Ellen DeGeneres
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| Ellen DeGeneres | |
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Ellen DeGeneres, Los Angeles, CA on October 4, 2011
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| Birth name | Ellen Lee DeGeneres |
| Born | January 26, 1958 Metairie, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, film, books |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Spouse | Portia de Rossi (2008–present) |
| Partner(s) | Anne Heche (1997–2000) Alexandra Hedison (2001–2004) |
| Emmy Awards | |
| 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 |
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| American Comedy Awards | |
| Funniest Female Stand-Up Comic 1991 Funniest Female Performer in a TV Special 1994 46th Primetime Emmy Awards 2000 Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning |
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| Saturn Award | |
| Best Supporting Actress (film) 2003 Finding Nemo |
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| Teen Choice Awards | |
| Best Comedian 2011 |
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As a film actress, she starred in Mr. Wrong, appeared in EDtv and The Love Letter, and provided the voice of Dory in the Disney-Pixar animated film Finding Nemo, for which she was awarded the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, the only time a voice performance has won a Saturn Award. She was a judge on American Idol in its ninth season. DeGeneres has hosted the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, and the Primetime Emmys.
She starred in two television sitcoms, Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002. During the fourth season of Ellen in 1997, DeGeneres 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 including the coming-out process. She has won 13 Emmys and numerous other awards for her work and charitable efforts.
Contents
Early life and education
DeGeneres was born and raised in Metairie, Louisiana, the daughter of Elizabeth Jane "Betty" Pfeffer, a speech therapist, and Elliott Everett DeGeneres, an insurance agent.[2][3] She has one brother, Vance, a musician and producer. Her early jobs included working at J. C. Penney,[4] being a waitress at TGI Friday's and another restaurant, a house painter, a hostess, and a bartender. She relates much of her childhood and career experiences in her comedic work.On a February 9, 2011, episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, DeGeneres told her studio audience via a letter from the New England Historic Genealogical Society that she is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge's 15th cousin via their shared common ancestor Thomas Fairfax.[5][6]
Stand-up comedy
DeGeneres started performing stand-up comedy at small clubs and coffee houses. By 1981 she was the emcee at Clyde's Comedy Club in New Orleans. DeGeneres cites Woody Allen and Steve Martin as her main influences at this time.[7] In the early 1980s she began to tour nationally; and, she was named Showtime's Funniest Person in America in 1982.[8] In 1986, she appeared for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, who likened her to Bob Newhart.[7] When Carson invited her for an onscreen chat after her performance, she became the first comedienne to have been offered that opportunity.[8]Film career
Early screen work
Ellen's Energy Adventure
DeGeneres starred in a series of films for a show named Ellen's Energy Adventure, which is part of the Universe of Energy attraction and pavilion at Walt Disney World's Epcot. The film also featured Bill Nye, Alex Trebek, Michael Richards, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The show revolved around DeGeneres's falling asleep and finding herself in an energy-themed version of Jeopardy!, playing against an old rival, portrayed by Curtis, and Albert Einstein. The next film had DeGeneres hosting an educational look at energy, co-hosted with Nye. The ride first opened on September 15, 1996, as Ellen's Energy Crisis, but was quickly renamed to the more positive-sounding Ellen's Energy Adventure.Television career
Open House (1989–1990)
DeGeneres's first regular TV role was in a short-lived Fox sitcom called Open House. She played the part of Margo Van Meter, an office worker at the Juan Verde Real Estate company. The show co-starred Alison LaPlaca and Mary Page Keller.Ellen (1994–1998)
Ellen reached its height of popularity in February 1997, when DeGeneres made her homosexuality public on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Subsequently her character on the sitcom came out of the closet in April to her therapist, played by Oprah Winfrey, revealing that she's gay.[10] The coming-out episode, titled "The Puppy Episode", was one of the highest-rated episodes of the show. The series returned for a fifth season, but experienced falling ratings due to ABC's cutting back on promoting the show. It was believed that The Walt Disney Company, ABC's parent owner, had become uncomfortable with the subject matter depicted on the show now that DeGeneres' character was openly gay. In May 1998, Ellen was canceled. DeGeneres returned to the stand-up comedy circuit, and later re-established herself as a successful talk show host.
The Ellen Show
DeGeneres returned to series television in 2001 with a new CBS sitcom, The Ellen Show.The Ellen DeGeneres Show
DeGeneres launched a daytime television talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show in September 2003. Amid a crop of several celebrity-hosted talk shows surfacing at the beginning of that season, 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 25 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 be in her show's studio audience with the help of her sponsors.DeGeneres celebrated her thirty-year class reunion by flying her graduating class to California to be guests on her show in February 2006. 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. Ellen then went on to make another commencement speech at Tulane in 2009.[11]
The show broadcast for a week from Universal Studios Orlando in March 2007. Skits included DeGeneres going on 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 nurse, explaining "the show must go on, as they say." Guests sat in hospital beds as well. On May 1, 2009, DeGeneres celebrated her 1000th episode, featuring celebrity guests such as Oprah Winfrey, Justin Timberlake, and Paris Hilton, among others.[citation needed]
American Idol
On September 9, 2009, it was confirmed that DeGeneres would replace Paula Abdul as a judge of the ninth season of American Idol. Her role started after the contestant auditions, at the beginning of "Hollywood Week".[12][13] It is reported that DeGeneres also signed a contract to be a judge on the show for at least five seasons.[14] She made her American Idol debut on February 9, 2010. However, on July 29, 2010, DeGeneres and Fox executives announced that the comedienne would be leaving American Idol after one season. In a statement, DeGeneres said that the series "didn't feel like the right fit for me".[15]Award shows
2001 Emmy Awards
DeGeneres received wide exposure on November 4, 2001, when she hosted the televised broadcast of the Emmy Awards. Presented after two cancellations due to network concerns that a lavish ceremony following the September 11 attacks would appear insensitive, the show required a more somber tone that would also allow viewers to temporarily forget the tragedy. DeGeneres received several standing ovations for her performance that evening, which included the line: "What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews?"In August 2005, DeGeneres hosted the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony held on September 18, 2005. This was three weeks after Hurricane Katrina, making it the second time she hosted the Emmys following a national tragedy. She also hosted the Grammy Awards in 1996 and in 1997.
79th Academy Awards
On September 7, 2006, DeGeneres was selected to host the 79th Academy Awards ceremony, which took place on February 25, 2007.[16] 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."[17] 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."[18] 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.[19]
86th Academy Awards
On August 2, 2013, it was announced that Ellen will host the Academy Awards on March 2, 2014 for the second time.[20]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.[21][22] Her representatives said 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's losing its time slot. As a show of solidarity with the strikers, DeGeneres omitted her monologue during the strike, typically written by WGA writers.[23] The WGA condemned her while the AFTRA defended her.[24][25][26][27]Other ventures
Voice acting
DeGeneres lent her voice to the role of Dory, a fish with short-term memory loss, in the summer 2003 hit animated Disney/Pixar film Finding Nemo. The film's director, Andrew Stanton, claimed that he chose Ellen because she "changed the subject five times before one sentence had finished" on her show.[28] For her performance as Dory, 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". 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 feature film Dr. Dolittle. Her win of the Saturn Award marked the first and only time the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has given the acting award for a voice performance.Commercial spokeswoman
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 in which she works with animals, debuted in November 2006 and was created by Ogilvy & Mather. In 2007, the commercial won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial.DeGeneres began working with Cover Girl Cosmetics in September 2008, for which she has been criticized, as her animal-friendly values clash with Procter and Gamble's (the maker of Cover Girl Cosmetics) animal testing.[29] Her face is the focus of new Cover Girl advertisements starting in January 2009. The beauty campaign will be DeGeneres's first.[30]
On December 3, 2011, DeGeneres headlined the third annual “Change Begins Within” gala for the David Lynch Foundation held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.[31][32]
In spring 2012, DeGeneres became the spokesperson for J. C. Penney in a tour and advertising campaign.[4]
Eleveneleven
Main article: eleveneleven
On May 26, 2010, Ellen announced on her show that she was starting
her own record label entitled "eleveneleven". Ellen explained her choice
of name, claiming that she often sees the number 11:11 when looking at her clocks, that she found Greyson on the 11th, and that the singer's soccer jersey has the number 11.[33] She mentioned that she had been looking for videos of performances on YouTube to start her label. The first act she signed to the label is Greyson Chance.[34]Personal life
In 2007, Forbes estimated DeGeneres's net worth at US$65 million.[35] Madonna is DeGeneres' eleventh cousin.[36]She is a fan of the National Football League, and has shown particular support for the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers.[37] In 2011, she attended a Saints practice dressed as Packers Hall of Famer Don Hutson.[38]
Sexual orientation and relationships
From 2001 to 2004, DeGeneres maintained a close affair with actress/director/photographer Alexandra Hedison.[41] The couple appeared on the cover of The Advocate after their separation had already been announced to the media.[42]
Veganism and animal rights
DeGeneres is an ethical vegan who calls herself a "big animal lover".[51][52] De Rossi is a vegan as well.[52] Ellen co-ordinates a vegan outreach website titled 'Going Vegan with Ellen',[53] and has opened a vegan tapas bar, Bokado, in Los Angeles.[citation needed]The site for The Ellen DeGeneres Show contains a section called "Going Vegan With Ellen," in which she promotes "Meatless Mondays" and features vegan recipes.[54] She has several times invited Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle to speak on her show about the organization's efforts in animal protection legislation. In April 2013, she donated $25,000 to stop Ag-Gag anti-whistleblower legislation in Tennessee, which would prohibit undercover investigators from recording footage of animal abuse on farms.[55]
DeGeneres served as campaign ambassador to Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-A-Turkey Project in 2010, asking people to start "a new tradition by adopting a turkey instead of eating one" at Thanksgiving.[56]
Humanitarianism
In November 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named her a Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness.[57]On December 3, 2011, DeGeneres opened the show at the David Lynch Foundation's 3rd annual “Change Begins Within” gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to raise funds to bring Transcendental Meditation to at-risk populations suffering from epidemic levels of chronic stress and stress-related disorders. She says: “TM is the only time I have that stillness… it gives me this peaceful feeling, and I love it so much. I can’t say enough good things about it. All the benefits that you can achieve from sitting still and going within—it really is a beautiful experience. David Lynch is such a wonderful man to start this foundation to help people.”[58][59]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Coneheads | Coach | |
| 1996 | Mr. Wrong | Martha Alston | |
| 1998 | Goodbye Lover | Sgt. Rita Pompano | |
| 1998 | Dr. Dolittle | Prologue Dog (voice) | |
| 1999 | EDtv | Cynthia | |
| 1999 | The Love Letter | Janet Hall | |
| 2003 | Finding Nemo | Dory (voice) | |
| 2003 | Exploring the Reef | Dory (voice) | Short film |
| 2014 | Unity | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2016[60] | Finding Dory | Dory (voice) |
Television
| 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" |
| 2001 | Will & Grace | Sister Louise | Episode: "My Uncle the Car" |
| 2001–2002 | The Ellen Show | Ellen Richmond | 18 episodes |
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 |
| 1996 | 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" |
| 2001 | 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards | TV special |
| 2003 | Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now | Comedy special |
| 2003 | MADtv | Episode: "9.3" |
| 2003–present | The Ellen DeGeneres Show | |
| 2003 | Pauly Shore Is Dead | |
| 2004 | My Short Film | Short film |
| 2004 | E! True Hollywood Story | |
| 2004 | Six Feet Under | Episode: "Parallel Play" |
| 2005 | Joey | Episode: "Joey and the Sex Tape" |
| 2005 | 57th Primetime Emmy Awards | TV special |
| 2007 | Ellen's Really Big Show | |
| 2007 | 79th Academy Awards | TV special |
| 2007 | Sesame Street | Episode: "The Tutu Spell"; uncredited |
| 2007 | Forbes 20 Richest Women in Entertainment | |
| 2007 | The Bachelorette | |
| 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 |
| 2009 | So You Think You Can Dance | Guest judge; "Week 7 (July 22, 2009)" |
| 2010 | American Idol | Judge; Season 9 |
| 2010 | The Simpsons | 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
- 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
- Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, Ellen: "The Puppy Episode" – 1997
- 2012 [61]
- 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
- Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie – 2004
- Tulane University President's Medal
- 2009[62]
- 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.[63]
- 2012[64]
Bibliography
- DeGeneres, Ellen (1995). My Point...And I Do Have One. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-09955-8.
- DeGeneres, Ellen (2003). The Funny Thing Is... New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-4761-2.
- DeGeneres, Ellen (2011). Seriously...I'm Kidding. New York: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 0-446-58502-5.
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