Gayle King: Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Gayle King said elsewhere, not written here

Oprah Winfrey. She always does the right thing—even when no one is looking.

Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, July 2016 source ↗

Others on this question

View all 410 →

Jackie Chan Hong Kong actor and martial artist

Wow, so many – Robert De Niro, James Cameron, Will Smith.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 November 2010 source ↗

Andrew Marr British journalist

Probably David Hockney, for achieving a perfect balance of life and work; for making great pictures; being charitable; and remaining bloody-minded.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 September 2012 source ↗

Barack Obama 44th President of the United States, 2009–2017; United States Senator from Illinois 2005–2008

People ask me sometimes, who inspires you, Mr. President? Those quiet heroes all across this country -- some of your parents and grandparents who are sitting here -- no fanfare, no articles written about them, they just persevere. They just do their jobs. They meet their responsibilities. They don't quit. I'm only here because of them. They may not have set out to change the world, but in small, important ways, they did. They certainly changed mine.

Recorded Barnard College, New York City, The White House (Obama administration archive), 14 May 2012 source ↗

Tom Ford