Maya Angelou, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 86, is best known for her literary contributions as a poet, historian, author, and playwright. However, Angelou also leaves behind an underrated small-screen entertainment legacy, due to her work as a television writer, performer, narrator and media personality.

Angelou first graced the small-screen in 1993, when she read her classic poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton and became the first poet to recite at an inauguration since Robert Frost in 1961. Her poetry was further highlighted by talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who described Angelou as “the greatest mentor I have ever known.” Angelou appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show several times over its 25-year run, including a surprise appearance on Oprah’s “Farewell Spectacular,” where she read a poem about Winfrey’s life.

“She was there for me always, guiding me through some of the most important years of my life,” said Winfrey in a statement following news of Angelou’s death on Wednesday. “She won three Grammys, spoke six languages and was the second poet in history to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration. But what stands out to me most about Maya Angelou is not what she has done or written or spoken, it’s how she lived her life. She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace. I loved her and I know she loved me. I will profoundly miss her. She will always be the rainbow in my clouds.”

While the bulk of Angelou’s involvement with television consisted of appearances promoting her poetry, over the course of her career she also wrote several projects for the small screen. Her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was adapted for a 1979 television movie, and she has writing credits on the 1982 TV film Sister, Sister and HBO’s 1996 animated children’s special How Do You Spell God? She lent her expertise on African American culture to a number of television documentaries and nonfiction programming, and narrated The Black Candle, a 2012 documentary about Kwanzaa.

Angelou also did a bit of acting, appearing as an uncredited dancer in the 1959 film version of Porgy and Bess, and starring as Kunta Kinte’s grandmother in the 1977 ABC miniseries Roots. She later appeared alongside Winfrey in There Are No Children Here, had a guest role in the CBS series Touched by an Angel and starred in The Runaway with Dean Cain.

Finally, Angelou tried her hand at directing, with the 1998 feature film Down in the Delta.

In addition to the words of love and thanks from the countless fans of her literary works posted all over the internet on Wednesday, several members of the television industry chimed in to say their goodbyes to the legendary icon.

“We are saddened to learn about the death of Maya Angelou today. Her light will always shine through her extraordinary contributions to the arts and to the very fabric of American culture. She was an icon in literature, an influential voice in civil rights, and an innovator throughout her life,” said Debra L. Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive of BET Networks.