Ellen DeGeneres (born January 26, 1958) is an American stand-up comedian, television host and actress. She is the host of the talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She starred in two television sitcoms, Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002. She is seen as a very generous person when it comes to giving presents on her talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She is also seen as an inspiration to people to be who you are.  

During the fourth season of Ellen in 1997, DeGeneres came out publicly as a lesbian in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Since 2004, DeGeneres has been in a relationship with Australian actress Portia de Rossi. They were married on August 16, 2008.

Early life
DeGeneres was born at Ochsner Foundation Hospital in Jefferson, Louisiana, She is the daughter of Elizabeth Jane "Betty" Pfeffer DeGeneres, a speech therapist, and Elliott Everett DeGeneres, an insurance agent. She has one brother, Vance.  Her brother is a musician and producer. She is of French, English, German, and Irish ancestry. She was raised as a Christian Scientist until age 13. In 1973, her parents filed for separation and were divorced the following year. Shortly after, Ellen's mother married Roy Gruessendorf, a salesman. Betty Jane and Ellen moved with Gruessendorf from the New Orleans area to Atlanta, Texas. Vance stayed with his father.

DeGeneres graduated from Atlanta High School in May 1976.  Her first years of high school were at Grace King High School in Metairie, Louisiana. She moved back to New Orleans to attend the University of New Orleans, where she majored in communication studies. After one semester, she left school to do clerical work in a law firm with a cousin, Laura Gillen. She also held a job selling clothes at the chain store the Merry-Go-Round at the Lakeside Shopping Center.

Her early jobs included working at J. C. Penney, being a waitress at TGI Friday's and another restaurant, a house painter, a hostess, and a bartender. She talks about her experiences as a child and at work in her comedic work.

On a February 9, 2011, episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, DeGeneres shared a letter from the New England Historic Genealogical Society.  It said that she is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge's 15th cousin via their shared common ancestor Thomas Fairfax. Madonna is DeGeneres' eleventh cousin.

Personal life
In 2007, Forbes said that DeGeneres's has a financial worth of about US$65 million.

She is a fan of the National Football League, and has shown particular support for the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers. In 2011, she attended a Saints practice dressed as Packers Hall of Famer Don Hutson.

In November 2011, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named her a Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness.

DeGeneres took a selfie at the 86th Academy Awards in 2014 with actors such as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Bradley Cooper, Jared Leto, and Lupita Nyong'o.  It became the most retweeted image ever on Twitter, with over 3 million retweets.

Movie roles

Television roles

Roles as herself

Discography

Awards and honors

Daytime Emmy Awards
 Outstanding Talk Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011
 Outstanding Talk Show Host, The Ellen DeGeneres Show – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
 Outstanding Special Class Writing, The Ellen DeGeneres Show – 2005, 2006, 2007

Emmy Awards
 Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, Ellen: "The Puppy Episode" – 1997

Mark Twain Prize for American Humor by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
 2012 

People's Choice Awards
 Favorite Funny Female Star – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
 Favorite Talk Show Host – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 
Favorite Daytime Talk Show Host - 2012, 2013, 2014
 Favorite Yes I Chose This Star – 2008

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
 Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie – 2004

 Tulane University President's Medal
 2009

 Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards
 2000 Lucy Award, actor, If These Walls Could Talk 2, in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.

 Hollywood Walk of Fame
 2012

References

1958 births
Living people
Comedians from Louisiana
American movie actors
American television actors
Emmy Award winners
Lesbians
LGBT actors
LGBT broadcasters
LGBT comedians
LGBT people from Louisiana
Mark Twain Prize recipients
Actors from New Orleans, Louisiana
People's Choice Award winners