Ellen Degeneres

American comedian, television host, actress, writer, producer and LGBT activist, who has hosted her globally-syndicated TV talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, since 2003. DeGeneres lent her voice to the role of Dory, a friendly fish with short-term memory loss, in the 2003 animated Disney/Pixar film Finding Nemo. She reprised the role of Dory in the 2016 sequel, Finding Dory. She starred in the hit TV sitcom, Ellen (1994-1998), in which she came out as a lesbian on 30 April 1997. In an interview with Diane Sawyer for 20/20, she said that she had tried sex with a couple of men and found that she didn't like it. Ellen met Anne Heche on Oscar night, 23 March 1997 and began an immediate, impassioned love affair; their affection and openness made the two women veritable poster-girls for gay pride in Hollywood and elsewhere. After 3 1/2 years together, DeGeneres and Heche separated on 20 August 2000. The second child of Christian Science converts who separated when she was a teenager, Ellen moved to Texas with her mom then briefly attended the university of New Orleans before embarking on a string of off jobs. With the encouragement of friends and fans, she performed comedy at a coffee house amateur hour, then landed a job emceeing at a local comedy club. She won a Showtime contest in 1982, leading to her series. As Ellen's show began to focus more on lesbian issues, it began to lose the interest of mainstream viewers and was cancelled in 1998. She continued, however, to be funny on the comedy circuit and clubs and returned to prime time in September 2001 as star and executive producer. Her credits include a documentary about her 36-city stand-up tour and several guest shots on TV. Ellen was in a relationship with Alexandra Hedison from 2000 until November 2004 when they separated. Shortly thereafter DeGeneres developed a new love relationship with Australian actress, Portia de Rossi, formerly of Ally McBeal. Their relationship became known on 1 December 2004 at the Los Angeles VH1 Big in '04 Awards ceremony. They married on 16 August 2008 in Los Angeles. With her popular daytime TV show and a love of music as her credentials, she became a judge on American Idol in 2010. 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. She has won 30 Emmys, 20 People's Choice Awards (more than any other person), and numerous other awards for her work and charitable efforts. In 2016, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On 5 January 2020, DeGeneres won the Golden Globes Carol Burnett Lifetime Achievement Award. Link to Wikipedia biography