Macie Melendez - Ellen Degeneres: A Biography

Ellen DeGeneres is a stand-up comedian, a TV show host, an actress, and an author. She gained her celebrity status through years of stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, earning her first major breakthrough after she was nationally recognized and named The Funniest Person in America after winning a competition sponsored by the cable network Showtime, according to IMDb .

Her next big break in the public eye was in 1986 when acting on a tip from Jay Leno, The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson sent a booking agent to catch her act at the Improv in Hollywood, as Bio reports. The booking agent liked what he saw, and Ellen was invited to The Tonight Show as a result. Her popularity soared.

Ellen is most famous today for her daily talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show , which launched in 2003. Ellen also previously starred in two TV sitcoms, Ellen, from 1994 to 1998 and The Ellen Show , from 2001 to 2002. In addition to her comedic talent, Ellen has a strong voice in the gay and lesbian community, as she is a lesbian herself. She often uses her celebrity to speak out about gay marriage rights.

Another crowd-pleasing portion of Ellens personality comes from her love for dancing. After her monologue for every opening of The Ellen DeGeneres Show , Ellen dances on stage and through the aisles of her audience. One Quote of the Day from her website says, Music really can change your mood. It makes you feel good. It's one of the universal things that people love to share. You don't have to speak the same language to understand the song. Everybody knows what Bootylicious is. And you're looking at it.

Additionally, Ellen is a major spokeswoman for animal rights. She shows her love for animals through donations, adoptions, and the fact that she has three cats and two dogs of her own. In an interview with Modern Dog , Ellen said, If I could, I would have 15 cats and 20 dogs. We have the space, and we continue to try to rescue everything we can. Ellens personality, love for animals, comedy, and dancing included, is contagious. Her fan base is huge and her talk show is incredibly popular. Ellen often uses her talk show as a medium to reach out and help people in need, whether it be financially or by any other means. She gives away gifts that include cars, chances for family reunions, and much more. Her genuine attitude and warmth to her fans allows Ellen to continue to be a positive role model for so many men, women, and families.

(Photo Credit: Modern Dog Magazine )

Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born on January 26, 1958, in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. She has fond memories of the city where she spent most of her childhood, and once told New Orleans Magazine , I rode my bike everywhere. All over the campus [of Newcomb College]. All over uptown. You know, people can grow up in New Orleans without realizing how unique a city it is. I remember thinking that it was a really neat place.

Her father, Elliott DeGeneres, was an insurance salesman and her mother, Betty DeGeneres, was a real-estate agent; they divorced when she was 13 years old. It was after the divorce in 1974 that, according to People magazine, Ellen and her mother moved from New Orleans to the small town of Atlanta, Texas. Ellens older brother, Vance, stayed to live with their father.

Ellen remembers this time finding a closeness with her mother as they dealt with the sadness or the divorce. She was also quoted in the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture saying that she often used comedy to help her mom feel better. My mother was going through some really hard times and I could see when she was really getting down, and I would start to make fun of her dancing," she said. Then shed start to laugh and I'd make fun of her laughing. And shed laugh so hard shed start to cry, and then Id make fun of that. So I would totally bring her from where I'd seen her start going into depression to all the way out of it.

While in Texas, Ellens mother found a new man and got remarried. Ellen was molested by her new stepfather, and her mother was struggling with breast cancer. According to an article in Allure magazine, Ellen said that her stepfather had told her that, he thinks he feels a lump in (her mother's) other breast, but he doesn't want to alarm her so he needs to feel mine to make sure. He made her lay down to do so and, although Ellen didnt specify, she did mention that he once tried to break down her bedroom door.

Ellen decided to move back to New Orleans after graduating high school, and at that time she decided to tell her mother the truth about what had been going on. Back in New Orleans, Ellens brother was finding his own fame as a musician. Ellen told People , Everybody knew who he was. Thats what motivated me to do something, because I watched him get all this attention and glory.

Ellen attended only a semester of school at the University of New Orleans before she decided to drop out and go after a career in comedy.

According to Ellens website , her career started at a local comedy club in New Orleans where she started as an emcee. In 1982, that gig landed her national recognition when her club performances were videotaped and won her Showtimes Funniest Person in America award. It wasnt long until Ellen moved to Los Angeles, California, where she filmed the HBO special, Young Comedians Reunion . In 1986, she also filmed another comedy special, Women of the Night , and was called upon to appear on Johnny Carsons talk show.

Ellens acting career started first on Foxs television sitcom, Open House , where she played a very quirky receptionist named Margo Van Meter. Although the show only lasted one season, it showed L.A. what Ellen could do on screen. Next, she moved to play a role on These Friends of Mine , which was renamed Ellen after just one season .

Along with television shows, Ellen has also been a success on the silver screen. In the blockbuster animated film Finding Nemo , Ellen gained recognition as the voice behind a fish named Dory. Additionally, Ellen has earned credits for feature films including EDTV and Coneheads , among others.

Today, Ellen spends most of her time on the stage of her daily talk show, where she often leverages her fame for positive causes, such as gay rights, animal rights, and breast cancer. She lives in Los Angeles with her wife and still believes that laughter is the very best medicine.

(From left to right: Vance DeGeneres, Betty (their mom), and Ellen DeGeneres. Photo Credit: The Ellen DeGeneres Show )

When Ellen had completed her act on The Tonight Show starting Johnny Carson , he invited her to sit on his couch. It was at that moment that she earned the accomplishment and distinction of being the only female comic to be invited by Johnny to sit on his couch during her first visit. Since then, shes accomplished much more than that.

As The Ellen DeGeneres Show enters its ninth season, it can count a total of 35 Daytime Emmy awards in its eight seasons, as well as a Genesis Award, and a Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Award for Outstanding Talk Show Episode. In addition, Ellen herself has won 11 Peoples Choice Awards and three Teen Choice Awards.