
Who Was Oprah Winfrey’s Father, Vernon Winfrey?
Vernon Winfrey is the late father of American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor Orpah Gail Winfrey best known as Oprah Winfrey. Vernon’s daughter Oprah is known as the first African-American woman billionaire in history and the first African-American female entrepreneur to appear on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. She has become the first African-American woman to own a cable network. She established her network called the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
Vernon Winfrey: Bio Summary
Name | Vernon Winfrey |
Famous as | father of Oprah Winfrey |
Date of birth | January 31, 1933 |
Place of birth | Mississippi, United States |
Died | July 08, 2022 (aged 89) |
Nationality | American |
Parents | Elmore Winfrey and Beatrice Winfrey |
Spouse | Barbara Winfrey |
Children | Oprah Winfrey |
Oprah Winfrey’s father, Vernon Winfrey was born on January 31, 1933, in West, Holmes County, Mississippi, USA to his parents, Elmore Winfrey (12 March 1901– 15 October 1988) and Beatrice Winfrey (18 February 1902 – 1 December 1999). He was the brother of Lee W. Winfrey, Brister Winfrey, and Marie Winfrey. He may have other siblings. Details of Vernon’s childhood are not in the spotlight.
There isn’t any information regarding Vernon Winfrey’s education available. He worked as a coal miner, councilman, and barber. He was a barber for more than 50 years and owned the Winfrey Barber & Beauty Shop in Nashville. He served for 16 years on the Metro Nashville Council and was a trustee for the Tennessee State University.
Vernon Winfrey met a woman named Vernita Lee (1935–2018) who was a housemaid. He never married Vernita but they gave birth to their only child a daughter. Their daughter Orpah Gail Winfrey was welcomed into the world on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi, U.S. Their daughter was originally named”Orpah”, after the biblical figure in the Book of Ruth.
However, “Orpah” became “Oprah” after her name was either misspelled on her birth certificate or people struggled to pronounce it. According to Oprah, her parents Vernon Winfrey and Vernita Lee “never married.” Oprah said her parents “had sex one time.” Oprah disclosed that her father Vernon never knew if he was her real father.
Oprah said Vernon received a “letter after I’m born saying, ‘Send money. You have a daughter,’” adding that “And the reason he did, he said, is because it could have been him. And the responsibility that he took for me, not just a responsibility but care and love and direction and support as a young teenage girl, is the thing that made the difference in me being who I am now or somebody you would have never, ever heard of.”
ALSO, READ: Vernita Lee: What Happened To Oprah Winfrey’s Mother?
Vernon Winfrey was in the Armed Forces when Oprah Winfrey was born. Oprah spent her first six years living with her poor maternal grandmother, Hattie Mae (April 15, 1900 – February 27, 1963) who taught her how to read before the age of three. Later, Oprah moved in with her mother Vernita Lee. Her mother would later send her to live with her father Vernon in Nashville, Tennessee.

Vernon was very strict but made an impact on Oprah’s life. Oprah said living with her father during her teen changed the “course” of her life. “I started acting out my need for attention, my need to be loved.” She said: “My mother didn’t have the time. She worked every day as a maid. … I was smart and my mother, because she didn’t have the time for me, I think, tried to stifle it.”
Oprah credits her father for her strong work ethic, and sense of discipline, and for “saving” her. “It changed the course of my life. He saved me,” Oprah Winfrey said. “He simply knew what he wanted and expected. He would take nothing less.” Oprah has once also mentioned that “If it were not for” her father, she “doubt that anybody in the world would know my name.”
Oprah shared how important father figures can be: “I know firsthand how the trajectory of life can change by the positive influence of a good father.” However, Vernon Winfrey had been penning a memoir about his daughter Oprah without her knowledge. Although Oprah felt betrayed, they were able to work things out.
I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Vernon Winfrey. Vernon served on Metro Council for 16 years, and dedicated his life to entrepreneurship, barbering and mentoring young men in the community. An Army veteran and deacon, he leaves behind a legacy of service. https://t.co/NLN9Lpo7oI
— Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) July 9, 2022
After Oprah became successful, Vernon who only asked for “a new set of truck tires, a new TV for his barbershop and a ticket to a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas, got everything he wanted, plus 10 scholarships endowed in his name at Oprah’s alma mater, Tennessee State University,” per the Nypost.
ALSO, READ: Patricia Lofton: Inside The Life Of Oprah Winfrey’s Sister
Vernon Winfrey was married to Barbara Winfrey and Zelma Winfrey. Vernon appeared as Mr. Jackson in Charlie’s War.
How Did Oprah Winfrey’s Father Die?

Vernon Winfrey died on July 08, 2022, at age 89, in Nashville, Davidson, TN, United States after battling cancer. His daughter Oprah Winfrey was able to spend time with her father before he passed away. She threw him a special surprise party on the Fourth of July and called it the “Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Celebration.”
Oprah Winfrey surprised her father with flowers, balloons, a giant sign, and a visit from his older sister, Christine. Oprah announced the death of her father on social media and disclosed that he had been surrounded by family. “Less than a week ago we honored my father in his own backyard. My friend and gospel singer Wintley Phipps saluted him with song.”
“He FELT the love and reveled in it until he could no longer speak. Yesterday with family surrounding his bedside, I had the sacred honor of witnessing the man responsible for my life, take his last breath. We could feel Peace enter the room at his passing. That Peace still abides. All is well. Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts.”
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