Maya Angelou, born Marguarite Ann Johnson, was an American author, actress, singer, poet, teacher, public speaker and a civil rights activist with a net worth of $10 million. She was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis , Missoury and died on May 28, 2014 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Her mother was Vivian Baxter Johnson, a nurse and card dealer, and her father was Bailey Johnson, a navy dietitian and doorman. She had an older brother, Bailey Junior. When Maya was three and her brother four, their parents got divorced and the children were sent to Stamps, Arkansas to their grandmother, Annie Henderson, who ran a general store.
Maya Angelou Net Worth $10 Million
Angelou‘s net worth mainly comes from her writing career, specifically her autobiographies, but her work as a singer, poet, teacher, actress and even film producer and director contributed to the total amount. Maya knew and was friends with with people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X from her participation as a civil rights activist, while she drew inspiration from authors such as Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Spencer and William Shakespeare. Her first album Miss Calypso was recorded in 1957 and she also appeared in an off-Broadway revue Calypso Heat Wave the same year where she performed her own songs. She also appeared on a TV show Porgy and Bess in 1959. After that she moved to New York to focus on her writing.
This proved to be a great career move, as shown by the success of her very first autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, telling the story of her life up to the age of 17, was published in 1969. This was a breakthrough for her popularity and net worth-wise. Not only was this book a bestseller worldwide in it‘s time, but also accepted as a recommended read in high schools. Her other autobiographies were also well received. In total she released seven of them. Her other literaly work includes three essay books, various poetry books and scripts for plays, movies and television shows. These creations contributed a lot to Maya‘s total net worth.
Angelou was recognized by many celebrities. Oprah Winfrey calls Maya her idol and they met while Oprah was a news reporter in Baltimore. Maya also read her most well known poem, On The Pulse of Morning at Presidential inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1993. She has been awarded with over 50 honorary degrees including the National Medal of Arts in 2000, the Lincoln Medal in 2008, the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2011, a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her poem collection Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie, a Tony Award nomination for her performance in a play called Look Away in 1973. She also received three Grammys.
Maya was married twice – first to Tosh Angelos in 1951, then to Paul du Feu in 1973. She also was in a relationship with Vuszumzi Make around 1961, but they never got married. Angelou‘s had one son, Guy, and she described his birth in her autobiography. Maya owned houses in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and in Harlem. In the former she had a library of various books and pieces of art she gathered over the years. Angelou never earned a degree, which make her achievements even more impressive. Maya passed away on May 28, 2014 in her Winston-Salem home at the age of 86 from a mystery illness, according to her agent.
May 28, 2014, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
Place Of Birth
St. Louis
Height
5 ft 11 in (1.82 m)
Profession
Playwright, Actor, Television producer, Film director, Film Producer, Poet, Author, Professor, Screenwriter, Dancer
Education
George Washington High School, California Labor School
Nationality
United States of America
Spouse
Paul du Feu (m. 1973–1981), Enistasious Tosh Angelos (m. 1951–1954)
Children
Guy Johnson
Parents
Bailey Johnson, Vivian Baxter Johnson
Siblings
Bailey Johnson Jr.
Nicknames
Dr. Maya Angelou , Marguerite Ann Johnson , Marguerite Annie Johnson , Angelou, Maya , Dr Maya Angelou , Dr. Angelou , Marguerite Johnson , Maya , Rita
Presidential Medal of Freedom (2010), Spingarn Medal (1994), The Marian Anderson Award (2008), Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Gracie Awards, Glamour Award for The Poet, The BET Honors Award for Literary Arts (2012), Lifetime Reynolds Profess...
Music Groups
Rock Bottom Remainders
Nominations
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Children's, Goodreads Choice Awards Best Me...
Movies
"Down in the Delta" (1998), "Madea's Family Reunion" (2006), "How to Make an American Quilt" (1995), "Look Away" (1973)
TV Shows
"Roots" (1977-), "The Black Candle" (2008), "Sister, Sister" (1982), "How Do You Spell God?" (1996)
#
Quote
1
If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.
2
Success is liking yourself.
3
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
4
[describing herself] A too- big Negro girl, with nappy black hair, broad feet, and a space between her teeth that would hold a number-two pencil.
5
By love I mean that condition in the human spirit so profound, it encourages us to the develop courage and then bridges, and then to trust those bridges and cross the bridges in attempts to reach other human beings.
6
[on the George Zimmerman acquittal] A number of people think that only blacks were hurt, that African Americans were hurt by this decision, but that is not true. All you have to do is look at the protesters - they are white and black, Spanish-speaking and Asian. What is really injured - bruised if you will - is the psyche of our national population. We are all harmed. We are all belittled, and we give to the rest of the world more ammunition to sneer at us. It really makes me see how far we have to go, that one man armed with a gun can actually profile a young man because he is black and end up shooting him dead. It is so painful.
7
[on Michelle Obama] Philosophers tell us that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Mrs. Obama is as if it doesn't touch her. She hasn't tried to become anybody else's idea of First Lady. She has remained herself, with her grace, her gentleness, and her sense of humor. That she would dare to wear clothes off the rack, or go out and garden, or have a grandmother in the White House - she knows how to be a public figure without being separate from her family.
8
[on reconnecting with her mother who had abandoned her ten years before] I didn't know her. I didn't trust her. But I began to like her because she was kind. I said, 'I'd like to call you Lady'. She told everybody, "Call me Lady from now on'. Amazing. And she was kind to people, all sorts of people - white ones and black ones and Spanish-speaking ones. If they needed something, my mother was the one.
9
I think men are as crazy as they were, and women as crazy as they were.. I've never had a dislike for men. I've been badly mistreated by some. But I've been loved greatly by some. I married a lot of them.
10
I like to have guns around. I don't like to carry them.
11
[observation at 85] I've still not written as well as I want to. I want to write so that the reader in Des Moines, Iowa, in Kowloon, China, in Cape Town, South Africa can say, 'You know, that's the truth. I wasn't there , and I wasn't a six-foot black girl, but that's the truth'.
12
On experience: A cynical young person is almost the saddest sight to see, because it means that he or she has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing.
13
On childhood: Few, if any survive their teens. Most surrender to the vague but murderous pressure of adult conformity.
14
On love: The loss of young first love is so painful that it borders on the ludicrous.
15
Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances.
16
Self-pity in its early stage is as snug as a feather mattress. Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable.
17
Children's talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.
18
The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination, as are intelligence and necessity when unblunted by formal education.
19
I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass.
20
At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.
21
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.
22
Love is that condition in the human spirit so profound that it allows me to survive, and better than that, to thrive with passion, compassion, and style.
#
Fact
1
Her mother, Vivian Althea Baxter Wilburn, had her when she was 16.
2
Upon her death, she was cremated, her ashes were scattered.
3
Inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 1993 (inaugural class).
4
Pictured on a USA 'forever' commemorative postage stamp issued 7 April 2015. Price on day of issue was 49¢.
5
Was narrator for "Hall of Presidents" at Walt Disney Theme Parks following Rex Allen.
6
She had been awarded more than thirty honorary college and university degrees.
7
Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2011.
8
Hosted and was a subject-matter expert for the instructional telecourse "Humanities Through the Arts".
9
Toured Europe and Africa in an American production cast of 'Porgy and Bess' between 1954 and 1955.
10
Considered Oprah Winfrey her dear friend and the daughter she always wanted, while Oprah considered her as "a mother-sister-friend" and "one of the greatest influences in her entire life".
Thanked by Fiona Apple in the liner notes of her album "Tidal".
13
She was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 2000 by the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington D.C.
14
Spoke fluent French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and West African Fanti.
15
Was nominated for Broadway's 1973 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) as Mary Lincoln confidant Elizabeth Keckley in "Look Away.".
16
Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Vol. 133, pp. 14-25. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005.
17
Honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
18
Attended and graduated from George Washington High School in San Francisco, California, USA.
19
The title of her memoir "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" comes from the poem "Sympathy" (specifically, the last stanza) by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
20
Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1998.
21
Mother of Guy B. Johnson, author of the novel "Standing at the Scratch Line" (2001) and 'Echoes of a Distant Summer: A Novel" (2011).
22
At age seven, Maya was raped by her mother's boyfriend. She wasn't going to tell anyone, but her brother Bailey persuaded her to tell him who raped her. As a result, the man was killed. Maya believed her spoken word caused his death, and as a result refused to speak for years.
23
She recorded an album for Liberty Records in 1957 titled "Miss Calypso".
24
Her nickname "Maya" came from her older brother, Bailey, who called her "My" and "Mine".
25
She was the first black and female cable car conductor in San Francisco.
26
She read her poem "On the Pulse Into Morning" at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton on January 20, 1993, only the second poet asked to compose and deliver a poem at a US Presidential Inauguration, after Robert Frost at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy in 1961.
27
Received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award in 1986.
Actress
Title
Year
Status
Character
Madea's Family Reunion
2006
May
Phenomenal Woman
2001
Short
Phenomenal Woman
The Runaway
2000
TV Movie
Conjure Woman
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
2000
TV Series
Fairy Godmother
Talking with David Frost
1997
TV Series
Elmo Saves Christmas
1996
Video
Narrator
Touched by an Angel
1995
TV Series
Clarice Mitchell
How to Make an American Quilt
1995
Anna
The Journey of August King
1995
Narrator (voice)
Sesame Street
1995
TV Series
Guest Appearance in 'A New Way to Walk'
There Are No Children Here
1993
TV Movie
Lelia Mae
Poetic Justice
1993
Aunt June
Roots
1977
TV Mini-Series
Nyo Boto Yaisa
Porgy and Bess
1959
Dancer (uncredited)
Calypso Heat Wave
1957
Maya Angelou
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Black Candle
2008
Documentary poetry written by
America's Dream
1996
TV Movie story "The Reunion"
Sister, Sister
1982
TV Movie
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
1979
TV Movie book
The Richard Pryor Special?
1977
TV Special soliloquy
Georgia, Georgia
1972
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Michael Feinstein's American Songbook
2010
TV Mini-Series documentary lyrics - 1 episode
The Mystic Masseur
2001
performer: "Scandal in the Family"
For Love of Ivy
1968
lyrics: "You Put It on Me"
Calypso Heat Wave
1957
performer: "All That Happens in the Market Place" / writer: "All That Happens in the Market Place"
Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Down in the Delta
1998
Visions
1976
TV Series 1 episode
Music Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
Georgia, Georgia
1972
composer: score
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Sister, Sister
1982
TV Movie producer
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
Poetic Justice
1993
poetry
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Reading Rainbow
1983
TV Series
Herself
Creativity with Bill Moyers
1982
TV Series documentary
Herself
Hungry i reunion
1981
Documentary
Herself
Dinah!
1976-1977
TV Series
Herself
The Richard Pryor Special?
1977
TV Special
Willie's Wife
Sammy and Company
1975
TV Series
Herself
The 27th Annual Tony Awards
1973
TV Special
Herself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1971-1972
TV Series
Herself
The Mike Douglas Show
1971
TV Series
Herself - Author
Song for Cesar
2017
Documentary filming
Herself
Scales of Injustice
2012
Documentary post-production
Herself
I Hope You Dance: The Power and Spirit of Song
2015
Documentary
Herself
Oprah's Master Class: Belief Special
2015
TV Movie
Herself
The Power of the Heart
2014
Documentary
Herself
The Arsenio Hall Show
2014
TV Series
Herself
Super Soul Sunday
2013
TV Series
Herself
Michael Feinstein's American Songbook
2012
TV Mini-Series documentary
Herself
The BET Honors
2012
TV Movie
Herself
Under African Skies
2012
Documentary
Herself
The Oprah Winfrey Show
2004-2011
TV Series
Herself
Good Morning America
2011
TV Series
Herself - Guest
Oprah's Master Class
2011
TV Series documentary
Herself
On the Shoulders of Giants: The Story of the Greatest Team You Never Heard Of
2010
Documentary
Herself (as Dr. Maya Angelou)
30 for 30
2010
TV Series documentary
Herself
Andrew Young Presents
2008-2009
TV Series documentary
Herself
Leading Women
2009
TV Series documentary
Tavis Smiley
2004-2009
TV Series
Herself
Good Hair
2009
Documentary
Herself
Books Equal Gifts Commercial
2008
Short
The Black Candle
2008
Documentary
Narrator
As Seen Through These Eyes
2008
Documentary
Narrator
Joe Louis: America's Hero... Betrayed
2008
TV Movie documentary
Herself
African American Lives
2008
TV Mini-Series documentary
Herself
We Have a Dream
2008
TV Movie documentary
Herself
The Joy of Lex
2008
TV Movie
Herself
Entertainment Weekly & TV Land Present: The 50 Greatest TV Icons
2007
TV Movie documentary
Herself
Iconoclasts
2006
TV Series documentary
The 2nd Annual Quill Awards
2006
TV Special
Herself
Legends Ball
2006
TV Movie documentary
Herself
An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Stevie Wonder
2006
TV Movie documentary
Herself
Celebrate! Christmas with Maya Angelou
2005
TV Movie documentary
Herself
The Heaven and Earth Show
2005
TV Series
Herself
Breakfast
2005
TV Series
Herself
Larry King Live
2005
TV Series
Herself
The Ballad of Greenwich Village
2005
Documentary
Herself
Out of Africa: Heroes and Icons
2005
TV Movie documentary
Herself
CMT: 20 Greatest Songs of Faith
2005
TV Special
Herself - Host
Sisters in Cinema
2003
Documentary
Herself
Heart Health for the Generations
2003
TV Movie documentary
Herself - Spokesperson
America Beyond the Color Line with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
2002
TV Mini-Series documentary
Herself
The Sunday Programme
2002
TV Series
Herself
Peace Pilgrim: An American Sage Who Walked Her Talk
2002
Documentary
Herself
Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television
2002
TV Movie documentary
Herself
Roots: Celebrating 25 Years
2002
TV Movie
Herself
American Masters
1989-2001
TV Series documentary
Herself
Reputations
2001
TV Series documentary
Herself, writer
Sesame Street
1993-2000
TV Series
Herself
The Unfinished Journey
1999
Documentary short
Herself
Yari Yari: Black Women Writers and the Future
1999
Documentary
Herself
Moesha
1999
TV Series
Herself
The Jonathan Dimbleby Interviews
1999
TV Movie
Herself
30th NAACP Image Awards
1999
TV Special
Herself
The Directors
1999
TV Series documentary
Herself
The Living Edens
1998
TV Series documentary
Narrator
Quincy Jones... The First 50 Years
1998
TV Movie documentary
Herself
Great Performances
1998
TV Series
Herself
The Gregory Hines Show
1997
TV Series
Herself
3rd Annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards
1997
TV Special
Herself (as Dr. Maya Angelou)
Dateline NBC
1997
TV Series documentary
Herself - Poet (segment "Language Barrier?")
Charlie Rose
1996
TV Series
Herself - Guest
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996
TV Series
Herself
American Dreamers
1996
TV Movie
Herself
Lauren Hutton and...
1995
TV Series
Herself
Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World
1994
TV Movie documentary
Herself (voice)
The Essence Awards
1994
TV Special
Herself
Face to Face
1994
TV Series
Herself
The Arsenio Hall Show
1990-1994
TV Series
Herself
Ebony's 15th Annual Black Achievement Awards
1994
TV Special
Herself
American Experience
1994
TV Series documentary
Herself - Author
A Century of Women
1994
TV Mini-Series documentary
Herself
The Great Depression
1993
TV Series documentary
Herself
The Real Malcolm X
1992
TV Movie documentary
Herself - Friend
Alistair Cooke Salute
1992
TV Movie
Herself
Ebony/Jet Showcase
1990
TV Series
Herself
22nd NAACP Image Awards
1990
TV Special
Herself
The 8th Annual Black Achievement Awards
1987
TV Special
Herself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Democracy Now!
2013-2016
TV Series
Herself
Maya Angelou and Still I Rise
2016
Documentary
Herself
The 87th Annual Academy Awards
2015
TV Special
Herself - Writer, Director, Actress (In Memoriam)
The 57th Annual Grammy Awards
2015
TV Special
Herself - In Memoriam
The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards
2014
TV Special
Herself - In Memoriam
Entertainment Tonight
2014
TV Series
Herself
Inside Edition
2014
TV Series documentary
Herself
The Insider
2014
TV Series
Herself
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt
2006
TV Series
Herself - Poet
Inside the White House
1995
TV Movie documentary
Herself (uncredited)
All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
1994
TV Special
Herself
Forty Years at the I.C.A.
1987
TV Series
Herself
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
1998
Audience Choice Award
Chicago International Film Festival
Best Feature
Down in the Delta (1998)
1992
Crystal Award
Women in Film Crystal Awards
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2008
Grammy
Grammy Awards
Best Spoken Word Album
For the album "Celebrations."
1999
Black Film Award
Acapulco Black Film Festival
Best Director
Down in the Delta (1998)
1996
Image Award
Image Awards
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
How to Make an American Quilt (1995)
1996
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by a Cast
How to Make an American Quilt (1995)
Known for movies
Good Hair (2009) as Herself
As Seen Through These Eyes (2008) as Narrator
The Richard Pryor Special? (1977) as Willie's Wife