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] also known mononymously as just Ellen, is an American retired 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 voiced Dory in the Disney/Pixar animated films Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016). In 2010, she served as a judge on the ninth season of the Fox competition show American Idol.
DeGeneres has won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, 20 People's Choice Awards (more than any other person),[3] and numerous other awards for her work and charitable efforts. In 2016, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[4] In 2020 she received the Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes for her work on television, becoming the first recipient after its inaugural namesake Carol Burnett.[5]
As a standup, she has released the HBO specials The Beginning (2000) and Here and Now (2003) as well as the Netflix specials Relatable (2018) and For Your Approval (2024). DeGeneres is also known as an awards host having successfully hosted the Academy Awards twice in 2007 and 2014, the Grammy Awards twice in 1996 and 1997, and the Primetime Emmy Awards twice in 2001 and 2005.[6][7][8]
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.[9]
DeGeneres, who marked the milestone birthday on Jan. 26