Oprah Winfrey has already left an indelible mark on the face of television. From her humble beginnings in rural Mississippi, Winfrey's legacy has established her as one of the most important figures in popular culture. Her contributions can be felt beyond the world of television and into areas such as publishing, music, film, philanthropy, education, health and fitness and social awareness. Through Harpo Productions, Winfrey produces and hosts "The Oprah Winfrey Show" the highest rated talk show in television history, which is seen by 33 million viewers in the United States and is broadcast in 35 countries. Since entering syndication in 1986, "the Oprah Winfrey Show " has remained the number one talk show for twelve consecutive seasons, receiving 32 emmys-seven of which went to the host. In September of 1996, Winfrey began "Oprah's Book Club", an on-air reading club, designed to get the country excited about reading again. Each of the books selected for her club to date have become instant bestsellers. In 1997 Winfrey launched "Oprah's Angel Network" a year long campaign to encourage people to open their hearts a little wider and help those in need. This network also includes the creation of "The World's Largest Piggy bank", a collection of spare change to help send fifty students to college, one from each state. As an actress, Winfrey has starred in films including "The Color Purple ", and "Beloved" . She has also been lauded for her performances in made-for-television movies including "There are No Children Here " , "Mattie Michael", and "Brewster Place". As a producer, Winfrey has a long term deal with ABC television to produce at least six "Oprah Winfrey Presents", telefilms, two each year. She also has an exclusive agreement with Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group to produce films, the first of which was the 1998 film "Beloved". Throughout her career Oprah Winfrey has been honored with the most prestigious awards in broadcasting, including the George Foster Peabody Individual Achievement Award (1996), as well as the IRTS Gold Medal Award (1996), and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Lifetime Achievement Award (1998). In June 1998, she was named one of the one hundred most influential people of the 20th Century by "Time Magazine". In 1997, Winfrey was named "Newsweek' s " most important person in books and media and TV Guide 's "Television Performer of the Year". She has also received seven Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show Host and nine Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show. As a philanthropist Winfrey's, commitments extend to her initiation of the National Child Protection Act in 1991-here she testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to establish a national database of convicted child abusers and on December 20, 1993, President Clinton signed the national "Oprah Bill" into law.