Ellen Lee DeGeneres (born January 26, 1958 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a popular American actress, stand-up comedienne, and most recently, host of a syndicated talk show.

Career

DeGeneres rose to national attention when her material was turned into the subject matter for the successful 1990s sitcom, Ellen (called These Friends of Mine during its first season). The show was hugely popular for its first few seasons due in part to DeGeneres's style of quirky observational humor.

The show reached its height of attention and popularity when DeGeneres and her character on the show came out of the closet. In spite of the controversy, or perhaps because of it, the outing episode was one of the highest-rated episodes of the show. As one of the first openly gay performers playing an openly gay character on television, she was all but forced into a role as a gay rights activist. Her sitcom seemed to turn entirely into a show about homosexuality; lesbian activist Chastity Bono found the show to be "too gay". After sinking ratings, the show was cancelled, and DeGeneres returned to the stand-up comedy circuit.

DeGeneres returned to television in 2001 with a new sitcom, The Ellen Show . Though her character was again lesbian, it was not the central theme of the show. It received critical praise but low viewership and was cancelled after one season. Some speculated that DeGeneres's star had faded. However, in 2002 DeGeneres redeemed herself as hostess of the 2002 Emmy Awards. Hosted following three cancellations due to terror threats following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the show required a newer, more somber tone that at the same time allowed viewers to forget the tragedy of their daily lives. DeGeneres delivered, receiving several standing ovations for her performance that evening. She memorably delivered the following line: "We're told to go on living our lives as usual, because to do otherwise is to let the terrorists win, and really, what would upset the Taliban more than a gay woman wearing a suit in front of a room full of Jews?"

DeGeneres has also performed two critically acclaimed stand-up routines, the first was called Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning(2000) and was taped live at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. Her most recent one which was taped in the same location was entitled Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now(2003).

DeGeneres' lent her voice to the role of "Dory" in the 2003 hit animated film Finding Nemo. The film returned DeGeneres to the limelight.

In September of 2003 DeGeneres launched a daytime television talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Amid a crop of several talk shows surfacing in 2003 and hosted by high-profile celebrities (including Sharon Osbourne and Rita Rudner), DeGeneres's show has consistently risen in the Nielsen Ratings and received widespread critical praise. DeGeneres' show was nominated for eleven Daytime Emmy Awards its freshman season, winning four, including Best Talk Show.

Since November 2004, DeGeneres has appeared in a new ad campaign for American Express.

Bibliography

• My Point... and I do Have One
• The Funny Thing Is...

Discography

Partial filmography

• Finding Nemo (2003)
• If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000)
• The Love Letter (1999)
• Edtv (1999)
• Mr. Wrong (1996)

Personal life

Her relationship with former Another World actress Anne Heche turned into gossip and tabloid press. After several years in the spotlight, that relationship dissolved. DeGeneres has lately been seen in the company of actress Portia de Rossi.

External links

• The Ellen DeGeneres Show official website
• DeGeneres talks about coming out experience, an April 1999 article about her appearance at the University of Michigan
• Commentary on Ellen's "coming out" from the website of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary