Ellen DeGeneres, an American stand-up comedian, television host and actress, was born on January 26, 1958 in Metairie, Louisiana. She is of French, English, German and Irish descent. Her parents are Betty Jane DeGeneres, a speech therapist, and Elliott DeGeneres, an insurance agent. She has one brother, Vance DeGeneres, who is a producer and musician.
DeGeneres started performing stand-up comedy at small clubs and coffee houses. In the early 1980s, she began to tour nationally, being named Showtime's Funniest Person in America in 1982. In 1986, she appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. DeGeneres has starred in many films such as Arduous Moon (1990), Coneheads (1993), Mr. Wrong (1996), Dr. Dolittle (1998), The Love Letter (1999), Finding Nemo (2003), among others.
DeGeneres launched a daytime television talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show in September 2003. The show was nominated for 11 Daytime Emmy Awards in its first season, winning four, including Best Talk Show. DeGeneres dances and sings with the audience at the beginning of the show and during commercial breaks. DeGeneres celebrated her 1000th episode on May 1, 2009, featuring celebrity guests such as Oprah, Justin Timberlake, and Paris Hilton, among others. In 2007, Forbes estimated DeGeneres' net worth at US$65 million.
On September 7, 2006, DeGeneres was selected to host the 79th Academy Awards ceremony, which took place on February 25, 2007. She is a member of both the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA). In November 2004, DeGeneres appeared, dancing, in an ad campaign for American Express. In 2006, she appeared in an American Express commercial, a two-minute black-and-white spot where she works with animals. The commercial won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial in 2007. DeGeneres appeared as a judge of the ninth season of American Idol, replacing Paula Abdul, making her debut on February 9, 2010. On July 29, 2010, DeGeneres decided to depart from the series after one season. DeGeneres said in a statement, "didn't feel like the right fit for me."
On May 26, 2010, Ellen announced on her show that she was starting her own record label entitled "eleveneleven". Ellen says she chose the name "eleveneleven" because she often sees the number 11:11 when looking at her clocks. Her first act to be signed, a 12-year-old who gained fame after his cover of Lady Gaga's Paparazzi, was found on the 11th and that the singer's soccer jersey has the number 11.
Ellen Degeneres has been romantically involved with actress Anne Heche and actress/director/photographer Alexandra Hedison. On August 16, 2008, Degeneres married actress Portia de Rossiat in their home and gave de Rossi a three-carat pink diamond ring.
