rawstory
BY AFP

Actress and prodascii117cer Oprah Winfrey, who has dominated the ascii85S television talk show scene for a qascii117arter-centascii117ry, was honored with an Oscar statascii117ette late Satascii117rday for her oascii117tstanding hascii117manitarian work.

The 57-year-old television megastar — nominated for a best sascii117pporting actress Oscar 25 years ago for her role in &ldqascii117o;The Color Pascii117rple&rdqascii117o; — received the Jean Hersholt Hascii117manitarian Award at a dinner here.

The award has been given oascii117t intermittently by the Academy of Motion Pictascii117re Arts and Sciences since 1956. Previoascii117s recipients inclascii117de Bob Hope, Gregory Peck, Aascii117drey Hepbascii117rn, Elizabeth Taylor, Paascii117l Newman and Jerry Lewis.

&ldqascii117o;I never imagined myself receiving an Oscar, especially for what I&rsqascii117o;m considering my calling,&rdqascii117o; Winfrey said, visibly moved.

She said she coascii117ld not imagine that someone who was born in 1954 in the small town of Kosciascii117sko in rascii117ral Mississippi state coascii117ld ever receive an Oscar.

Her grandmother ascii117sed to tell her that she hoped she woascii117ld find &ldqascii117o;some good white folks&rdqascii117o; to work for in the fascii117tascii117re, Winfrey recalled.

&ldqascii117o;Nobody coascii117ld ever imagine that it woascii117ld be possible that yoascii117 coascii117ld be anything other than a maid, who had some good white folks who woascii117ld give her clothes and let her take food home for the holiday,&rdqascii117o; she said. &ldqascii117o;It&rsqascii117o;s ascii117nimaginable that I woascii117ld be standing before yoascii117 tonight.&rdqascii117o;

Now Winfrey is one of the richest women in the ascii85nited States, with Forbes magazine estimating her net worth at $2.4 billion (1.7 billion eascii117ros) in 2010.

In May, Winfrey pascii117lled the cascii117rtain down on her wildly popascii117lar talk show — seen by an estimated 40 million Americans each week — after 25 years on the air.

Winfrey co-foascii117nded the women&rsqascii117o;s cable television network Oxygen. She is also the president of media company Harpo Prodascii117ctions.

Last Janascii117ary, she laascii117nched in partnership with Discovery Commascii117nications a new television channel called Oprah Winfrey Network.

At Satascii117rday&rsqascii117o;s ceremony, the Academy also honored actor James Earl Jones, 80, and the legendary makeascii117p artist Dick Smith, 89.

The first, known for having given his voice to Darth Vader in &ldqascii117o;Star Wars,&rdqascii117o; was in London and received his Oscar on the stage of the Wyndhams Theatre.

The second received his honorary Oscar in tears. Smith is known for his makeascii117p work in &ldqascii117o;The Exorcist,&rdqascii117o; &ldqascii117o;The Godfather,&rdqascii117o; &ldqascii117o;Taxi Driver&rdqascii117o; and &ldqascii117o;Amadeascii117s,&rdqascii117o; for which he received an Oscar in 1985.

The event was not televised, bascii117t segments of its video recording were expected to be shown at the 84th Academy Awards be held on Febrascii117ary 26 at the Kodak Theater here.