American actress and popular TV presenter Ellen Degeneres was born on January 26, 1958 in a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana. Parents Elliot and Betty Degeneres raised the girl in the tradition of the Church of Scientology until the age of thirteen.
Family disorder
Ellen was barely sixteen years old when quarrels and mutual reproaches began in the family. It all ended in divorce. Mother and daughter moved to Atlanta, where Betty remarried. Ellen Degeneres, after graduating from high school, returned to her native place and applied to the University of New Orleans for the department of "public relations".
She was not interested in studying, and the girl left the university. To earn a living, Ellen got a job in the office department of a large law firm. However, this kind of activity quickly bored her. In the end, the artistic nature of Ellen Degeneres prevailed, and the future actress began to act as a stand-up comedian in various clubs and restaurants.
Thanks to her natural talent, the girl quickly moved forward, she was noticed by the bosses of entertainment television. Ellen got the opportunity to tour America.
In 1986 she began to participate in the "Johnny Carson Show", which at that time was considered the highest achievement. Ellen Degeneres became the first woman in the history of comic art to rise so high.
Ellen DeGeneres Show
The success of the actress allowed her to open her own show called "Ellen", which lasted from 1984 to 1998. The project reached its highest popularity in 1997, when DeGeneres publicly admitted her lesbian orientation. This piquant circumstance was beaten by the actress in the short play-sketch “Psychoanalysis”. The performance marked the beginning of a series of similar stories. The role of a psychoanalyst was played by Oprah Winfrey, a well-known television presenter.
Since the theme of the performances was not fueled by anything new for several months, ratings began to decline and, in the end, the show had to be closed. In 2001, DeGeneres opened the sitcom “The Ellen Show”, in which the theme of lesbian love was still played out, but it was no longer central. The new program was not successful and it was also soon canceled.
On November 4, 2001, Ellen Degeneres acted as host of the Emmy Awards. The solemn part was postponed twice due to the tragic events of September 11, which claimed thousands of lives of innocent people. Then it was decided to hold the presentation ceremony nevertheless, and Ellen DeGeneres did it brilliantly.
The actress applauded while standing during her performance - in wit that day she surpassed herself. After the enchanting success of the actress at the Emmy 2001 ceremony, she began to prepare a new program, the sitcom Ellen DeGeneres Show, which launched in the fall of 2003.
The first season brought eleven Emmy nominations at once, four of which were received by the actress. The next two seasons were also successful. Ellen and her sitcom continued their triumphal procession until 2006.
Bush, Clinton and Ellen
Talein University in New Orleans has invited US President George W. Bush and former President Bill Clinton to graduate. Following them, Degeneres quietly appeared in the background in a bathrobe and slippers. The fact is that in English the mantle of academics and the phrase “bathrobe” are consonant. Both presidents were quite surprised when homeric laughter rose with their appearance on the scene.
"Oscar"
In 2006, DeGeneres was chosen as the host of the next 79th Academy Awards, scheduled for February 2007. Ellen was the first presenter, not hiding her unconventional orientation. For this performance, the actress was nominated for an Emmy Award.
Filmography
During her career, the actress starred in eighteen films. Ellen Degeneres, films with the participation of which left no trace in American cinema, never sought to become a movie star. “Everyone is filming, and I starred,” she said.
Personal life
Since the actress does not hide the lesbian inclinations, everyone knows her love affairs. In the period from 1997 to 2000, Ellen met with Anne Heche, the star of the series “Another World”.
In 2001, Degeneres began a relationship with actress Hadison Alexandra, which lasted for almost three years. The friends did not follow the chronology, and after their separation, joint photos appeared in many publications. Thanks to this oversight, the public for a long time believed that the couple were inseparable.
Since 2004, Ellen has been in a relationship with Porsche de Rossi, the star of television series. In 2008, the couple registered a marriage, gathering about twenty guests for the celebration. Ellen Degeneres, whose children have not yet been born, but instead of them the star has a favorite poodle Argo and cat Barbara, so Ellen is quite happy.