Ellen DeGeneres | |
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Birth name | Ellen Lee DeGeneres |
Born | Metairie, Louisiana, U.S. | January 26, 1958
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Education | University of New Orleans (no degree) |
Years active | 1978–2024 |
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Parent(s) | Elliott DeGeneres Betty DeGeneres |
Relative(s) | Vance DeGeneres (brother) |
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Ellen Lee DeGeneres (/dəˈdʒɛnərəs/ də-JEN-ər-əs; born January 26, 1958)[1][2] is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer. She starred in the television sitcoms Ellen (1994–1998) and The Ellen Show (2001–2002). She also hosted the syndicated television talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003–2022), for which she received 33 Daytime Emmy Awards.
DeGeneres' stand-up comedy career started in the early 1980s and included a 1986 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. As a film actress, she starred in Mr. Wrong (1996), EDtv (1999), and The Love Letter (1999), and provided the voice of Dory in the Disney/Pixar animated films Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016); for Finding Nemo, she was awarded the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, the first time an actress won a Saturn Award for a voice performance. In 2010, she served as a judge on the ninth season of the television talent show American Idol.
DeGeneres has hosted the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, and the Primetime Emmys. She has authored four books and started her own record company, Eleveneleven, as well as a production company, A Very Good Production. She also launched a lifestyle brand, ED Ellen DeGeneres, which comprises a collection of apparel, accessories, home, baby, and pet items.[3] DeGeneres has won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, 20 People's Choice Awards (more than any other person),[4] and numerous other awards for her work and charitable efforts. In 2016, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[5] In January 2020, DeGeneres received the Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes for her work on television, becoming the first recipient after its inaugural namesake Carol Burnett.[6]
Beginning in 2020, numerous allegations of workplace harassment began emerging against DeGeneres. [7][8] As a result, preceding her final standup special For Your Consideration, DeGeneres retired from show business in 2024.[9]
DeGeneres, who marked the milestone birthday on Jan. 26