Who Is Maya Angelou? Age, Biography and Wiki
Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, making her 97 years old in 2025. Throughout her life, she was known for her exceptional contributions as a poet, author, dancer, and civil rights activist. With a career spanning several decades, she published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and numerous books of poetry. Her most famous work, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, addresses themes of identity, racism, and resilience.
For more information, visit her Wikipedia page.
| Occupation | Autobiographer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | April 4, 1928 |
| Age | 86 Years |
| Birth Place | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 28 May, 2014 |
| Died Place | Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S. |
Popularity
Maya Angelou's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Although Maya Angelou's physical measurements are less critical than her intellectual contributions, she was known to stand at approximately 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) tall. Her weight varied throughout her life due to her differing roles in dance and literature, but she embraced a positive body image that transcended conventional standards.
Als said that Caged Bird helped increase Black feminist writings in the 1970s, less through its originality than "its resonance in the prevailing Zeitgeist", or the time in which it was written, at the end of the American Civil Rights Movement.
Als also claimed that Angelou's writings, more interested in self-revelation than in politics or feminism, have freed other female writers to "open themselves up without shame to the eyes of the world". Angelou critic Joanne M.
Braxton stated that Caged Bird was "perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing" autobiography written by an African American woman in its era. Angelou's poetry has influenced the modern hip-hop music community, including artists such as Kanye West, Common, Tupac Shakur, and Nicki Minaj.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Maya Angelou was married three times in her lifetime, with her last marriage to Paul du Feu, which lasted from 1973 until his death in 1984. She had one son, Guy Johnson, from her first marriage. In the years since her passing, the focus has shifted from her personal relationships to her unparalleled influence on culture and society.
In 2025, discussions around her dating life remain largely speculative, emphasizing her commitment to activism and writing rather than romantic entanglements.
Louis, Missouri, the younger of two children of Bailey Johnson, a doorman and navy dietitian, and Vivian (née Baxter) Johnson, a nurse and card dealer. For the first three years of her life, her family lived in her maternal grandparents home. Angelou's older brother, Bailey Jr., nicknamed Marguerite "Maya", derived from "My" or "Mya Sister".
When Angelou was three and her brother four, their parents' "calamitous marriage" ended, and their father sent them to Stamps, Arkansas, alone by train, to live with their paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson.
In "an astonishing exception" to the harsh economics of African Americans of the time, Angelou's grandmother prospered financially during the Great Depression and World War II, because the general store she owned sold basic and needed commodities and because "she made wise and honest investments".
Net Worth and Salary
At the time of her passing in 2014, Maya Angelou's net worth was estimated to be around $10 million. This wealth stemmed from her vast body of work, speaking engagements, and contributions to films and other media. Though Angelou is no longer with us, her intellectual property continues to generate earnings through book sales, lectures, and adaptations of her work.
Career, Business and Investments
Maya Angelou’s career was multifaceted, evolving as she embraced various art forms. She worked as a singer and dancer in Europe and made significant strides as a director and producer in Hollywood. Her work as a civil rights activist alongside figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X reflects her commitment to social justice.
In her later years, she became a sought-after speaker, garnering substantial income from lectures and motivational speaking events. Angelou was also involved in various charities and initiatives, ensuring her work extended beyond literature.
Shortly after Freeman's murder, when Angelou was eight and her brother nine, Angelou and her brother were sent back to their grandmother. She attended the Lafayette County Training School, in Stamps, a Rosenwald School. Angelou credits a teacher and friend of her family, Mrs.
Bertha Flowers, with helping her speak again, challenging her by saying: "You do not love poetry, not until you speak it." Flowers introduced her to Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and James Weldon Johnson, authors who would affect Angelou's life and career, as well as Black female artists such as Fra
nces Harper, Anne Spencer, and Jessie Fauset.
Social Network
Maya Angelou was an active participant in the cultural and social media landscape, even before the rise of platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Her powerful voice resonated across various channels, garnering a substantial following. In 2025, her influence persists through her social media presence, with quotes, video clips, and poetry shared widely across platforms like Instagram and Twitter, keeping her spirit alive in the digital age.
Angelou achieved her goal of directing a feature film in 1996, Down in the Delta, which featured actors such as Alfre Woodard and Wesley Snipes. Also in 1996, she collaborated with R&B artists Ashford & Simpson on seven of the eleven tracks of their album Been Found. The album was responsible for three of Angelou's only Billboard chart appearances.
In 2000, she created a successful collection of products for Hallmark, including greeting cards and decorative household items. She responded to critics who charged her with being too commercial by stating that "the enterprise was perfectly in keeping with her role as 'the people's poet.
More than thirty years after Angelou began writing her life story, she completed her sixth autobiography A Song Flung Up to Heaven, in 2002.
Education
Maya Angelou's educational journey was unique. Although she faced numerous challenges in her early life, including racism and personal trauma, she cultivated a love for literature and language that led her to become a transformative figure in education. She ultimately received numerous honorary degrees from prestigious institutions, acknowledging her contributions to literature, education, and civil rights.
In conclusion, Maya Angelou's legacy continues to inspire and educate new generations. Her voice, words, and life lessons remain relevant in discussions about social justice, equality, and personal empowerment as we move further into the 21st century. Her contributions to literature and activism will always be remembered and celebrated.
She became a poet and writer after a string of odd jobs during her young adulthood. These included fry cook, sex worker, nightclub performer, Porgy and Bess cast member, Southern Christian Leadership Conference coordinator, and correspondent in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa.
Angelou was also an actress, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. In 1982, she was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Angelou was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
Beginning in the 1990s, she made approximately 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties.
In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" (1993) at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.
