic work. Some of her more recent awards include the Kennedy Center Honors in 2010 and the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2002.(Photo: Bizu/WENN.com)

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Life in Film: Oprah Winfrey - Because of her accomplishments as a business woman and media personality, it's easy to forget that Oprah Winfrey is an Oscar-nominated actress and prolific producer. From the first time she took the screen in 1985's The Color Purple to her most recent role in Lee Daniels' The Butler, it's evident the world's most recognizable billionaire has an uncanny ability to disappear into her characters and also bring to them a piece of her own history. Now, a look back at Winfrey's life in film...  (Photo: Bizu/WENN.com)

Weekend Movie Marathon: Oprah Defines Her Womanhood in The Color Purple - As we gear up to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., BET Star Cinema has a mix of both funny and serious films that show the complexity of the Black experience. Take a look at this weekend's lineup. (Photo: Warner Bros.)

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The Color Purple (1985) - Winfrey brought incredible depth and inner life to high-spirited yet distraught Sofia in this classic film, calling on her own experiences with abuse. Though it was her first-ever film role, Winfrey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. (Photo: Warner Bros.)

Native Son (1986) - Winfrey's follow-up to The Color Purple was another film based on a seminal literary work, Richard Wright's Native Son. In the black-and-white film, Winfrey plays the desperate and beleaguered mother of main character Bigger Thomas, a young man on trial for the murder of a white woman. Though the film was critically panned, Winfrey was regarded as a bright spot among an otherwise misguided cast. (Photo: Cinecom Pictures)

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Native Son (1986) - Winfrey's follow-up to The Color Purple was another film based on a seminal literary work, Richard Wright's Native Son. In the black-and-white film, Winfrey plays the desperate and beleaguered mother of main character Bigger Thomas, a young man on trial for the murder of a white woman. Though the film was critically panned, Winfrey was regarded as a bright spot among an otherwise misguided cast. (Photo: Cinecom Pictures)

The Women of Brewster Place (1989) - Winfrey produced as well as starred in this critically acclaimed mini-series adaptation of Gloria Naylor's novel. She played the leading role of Mattie Michael, a single mother from the South who loses her home to bail her son out of jail, and has to move into an urban tenement where she finds comfort in the company of other women. The series also starred Lynn Whitfield, Cicely Tyson and a young Larenz Tate. (Photo: ABC)

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The Women of Brewster Place (1989) - Winfrey produced as well as starred in this critically acclaimed mini-series adaptation of Gloria Naylor's novel. She played the leading role of Mattie Michael, a single mother from the South who loses her home to bail her son out of jail, and has to move into an urban tenement where she finds comfort in the company of other women. The series also starred Lynn Whitfield, Cicely Tyson and a young Larenz Tate. (Photo: ABC)

There Are No Children Here (1993) - In this made-for-TV adaptation of Alex Kotlowitz's best-selling non-fiction book, Winfrey plays LaJoe Rivers, an impoverished mother trying to shield her children from the violence of life in the Henry Horner Homes, a housing project that is among Chicago's most dangerous. The actress was so moved by the real-life story and the hardships faced by residents of the Horner Homes, she donated her entire acting fee — $1 million — to the children of the projects.  (Photo: ABC) 

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There Are No Children Here (1993) - In this made-for-TV adaptation of Alex Kotlowitz's best-selling non-fiction book, Winfrey plays LaJoe Rivers, an impoverished mother trying to shield her children from the violence of life in the Henry Horner Homes, a housing project that is among Chicago's most dangerous. The actress was so moved by the real-life story and the hardships faced by residents of the Horner Homes, she donated her entire acting fee — $1 million — to the children of the projects.  (Photo: ABC) 

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Before Women Had Wings (1997) - A variation on a theme common to many of Oprah's films — domestic abuse — Winfrey this time plays a woman who helps rescue two young girls from a dysfunctional household and an abusive mother. Oprah also donned the producer's hat for the television film, which won an Emmy award and was nominated for a Golden Globe.  (Photo: ABC)

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Before Women Had Wings (1997) - A variation on a theme common to many of Oprah's films — domestic abuse — Winfrey this time plays a woman who helps rescue two young girls from a dysfunctional household and an abusive mother. Oprah also donned the producer's hat for the television film, which won an Emmy award and was nominated for a Golden Globe.  (Photo: ABC)

The Wedding (1998) - Winfrey produced this television movie starring Halle Berry as a woman torn between two men and under scrutiny for an interracial relationship in 1950s Martha's Vineyard. Winfrey's Women of Brewster Place co-star Lynn Whitfield also stars.   (Photo: ABC)

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The Wedding (1998) - Winfrey produced this television movie starring Halle Berry as a woman torn between two men and under scrutiny for an interracial relationship in 1950s Martha's Vineyard. Winfrey's Women of Brewster Place co-star Lynn Whitfield also stars.   (Photo: ABC)

Photo By Photo: ABC

Beloved (1998) - Back on the big screen for the first time since The Color Purple, Winfrey chose to work with acclaimed director Jonathan Demme. Danny Glover and Thandie Newton co-starred with Winfrey in this adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel. While the film, which took 10 years and $80 million to produce, was a critical success, it was a box office flop. Winfrey has admitted it was the worst moment in her career, "The only time in my life I was truly depressed." (Photo: Touchstone Pictures)

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Beloved (1998) - Back on the big screen for the first time since The Color Purple, Winfrey chose to work with acclaimed director Jonathan Demme. Danny Glover and Thandie Newton co-starred with Winfrey in this adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel. While the film, which took 10 years and $80 million to produce, was a critical success, it was a box office flop. Winfrey has admitted it was the worst moment in her career, "The only time in my life I was truly depressed." (Photo: Touchstone Pictures)

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 coming-of-age novel about a Black teenage girl from southern Florida was given new life on the small screen by—who else?—Oprah Winfrey, who introduced the film when it was first telecast in 2005. Halle Berry played the lead character Janie Crawford, with Michael Ealy as her young lover.(Photo: Harpo Films)

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Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005) - Continuing her tradition of adapting best-selling books centered on the Black experience into award-winning films, Winfrey re-teamed with Halle Berry for this television adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel. While Winfrey didn't act in the film, she did host the broadcast. The film, also starring Michael Ealy, earned Berry both an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination. (Photo: Harpo Films) 

The Princess and the Frog (2009) - Winfrey lent her distinctive voice to this Disney-animated film about a young waitress who dreams of owning a restaurant but gets sidetracked after kissing a prince. The film marks a rare occasion in which Winfrey became involved in a film she didn't herself produce. (Photo: Walt Disney Pictures)

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The Princess and the Frog (2009) - Winfrey lent her distinctive voice to this Disney-animated film about a young waitress who dreams of owning a restaurant but gets sidetracked after kissing a prince. The film marks a rare occasion in which Winfrey became involved in a film she didn't herself produce. (Photo: Walt Disney Pictures)

Photo By Photo: Walt Disney Pictures

Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) - After a 15 year hiatus from the big screen, Winfrey returns as we've never seen her in Lee Daniels' The Butler, which is in theaters Friday. As the wife of the butler Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), Winfrey smokes, drinks and curses. Though the film boasts an ensemble cast of top talent, much of the Oscar buzz has centered around Winfrey. (Photo: The Weinstein Company) 

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Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) - After a 15 year hiatus from the big screen, Winfrey returns as we've never seen her in Lee Daniels' The Butler, which is in theaters Friday. As the wife of the butler Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), Winfrey smokes, drinks and curses. Though the film boasts an ensemble cast of top talent, much of the Oscar buzz has centered around Winfrey. (Photo: The Weinstein Company)