Ellen DeGeneres Comedienne Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born January 26, 1958, in Metairie, Louisiana. DeGeneres’s parents Elliot and Elizabeth Jane, were an insurance salesman and real-estate agent respectively. DeGeneres’s parents divorced officially in early 1974, and her mother relocated to Atlanta, Texas. DeGeneres graduated from Atlanta High School in 1976.
Returning to her birth state for a secondary education, DeGeneres attended the University of New Orleans. She was a communications major but ultimately only stayed at the school for one semester.
Holding a host of varied jobs, DeGeneres worked in everything from clerical work to the restaurant industry to being an oyster shucker. Eventually the menial jobs became unsatisfying, and DeGeneres decided she wanted to do something more personally meaningful.
Constantly asked to perform standup for her friends, DeGeneres eventually took the routine to the stage. She emceed at Clyde’s Comedy Club in New Orleans and recorded all of her routines. During this period Ellen encountered one of the most traumatic periods of her life when her partner, Kat Perkoff cheated on her and Ellen called the relationship off. Kat came to Ellen and asked if she would be staying around in New Orleans. Ellen ignored her. That night on her ride home Ellen saw a car accident at the side of the road but thought nothing of it as she went home to sleep. The next day she was woken with the news that the wreckage the night before had held the body of her dying friend and ex partner, Kat.
By 1982, DeGeneres had taken her one woman act on the road and garnered comparisons to comedy legend Bob Newhart. Traveling all over the, she won a Showtime competition and was named the funniest person in America. After this honor, she began making television appearances.
While at the Tonight Show in 1986, DeGeneres became the first woman to sit on the couch next to Johnny Carson on her very first visit.
Breaking her way into television, DeGeneres was definitely on the rise. In the biggest career break yet, her particular brand of humor was transformed into her very own sitcom in 1994. Simply entitled Ellen, the show ran successfully from 1994 to 1998. Other notable stars of the show included Joely Fisher, Jeremy Piven, Bruce Campbell, and even Anne Heche, who appeared for only two episodes.
In 1997 Ellen reached the level of media frenzy when DeGeneres publicly came out of the closet. After this move, DeGeneres became known as one of the most vocal activists for gay and lesbian rights. The remainder of her show focused on the issue of DeGeneres and her lesbian relationship. Ratings sank, and the show was eventually canceled.
DeGeneres returned to her roots of standup, and even won a new series in 2001 entitled The Ellen Show. Despite critical acclaim, the show was canceled after one season. But she found herself once again in the spotlight when she hosted the 2001 Emmy Awards.
But nothing would rejuvenate her career more than the 2003 release of Finding Nemo. Voicing the forgetful but lovable fish Dory, DeGeneres enjoyed a tremendous hit alongside the voice talents of Albert Brooks, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, and Allison Janney.
By September of 2003, DeGeneres launched her new talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Nobody anticipated the wild success it would become. In its first three seasons, the show has won an astounding fifteen Emmys. DeGeneres was the very successful host of the 79th Annual Academy Awards in 2007.
DeGeneres’s personal was made incredibly public. A romance with actress Anne Heche was all the tabloids seemed to run for the duration of their relationship. Following the end of their relationship , Ellen began seeingthe former Ally McBeal star, Portia de Rossi, which equally won the tabloid's interest.
So, after the mayor of California signed a bill allowing gay marriage sin the state, in August 2008 the comedian Ellen DeGeneres tied the knot with Portia de Rossi in a ceremony that took place in the backyard of their 33.5 million dollars Beverly Hills estate.
The two appeared ecstatic and couldn't keep the smiles from their faces or their eyes off each other as Portia dressed in a stunning dress like a real fairytale princess.
YUDDY YUDDY |
