American stand-up comedienne, actress and television host Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born on January 26, 1958. She is the daughter of Elizabeth Jane DeGeneres and Elliott Everett DeGeneres, a speech therapist and an insurance agent. She has a brother named Vance who is now a musician and producer. Ellen has a French, English, German and Irish ancestry. As for the famous host’s religion, she was raised as a Christian Scientist until she was thirteen years old.
DeGeneres parents divorced and her mother remarried Roy Gruessendorf, a salesman. His brother stayed with his birth father and Ellen and her mother moved with Gruessendorf to Atlanta, Texas. She graduated from Atlanta high School in 1976 abs moved back to New Orleans and studied major in communication studies at the University of New Orleans.
DeGeneres stopped college after a semester to work as a secretary in a law firm. She also did other jobs such being a saleslady at the Lakeside Shopping Center, waitress, hostess, housepainter and bartender. She turned to stand up comedy at small clubs and coffeehouses. She cited Steve martin and Woody Allen as her main influences during 1980s.
She began to tour nationally named as Showtime’s Funniest Person in America in 1982. She appeared in Tonight Show with Johnny Carson who introduced her to Bob Newhart. Soon Ellen receive small roles on the television series Open House and film Coneheads.
She starred in Ellen’s Energy Adventure on 1996 , a film and pavilion at Walt Disney World’s Epcot. She co-worked with Bill Nye, Alex Trebek, Micheal Richards and Jamie Lee Curtis. Soon she had her own television sitcom from 1994 to 1998, the show was entitled “Ellen”. The sitcom was popular for few seasons due to the host’s observational humor.
She received her popularity when she revealed her homosexual gender at the Oprah Winfrey Show, she revealed that she is gay. The episode received the highest rating amongst her series. However, the ratings decline and her show was canceled. After that she returned to work as a standup comedian.
She returned to TV series in 2001 with The Ellen Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2003. The latter show achieved critical appraise as she guests different Hollywood celebrities. The show made her won 25 Emmy Awards in its first three seasons. She gives away free prizes and trips for her studio audience on her show with the help of her sponsors.
DeGeneres celebrated her Atlanta High School by flying her classmates to California and guest them on her 2006 show. She gave her Alma Mater an electronic LED marquee sign gift. In 2007, she was placed to bed rest due to a torn alignment in her back. She continued her show from a hospital bed and her guest sat in hospital beds as well.
DeGeneres replaced Paula Abdul as a judge in the American Idol season nine. She made her American Idol debut on February 9, 2010 and reports say that she will be one of the judge of the show for five seasons. However, she dropped out of the show after a season saying that being a judge on the show is not the right fit for her.
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