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 film38th 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 specialMADtv  Episode: "9.3"2003-2022  2003 Pauly Shore Is Dead    2004  My Short Film  Short filmE! 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 specialSesame Street  Episode: "The Tutu Spell"; uncreditedForbes 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 specialSo 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 Notes1996 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 Trescott, Jacqueline, "Ellen DeGeneres named Mark Twain Prize recipient", Washington Post (May 15, 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

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