DeGeneres, a former stand-up comedian who was born on January 26, 1958,
became part of the ensemble cast of the ABC series “These Friends of Mine” in
1994. She soon emerged as the undisputed star of the show, which landed in the
top 20 best-rated programmes for the 1994-95 seasons. It would return in 1995,
after being renamed “Ellen.”
With her sitcom success, DeGeneres seemed to be following in the
footsteps of stand-up comics such as Tim Allen and Jerry Seinfeld. Like them,
DeGeneres soon published a bestselling memoir, “My Point – And I Do Have One”
in 1995.
In the fall of 1996, word leaked out that the character of Ellen Morgan,
a bookstore manager, might acknowledge that she was a lesbian, making Ellen the
first prime-time sitcom to feature a gay leading character. Over the next six
months, ABC relentlessly encouraged the hype, with DeGeneres herself fueling the
fire by joking in television interviews that her character was “Lebanese” and
resisting attempts to clarify her own sexuality. A week before the episode
aired, DeGeneres made a well-publicised “coming out” of her own, appearing on
the cover of TIME magazine under the headline “Yep, I’m Gay.”
An estimated 42 million viewers watched April 30th’s special hour-long
episode, which featured cameo appearances by Laura Dern (as the woman Ellen
falls for), Oprah Winfrey (as the therapist to whom she makes her revelation), Demi
Moore, Billy Bob Thornton and Dwight Yoakam.
Later episodes of Ellen failed to hold audiences, however, and by the
end of the 1997 season the show was canceled due to low ratings. DeGeneres went
on to star in the short-lived CBS sitcom “The Ellen Show” and provided the
voice for a lead character in the acclaimed 2003 animated blockbuster “Finding
Nemo.” In September 2003, she launched a
syndicated talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which won four “Daytime Emmy
Awards” in its first season. From 2004
to 2008, DeGeneres picked up four straight “Daytime Emmy Awards” for “Best Talk
Show Host.” She has also served as a host for both the Emmy Awards and the
Academy Awards.
In addition to her thriving career, DeGeneres has also made headlines
for her love life, including a well-publicised relationship with the actress
Anne Heche, who later broke up with DeGeneres and married a man. In May 2008,
shortly after the California Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex
marriage, DeGeneres announced she would marry her longtime girlfriend, the
actress Portia De Rossi. The two were wed at their Beverly Hills home on August
16 of that same year.
In November 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named her a “Special
Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness.”
DeGeneres is an ethical vegan who calls herself a "big animal lover.”
The talk show host currently
co-ordinates a vegan outreach website titled “Going Vegan with Ellen” and has
opened a vegan tapas bar, “Bokado,” in Los Angeles.
Weight
for me tomorrow. Paul
Paul Lambis is the author of “Where is Home?” – A journey of hilarious contrasts.
For more information on Paul Lambis, and to order his book oline,
visit www.paul-lambis.com
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