Ellen DeGeneres facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 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 | Metairie, Louisiana, U.S. |
January 26, 1958
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 |
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 a very generous person when it comes to giveaways on her talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Amen to Ellen DeGeneres she opened minds through humor also.
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.
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Early life
DeGeneres was born and raised in Metairie, 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, 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, after completing her first years of high school 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 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. Madonna is DeGeneres' eleventh cousin.
In summer 2020, DeGeneres faced considerable controversy after it came out that her show was being investigated for being a hostile workplace and allegations were made that she instigated the abuse, racism and sexual harassment against her staff.
Personal life
In 2007, Forbes estimated DeGeneres's net worth at 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' selfie, which she took at the 86th Academy Awards in 2014 with actors such as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Bradley Cooper, Jared Leto, and Lupita Nyong'o, became the most retweeted image ever on Twitter, with over 3 million retweets.
Movie roles
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1993 | Coneheads | Coach | |
1996 | Mr. Wrong | Martha Alston | |
1998 | Goodbye Lover | Sgt. Rita Pompano | |
1998 | Dr. Dolittle | Becca The Tiger (voice) | |
1999 | EDtv | Cynthia | |
1999 | The Love Letter | Janet Hall | |
2003 | Finding Nemo | Dory (voice) | |
2003 | Exploring the Reef | Dory (voice) | Short film |
2016 | Finding Dory | Dory (voice) |
Television roles
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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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 |
Herself roles
Year | Title | Notes |
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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 | |
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 |
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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
- 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
- 2009
- 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.
- 2012
Images for kids
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DeGeneres attending Oprah Winfrey's 50th birthday party in Los Angeles, California, in January 2004