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Ellen DeGeneres

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Ellen DeGeneres
Birth nameEllen Lee DeGeneres
Born (1958-01-26) January 26, 1958 (age 66)
Metairie, Louisiana
Partner(s)Anne Heche (1997-2000)
Alexandra Hedison (2000-2004)
Portia de Rossi (2004-present)

Ellen Lee DeGeneres (born January 26, 1958) is an American stand-up comedian, television host and actress. She currently hosts the Emmy Award-winning syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

She has hosted both the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmys. As a film actress, she starred in Mr. Wrong, appeared in EDtv and The Love Letter, and provided the voice of "Dory" in the Pixar animated hit film Finding Nemo. She also starred in two television sitcoms, The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002 and Ellen from 1994 to 1998. In 1997 during the fourth season of Ellen, she came out publicly as a lesbian, in an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Shortly afterwards, her character Ellen Morgan also came out to a therapist played by Winfrey and the series went on to explore various LGBT issues as well as the "coming out" process.

before one sentence had finished" on her show.[1] The movie returned DeGeneres to the limelight, with critics giving her rave reviews.[citation needed] DeGeneres won the Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for "Best Supporting Actress", "Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie" from the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards and the Annie Award from the International Animated Film Association for "Outstanding Voice Acting" for her work. She was also nominated for a Chicago Film Critics Association Award in the "Best Supporting Actress" category. She also provided the voice of the dog in the prologue of the Eddie Murphy film Dr. Dolittle.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

In September 2003, DeGeneres launched a daytime television talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Amid a crop of several celebrity-hosted talk shows surfacing in 2003 such as those of Sharon Osbourne and Rita Rudner, her show has consistently risen in the Nielsen Ratings and received widespread critical praise. It was nominated for 11 Daytime Emmy Awards in its first season, winning four, including Best Talk Show. The show has won 15 Emmy Awards in its first three seasons on the air. DeGeneres is known for her dancing and singing with the audience at the beginning of the show and during commercial breaks. She often gives away free prizes and trips to her studio audience with the help of her sponsors. On November 17, 2005, the show was played in reverse.

In November 2004, DeGeneres appeared, dancing, in an ad campaign for American Express. Her most recent American Express commercial, a two-minute black-and-white spot where she works with animals, debuted in November 2006 and was created by Ogilvy and Mather. In 2007, the commercial won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial.

In August 2005, DeGeneres was selected once again as host of the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, which was held on September 18, 2005. The award ceremonies aired three weeks after Hurricane Katrina, making it the second time she hosted the Emmys following a national tragedy. Because DeGeneres is from New Orleans, the tragedy hit close to home. When she announced that she would again host the Emmys, she joked, "You know me, any excuse to put on a dress." She also hosted the Grammy Awards in 1996 and in 1997.

In February 2006, DeGeneres celebrated her thirty-year class reunion by flying her graduating class to California to be guests on her show. She presented Atlanta High School with a surprise gift of a new electronic LED marquee sign.

In May 2006, DeGeneres made a surprise appearance at the Tulane University commencement in New Orleans. Following George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton to the podium, she came out in a bathrobe and furry slippers. "They told me everyone would be wearing robes," she said.

In March 2007, DeGeneres continued her talk show with a week at Universal Studios Orlando with guests Jennifer Lopez and Lynyrd Skynyrd. DeGeneres did skits with the Hulk Roller Coaster Ride and the Jaws Boat Ride.

In May 2007, DeGeneres was placed on bed rest due to a torn ligament in her back. She continued hosting her show from a hospital bed, tended to by a male nurse, explaining "the show must go on, as they say." Guests sat in hospital beds as well.

In March 2008, DeGeneres hosted her talk show once again from Orlando Florida at Universal Studios Orlando with guests including the Jonas Brothers and Jeff Foxworthy.

79th Academy Awards

Ellen DeGeneres at the Emmy Awards, 1997

On September 7, 2006, DeGeneres was selected to host the 79th Academy Awards ceremony, which took place on February 25, 2007.[2] This makes her the first openly gay or lesbian person to have hosted the event. During the Awards show DeGeneres said, "What a wonderful night, such diversity in the room, in a year when there's been so many negative things said about people's race, religion and sexual orientation. And I want to put this out there: if there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there would be no Oscars, or anyone named Oscar, when you think about that."[3] Reviews of her hosting gig were positive, with one saying, "DeGeneres rocked, as she never forgot that she wasn't just there to entertain the Oscar nominees but also to tickle the audience at home."[4] In fact, Regis Philbin said in an interview that "the only complaint was there's not enough Ellen."

DeGeneres was nominated for an Emmy Award as host of the Academy Awards broadcast, but the award went to Tony Bennett.[5]

2007 Writers Guild strike

DeGeneres, like many actors who are also writers, is a member of both the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Thus, although DeGeneres verbally supported the 2007 WGA strike she did not support it when she crossed the picket line the day after the strike began.[6][7] Her actions prompted a response from the Union: "We find it sad that Ellen spent an entire week crying and fighting for a dog that she gave away, yet she couldn't even stand by writers for more than one day - writers who have helped make her extremely successful."[8] Her representatives said that she was competing with other first-run syndicated shows during the competitive November sweeps period, and that she could not break her contracts or risk her show lose its time slot. As a show of solidarity with the strikers, DeGeneres omitted her monologue during the strike, typically written by WGA writers.[9] The WGAE condemned her, and said that she was "not welcome in NY", while the AFTRA defended her.[10][11][12]

Personal life

DeGeneres with Heche in 1997.

DeGeneres' relationship with former Another World actress Anne Heche turned into material for the tabloid press. After several years in the spotlight, Heche broke up with DeGeneres and went on to marry cameraman Coley Laffoon. DeGeneres then had a relationship with actress/director/photographer Alexandra Hedison. The couple appeared on the cover of The Advocate magazine (after their split-up had already been announced to the press). Since 2004, DeGeneres has been in a relationship with Arrested Development and former Ally McBeal star Portia de Rossi. DeGeneres and de Rossi currently live in Beverly Hills with three dogs and four cats. After the overturn of the same-sex marriage ban in California, DeGeneres announced on her May 16, 2008 talk show which had taped the preceding day that she and Portia de Rossi are engaged to be married.[13][14] They have been dating since December 2004. She gave Portia de Rossi a Neil Lane ring with pink diamonds that she wears on her wedding finger. They plan to air part of the wedding ceremony on Ellen's talk show. [15]

DeGeneres has one brother, Vance, who made a guest appearance on Ellen in 1994. Vance was also a correspondent for The Daily Show from 1999 to 2001.

In her book, Love, Ellen, DeGeneres' mother, Betty DeGeneres, describes being initially shocked when her daughter came out as a lesbian, but has in fact become one of her strongest supporters. Betty DeGeneres is an active member of PFLAG and spokesperson for the HRC Coming Out Project. She is also a breast cancer survivor.

After DeGeneres came out of the closet, televangelist Jerry Falwell referred to her in a sermon as "Ellen DeGenerate." DeGeneres responded dismissively: "Really, he called me that? Ellen DeGenerate? I've been getting that since the fourth grade."[16]

On September 1, 2006, at just before 4 pm PT, DeGeneres was mildly injured in a three-car road accident as a 2002 Porsche Carrera rear-ended a 2002 Buick Le Sabre, which subsequently rear-ended DeGeneres' 2006 Porsche Carrera as she was driving on Sunset Boulevard with her girlfriend, Portia de Rossi. DeGeneres was able to walk away from the scene. Two men in their twenties, later identified as paparazzi, were in the Buick, and the other vehicle was being driven by a drunk 52-year-old woman.[17]

In 2007, Forbes ranked her personal net worth to be US$65 million.[18]

Awards

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

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People's Choice Awards
  • 2008 Favorite Daytime Talk Show Host
  • 2008 Favorite Funny Female Star
  • 2008 Favorite Yes I Chose This Star
  • 2007 Favorite Daytime Talk Show Host
  • 2007 Favorite Funny Female Star
  • 2006 Favorite Daytime Talk Show Host
  • 2006 Favorite Funny Female Star
  • 2005 Favorite Daytime Talk Show Host
  • 2005 Favorite Funny Female Star
Kids Choice Awards
1st Annual Wave Awards, Academy of Wireless Arts, Video and Entertainment

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Filmography

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Television

(April 2007)

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Film

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Discography

Tributes

  • ICONS: The Lesbian and Gay History of the World, Vol. 1 - Comedy Central star Jade Esteban Estrada portrays DeGeneres in the highly-acclaimed solo comedy in 2002.

Bibliography

  • DeGeneres, Ellen (1995). My Point...And I Do Have One. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 0553099558.
  • DeGeneres, Ellen (2003). The Funny Thing Is... New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0743247612.

References

  1. ^ Andrew Stanton states this on the Finding Nemo DVD running commentary
  2. ^ "Ellen DeGeneres to Host 79th Academy Awards Presentation". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 2006-09-07. Retrieved 2006-09-08.
  3. ^ The Associated Press (2007-02-26). "Alan Arkin Wins Best Supporting Actor". NewsMax. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
  4. ^ Susan Young (2007-02-26). "Ellen Probably Most Exciting Thing About 79th Oscars". InsideBayArea. Archived from the original on 2007-02-28. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  5. ^ Bob Sassone (2007-07-19). "The Emmys: More thoughts and theories". TV Squad. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  6. ^ Neal Justin (2007-11-16). "Television: Tears, strike aside, Ellen shows go on". Minneapolis St. Paul Star Tribune. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  7. ^ World Entertainment News Network (2007-11-09). "DeGeneres Under Fire for Crossing Picket Line". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-12-16. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  8. ^ WGAE (2007-11-12). ""Ellen DeGeneres Not Welcome in NY!"". Writers Guild of America, East. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  9. ^ Seth Abramovitch (2007-11-09). "Ellen DeGeneres Speaks Only In Exotic Birdcalls As A Gesture Of Writer Solidarity". Defamer. Gawker Media. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  10. ^ Finke, Nikki (2007-11-09). "WGAE States Ellen "Not Welcome In NY"". Deadline Hollywood Daily. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  11. ^ Finke, Nikki (2007-11-09). "URGENT! AFTRA Defends Ellen; Rep Says She "Has Done Nothing" To Violate WGA". Deadline Hollywood Daily. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  12. ^ Finke, Nikki (2007-11-10). "WGAE Replies To AFTRA About Ellen Mess". Deadline Hollywood Daily. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  13. ^ Alonso Duralde (2008-05-17). "Ellen and Portia to Tie the Knot". The Advocate. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  14. ^ Ellen DeGeneres (2008-05-19). DeGeneres, de Rossi Engaged (.SWF) (Video). Los Angeles: The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Event occurs at 00:00:00 to 00:01:15 (inclusive). Retrieved 2008-05-19. {{cite AV media}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ Dhalwala, Shruti (2008-06-21). ""Ellen Gives Portia Pink Diamonds for 'Dream Wedding'"". People. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  16. ^ Handy, Bruce. "He called me Ellen Degenerate?", TIME Magazine, April 14, 1997. Retrieved February 27, 2007.
  17. ^ CBC Arts (2006-09-02). "DeGeneres Walks Away From Fender-Bender". CBC news. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  18. ^ Lea Goldman and Kiri Blakeley (2007-01-18). "20 Richest Women in Entertainment". Forbes. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
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Preceded by
Garry Shandling
56th Awards 		Primetime Emmys host
57th Awards 		Succeeded by
Conan O'Brien
58th Awards

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