Ellen DeGeneres Is Alive

ORIGIN
Ellen DeGeneres is an American comedian, talk show host, actress, writer, and activist. She’s best known for the sitcom ‘Ellen’ and for the talk show ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’. Her film credits include Mr. Wrong (1996), The Love Letter (1999), and Finding Dory (2016). She’s won multiple awards, including 30 Emmys and the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom. DeGeneres was born on January 26, 1958, in Metairie, Louisiana. Her father, Elliott, was an insurance salesman, and her mother, Betty, a speech therapist. She has an older brother, Vance, who is an actor/musician. DeGeneres attended Grace King High School (Louisiana) followed by Atlanta High School (Texas). She briefly attended the University of New Orleans where she majored in communication studies.

CAREER
DeGeneres worked several odd jobs prior to stand-up comedy. She waited tables, bartended, sold vacuum cleaners, and even worked as a legal secretary in a law firm. Her early comedy gigs were at local clubs and coffee houses. She drew inspiration from the likes of Woody Allen and Steve Martin. In 1981, DeGeneres became the emcee at Clyde’s Comedy Club in New Orleans. The following year she was named the funniest person in America by Showtime. She followed up with multiple appearances on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. DeGeneres was cast as “Margo Van Mete” on the Fox sitcom Open House (1989-90), and later as “Nancy MacIntyre” on the ABC sitcom Laurie Hill (1992). She appeared in the sci-fi comedy film, Coneheads (1993) starring Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin. Her comedy album, Taste This, was released in October 1996.

DeGeneres gained further popularity with her self-titled sitcom ‘Ellen’ on ABC. The series ran for 5 seasons from March 1994 to July 1998. It won multiple awards, including 3 Primetime Emmys and 2 Satellite Awards. DeGeneres hosted ‘The Ellen Show’ (2001-02) on CBS. She began hosting the syndicated ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ in September 2003. She’s hosted the Grammy Awards, the Academy Awards, and the Primetime Emmys. DeGeneres starred as “Martha Alston” opposite Bill Pullman in the dark comedy film, Mr. Wrong (1996). She had a supporting role in EDtv (1999) starring Matthew McConaughey. Her credits also include Goodbye Lover (1999) with Patricia Arquette, The Love Letter (1999) with Kate Capshaw, and the documentary Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003). She voiced the character “Dory” for the animated films Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016). Her voice role earned her the Saturn Award for best-supporting actress. She served as a judge on American Idol in 2010.

In addition to television appearances, DeGeneres is an author and executive producer. Her first book, My Point…And I Do Have One, was published in 1995 by Bantam Books. Her other books include The Funny Thing Is (2003), Seriously…I’m Kidding (2011), and Home (2015). DeGeneres executive produced the series Bethenny (2012-14), Little Big Shots (2016-), One Big Happy (2015), Repeat After Me *2015), and her own reality series Ellen’s Design Challenge (2015-). She founded her own record label ‘Eleveneleven’ in May 2010.

PERSONAL
Ellen DeGeneres is 5ft 6in tall and she’s of French, English, Irish, German and Dutch ancestry. Her net worth is estimated at $500 million. She makes an annual salary of $75 million. DeGeneres came out as lesbian in 1997 on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She dated actress Anne Heche (1997-2000) followed by photographer Alexandra Hedison (2001-04). She began a relationship with Australian actress ‘Portia de Rossi’ in 2004. They got married in August 2008 at their Beverly Hills mansion.

DeGeneres was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2016. She was the 2012 recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. In 2015, she was dubbed one of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes.

Ellen DeGeneres Bio, Net Worth, Height