Every Movie Oprah Has Been in Over the Past 33 Years

It should come to no surprise that Winfrey's acting debut was a lead role in the critically acclaimed film adaptation of the award-winning novel The Color Purple. Winfrey's performance as Sofia, a strong-willed wife and mother who refuses to succumb to the violence and misogyny the film is set in, earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. Not bad for her first role, right?

Also a period drama, Native Son tells the story of Bigger (Victor Love), a black man in the '40s who secures a job as a chauffeur to a white family only to find himself in danger after having accidentally killed their teenage daughter. Winfrey plays Bigger's mother, Mrs. Thomas, who struggles to come to terms with her son's crimes and the backlash the family receives from both the black and white communities.

Winfrey's acting chops are so good, it would be a shame to keep them only to film. That's why we're glad she starred in made-for-TV movies as well, including 1993's There Are No Children Here. The film follows a black family living in the Chicago ghetto and the lengths the family goes to in order to survive.

Winfrey graced television sets again with her role in Before Women Had Wings, which stars Winfrey as Zora Williams, a woman who helps a young girl come to terms with her father's suicide. The film also includes a young Julia Stiles and Tina Majorino in some of their first movie roles.

Also a film adaptation of an award-winning book — this time by Toni Morrison — Winfrey portrays Sethe, a former slave navigating the world as a mother and wife in a post-Civil War world. While Beloved didn't earn Winfrey any Oscar noms, her performance was praised by critics everywhere, as well as her costars. Thandie Newton described the actress as acute. "She's a very strong technical actress and it's because she's so smart."

Shifting her focus to family-friendly films, Winfrey's first role in an animated/CGI film was for 2006's Charlotte's Web, where the actress voiced the character of Gussy the Goose. Though it was a small part, we're sure Winfrey's presence itself was a big enough deal for everyone involved.

Yes, you read correctly: Oprah Winfrey was in Bee Movie. Her role as the no bullsh*t Judge Bumbleton proves that Winfrey can also have a funny side. Move over, Jerry Seinfeld.

Leave it to Winfrey to make a Disney movie even more magical. Her role as Eudora, Tiana's (Anika Noni Rose) mother in The Princess and the Frog, not only added some more star power to the already talented cast, but it allowed Winfrey to be part of something historical — the animated film featured Disney's first-ever black princess. You really thought Winfrey wasn't going to be part of something as culturally important as Princess and the Frog?

Making a return to period dramas, Winfrey's leading lady role in Lee Daniels' The Butler put her timeless acting front and center. The actress stars as Gloria Gaines, the wife to Forest Whitaker's Cecil Gaines, in a historical drama that explores the life of Cecil, a butler who served the White House for 34 years.

Selma in 2014 was an Oscar-contender (and winner!) that sparked a conversation about race and how it plays into the Academy Awards. While the film came out a few years before #OscarsSoWhite dominated our Twitter feeds, Selma brought much needed attention to the Oscars' lack of diversity. For some, it was also our first introduction to director Ava DuVernay. Winfrey played civil rights activist Annie Lee Cooper; she was also a producer on the film, further proof of just how significant the project was to her.

Making her return to TV movies, this time for HBO, Winfrey's starring role in the film adaptation of the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was tailor-made for her. Not only does the film, which follows a daughter who discovers that her late mother's cells influenced medical advancements for decades, display Winfrey's natural talent for drama acting, but it also gives the actress another opportunity to tell a true story.

Star-packed with names including Gina Rodriguez, Kelly Clarkson, and Mariah Carey, this adorable animated film about a donkey and his animal friends who help bring the first Christmas to life wouldn't be as inspirational without the voice of Winfrey. The actress voices a camel named Deborah, helping retell a Christmas classic with a new twist.

Starring in another history-making film adaptation of a book, Winfrey's role as Mrs. Which is the cherry on top of this already superempowering film. Not only does it include the squad of our dreams (Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling), but it is also a huge win for women in film — Ava DuVernay is the first women of color to direct a motion picture with a budget of over $100 million. This is also a reunion for DuVernay and Winfrey, who first teamed up for Selma.