By the 1990’s, Winfrey owned her own produc-
tion company, Harpo Productions, which produced
a talk show that aired in more than one hundred
countries. During the decade, Winfrey was also noted
for her charity and ability to inspire generous acts
from others. In 1998, she began the Angel Network,
encouraging average people and organizations to
make a difference in the lives of the underprivi-
leged. She personally paid all of the administrative
costs to ensure that all donations went to those in
need.
Impact Oprah Winfrey’s influence on her audi-
ence has been termed the “Oprah effect.” Appear-
ing on the show can launch a person’s career, and
Oprah’s Book Club, which premiered in 1996, con-
sistently placed its authors on the best-seller lists. In
2000, Winfrey began publishingO, The Oprah Maga-
zine.
Further Reading
Garson, Helen S.Oprah Winfrey: A Biography. West-
port, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004. An explora-
tion of the life and celebrity of Oprah Winfrey.
Harris, Jennifer, and Elwood Watson, eds.The Oprah
Phenomenon. Lexington: University Press of Ken-
tucky, 2007. A look into Oprah’s influence on so-
ciety.
Nelson, Marcia Z.The Gospel According to Oprah. Lou-
isville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005.
An examination of Oprah’s belief system.
Sara Vidar
See also Angelou, Maya; Book clubs; Cable televi-
sion; Chopra, Deepak; Gifford, Kathie Lee; Homo-
sexuality and gay rights;Jenny Jones Showmurder; Lit-
erature in Canada; Literature in the United States;
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus; Schlessin-
ger, Dr. Laura; Television.
Wolfowitz, Paul
Identification University professor and dean,
neoconservative, and U.S. government official
Born December 22, 1943; Brooklyn, New York
Wolfowitz promoted the leadership role of the United States
in world affairs. He articulated his position as a neo-
conservative, academic, foreign affairs adviser to presiden-
tial candidates, and senior U.S. governmental official.
In the early 1990’s, Paul Wolfowitz worked as the
U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy under U.S.
secretary of defense Dick Cheney in the administra-
tion of President George H. W. Bush (1989-1993). In
his role as the undersecretary, Wolfowitz focused his
attention on arms control, the Middle East, and the
Persian Gulf. He played a key role as one of the ma-
jor strategists of the Persian Gulf War. In late 1992,
Wolfowitz left government service.
In January, 1993, Wolfowitz joined the faculty at
National Defense University (NDU) in Washington,
D.C., as the George F. Kennan Professor of National
Security Strategy. Through his academic perch,
Wolfowitz articulated that the United States, as the
lone superpower following the end of the Cold War,
should shape world order.
In January, 1994, Wolfowitz left NDU and as-
sumed the deanship of the Paul H. Nitze School of
Advanced International Studies at The Johns Hop-
kins University in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition
to performing his administrative duties as the dean
of the school, Wolfowitz continued to be a vocal con-922 Wolfowitz, Paul The Nineties in America
Paul Wolfowitz.(U.S. Department of Defense)