Ellen DeGeneres

**Ellen Lee 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

Ellen Lee 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

|Year|Title|Role|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1993|_Coneheads_|Coach||
|1996|_Mr. Wrong_|Martha Alston||
|1998|_Goodbye Lover_|Sgt. Rita Pompano||
|_Dr. Dolittle_|Becca The Tiger (voice)|||
|1999|_EDtv_|Cynthia||
|__|Janet Hall|||
|2003|_Finding Nemo_|Dory (voice)||
|_Exploring the Reef_|Dory (voice)|Short film||
|2016|_Finding Dory_|Dory (voice)||

## Television roles

|Year|Title|Role|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1989|_Open House_|Margo Van Mete|2 episodes|
|1992|_Laurie Hill_|Nancy MacIntyre|3 episodes|
|1994–1998|_Ellen_|Ellen Morgan|109 episodes|
|1995|_Roseanne_|Dr. Whitman|Episode: "The Blaming of the Shrew"|
|1998|_Mad About You_|Nancy Bloom|Episode: "The Finale"|
|2000|_If These Walls Could Talk 2_|Kal|Segment: "2000"|
|2001|_On the Edge_|Operator|Segment: "Reaching Normal"|
|_Will & Grace_|Sister Louise|Episode: "My Uncle the Car"||
|2001-02|__|Ellen Richmond|18 episodes|

## Roles as herself

|Year|Title|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- |
|1988|_Women of the Night_|Comedy special|
|1990|_Arduous Moon_|Short film|
|1991|_Wisecracks_|Documentary|
|1994|_Trevor_|Short film|
|1996|_Ellen's Energy Adventure_|Short film|
|_38th Annual Grammy Awards_|TV special||
|1997|_39th Annual Grammy Awards_|TV special|
|2000|_Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning_|Comedy special|
|2001|_Saturday Night Live_|Episode: "Ellen DeGeneres/No Doubt"|
|_53rd Primetime Emmy Awards_|TV special||
|2003|_Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now_|Comedy special|
|_MADtv_|Episode: "9.3"||
|2003-2022|__||
|2003|_Pauly Shore Is Dead_||
|2004|_My Short Film_|Short film|
|_E! True Hollywood Story_|||
|_Six Feet Under_|Episode: "Parallel Play"||
|2005|_Joey_|Episode: "Joey and the Sex Tape"|
|_57th Primetime Emmy Awards_|TV special||
|2007|_Ellen's Really Big Show_||
|_79th Academy Awards_|TV special||
|_Sesame Street_|Episode: "The Tutu Spell"; uncredited||
|_Forbes 20 Richest Women in Entertainment_|||
|__|||
|2007–2008|_American Idol_|2 episodes|
|2008|_Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show_|Comedy special|
|2009|_Ellen's Bigger, Longer & Wider Show_|Comedy special|
|_So You Think You Can Dance_|Guest judge; "Week 7 (July 22, 2009)"||
|2010|_American Idol_|Judge; Season 9|
|__|Episode: "Judge Me Tender"||
|2014|_86th Academy Awards_|TV special|

## Discography

|Year|Album|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- |
|1996|_Ellen Degeneres: Taste This_|Stand-up comedy Live album|

## 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

## Infobox (comedian awards)

- **child**: yes
- **emmyawards**: **Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series**
1997 _Ellen_
**Outstanding Talk Show**
2004 _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_
2005 _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_
2006 _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_
2007 _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_
**Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment**
2010 _The Ellen Degeneres Show_
2011 _The Ellen Degeneres Show_
**Outstanding Special Class Writing**
2005 _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_
2006 _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_
2007 _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_
**Outstanding Talk Show Host**
2005 _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_
2006 _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_
2007 _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_
2008 _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_
- **americancomedyawards**: **Funniest Female Stand-Up Comic**
1991
 **Funniest Female Performer in a TV Special**
1994 _46th Primetime Emmy Awards_
2000 _Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning_
- **awardtitle1**: Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, Saturn Award
- **award1**: **Best Supporting Actress (film)**
2003 _Finding Nemo_
- **awardtitle2**: 2011 Teen Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards
- **award2**: **Best Comedian**
2011


## Infobox (comedian)

- **name**: Ellen DeGeneres
- **image**: Ellen DeGeneres 2011.jpg
- **caption**: DeGeneres in 2011
- **birth name**: Ellen Lee DeGeneres
- **birth place**: Metairie, Louisiana, USA
- **years active**: 1978–present
- **height**: 171 cm
- **nationality**: Americans, American
- **subjects**: Observational comedy, celebrity comedy, political comedy, family comedy, everyday life
- **domesticpartner**: Anne Heche
<small>(1997–2000)</small>
Alexandra Hedison
<small>(2001–2004)</small>
- **alma mater**: University of New Orleans