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Ellen Facts
History
Ellen Degeneres was born on January 26, 1958 at Ochsner Hospital in Metairie, Louisiana. She and her brother Vance, (who gathered some fame from his involvement with the Saturday Night Live character, Mr. Bill), were raised as Christian Scientists; but her parents divorced when Ellen was thirteen after which she no longer practiced the religion. Shortly after the divorce Ellen and her mom moved from the New Orleans area to Atlanta, Texas. Once Ellen graduated from high school, she moved back to New Orleans and attended almost one semester at the University of New Orleans. "I hated school...," Ellen has said, "I majored in communications, I think." Ellen decided the history of Greek theatre was not what she wanted to know; so she left the University and started working. She began doing clerical work in a law firm, where she was expected to dress up, but eventually started "wearing what I felt like wearing... and it wasn't dresses." She also held a job selling clothes, including dresses, at the chain-store the Merry-Go-Round. Other working experiences included a waitress (at two different restuarants), a house painter, a hostess, a bartender and an oyster shucker. Finally, Ellen realized she didn't want to "answer to a boss" and started to figure out what she really wanted to do.
When some of Ellen's freinds put together a show/party kind-of-thing, she was asked to do a comedy routine. She did an act and was soon asked to perform at coffeehouses and eventually became the emcee at Clyde's Comedy Club (the only comedy place in New Orleans at the time). After traveling around the country doing her comedy act she was noticed by HBO, which named her "Funniest Person In America" in 1982. Soon after this, Ellen was invited to perform on The Tonight Show, she became the first female comedian to be motioned to come over and chat with Carson after a comedy act. Her career took off and the rest is history.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you describe her humor?
DeGeneres has a way of telling stories that combine word assimilation with the bazarre; while she appears to have a naive and child-like goofy personality.
How do you pronounce her name?
The Ellen part is pretty basic. DeGeneres sounds similar to the word generous, just put an extra "duh" sound in there (e.g., duh-gen-er-es).
When did Ellen realize she has a gift for comedy?
"My parents divorced when I was thirteen. My mother was going through a hard time, and I would try to make her feel better. Then, moving around to different schools, I used it as a way to meet people. Instead of being the pretty girl people flocked to, I was the one who said something to make them pay attention." Ellen DeGeneres
What's the Phone Call To God?
This is one of DeGeneres' signature pieces. Back when Ellen was just starting out and doing standup acts in New Orleans, she drove past a horrible car accident on her way home. The next morning Degeneres was told her best friend had died in that very same accident. While living in a flea ridden apartment and still saddened over her friend's death, DeGeneres started contemplating...
"I'm laying on the floor, wide awake, thinking, 'Here's this beautiful girl, 23 years old, who's just gone.' So I started writing what it would be like to call this God and ask why fleas are here and this person is not. But my mind just kicked into what all of a sudden would happen if you actually picked up the phone and called God. How it would take forever, how it would ring for a long time because... it's a big place. And it was like something came through me. I remember writing it nonstop, not thinking what would happen next. And when I finished it, I read it and said: 'I'm going to do that on Johnny Carson one day and he's going to love it. And he's going to invite me to sit on the couch.' I knew it was more than funny, I knew it was a classic. And it saved me."
Ellen DeGeneres (taken from the The New York Times)
DeGeneres did do The Phone Call To God on The Tonight Show and she was invited to sit at the couch.
Has Ellen ever injured herself on her show?
Yes. Injuries include a nice sized bruise on her leg which ran up to her shin; which occured in a show with some American Gladiators who took their roles a little too serious. Ellen has also bruised a rib (from an episode which had her hanging from a fence). Finally, an episode which included a ballet scene caused Ellen to take a bit of a gash on her knee.
Commenting on her mishaps, DeGeneres has said, "Every week a different part of my body gets injured. They say I can get a stuntwoman, but I don't want to, it's too much fun. But I'm thirty-seven. Some weeks, just for my own well-being, I can't be doing that stuff." She's a die hard.
What awards has she won?
1)1982 Funniest Person in America-Title (not really an award) given to her, by HBO, for her standup routines
2)1991 American Comedy Awards-Best Female Comedy Club Standup
3)1995 People's Choice Award-Favorite Female in a New Television Series [Ellen]
4)1995 American Comedy Award-Given for her co-host performance on the 1994 Emmy Awards
Award Nominations
5)Screen Actor's Guild-Best Actress in a Television Series [Ellen]
6)American Comedy Awards-Best Actress in a Television Series [Ellen]
7)Emmy Award-Lead Actress in a Comedy Series [Ellen]
8)Golden Globe (twice)-Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series [Ellen]
9)Cable ACE Award-Nominated for her HBO one-woman show, One Night Stand-Command Performance
In what television series has she been featured?
Ellen DeGeneres has been in three different television series. In Open House (1989-90), Ellen played Margo Van Meter, "a [sex-crazed and] ditzy but loveable secretary in a real estate agency" (from New Orleans Magazine). In 1992, Ellen had a role as nurse Nancy MacIntyre on the show Laurie Hill, she describes her character as a woman who "carried a folder." Then in 1994, DeGeneres had her big break, the starring role as Ellen Morgan on These Friends of Mine, by the next season the show changed its title to Ellen and has gained a large audience.
DeGeneres has also done some commercials for Very Fine juices and has starred in her one-woman show, One Night Stand-Command Performance, on HBO; along with an appearance in On Location: Women of the Night (1987), also an HBO production. Ellen has also played a therapist in a Roseanne (1995) episode; as she helped characters Jackie and Fred with their relationship woes. For the kiddies, DeGeneres made an appearance on an episode of Storytime (1994), a PBS production, where she read a children's book called "The Last Time I Saw Harris."
Is Ellen DeGeneres just like her television character, Ellen Morgan?
DeGeneres, like the character Ellen Morgan, does have that desperate need to please, but Ellen Morgan, DeGeneres has said, "is way far gone. She doesn't work as hard as I do. She's never working. And she owns a bookstore." So, as you can guess, there are few similarities.
Does she own any pets?
DeGeneres has two dogs, Bootsie, a Labrador retriever and Muffin, which she got at an animal shelter. Muffin is a bit of a mix, she's possibly part cocker spaniel and part terrier. While she currently owns dogs, DeGeneres has actually owned cats most of her life and considers herself more of a cat, than dog, lover.
Still, DeGeneres is an all around animal lover. Once, on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, she told a story of one of her animal rescue attemps; as she will often pick up strays and bring them to the animal shelter. Apparently she saw a stray dog while driving her car. She stopped the car and started whistling, clapping, even trying "that kissing noise" to get the dog to jump into her car. Everyone was staring at her as though she were crazy, but she continued to try and get the dog to come to her. Finally, she realized the dog wasn't a dog at all, infact it was a coyote... She stopped trying to get it into her car.
Who are some of her real-life friends?
DeGeneres has befriended singer/songwriter, Melissa Etheridge. They met in a hardware store parking lot, Etheridge had just bought some speaker wire for a party she was planning and DeGeneres, who has said she never does this, introduced herself. Ellen had heard a Melissa Etheridge song on the radio and felt as though this was someone she really wanted to meet. DeGeneres wasn't invited to the party, but the two have since become pals.
Other friends include Kathy Najimy of the movie, Sister Act. Najimy did a guest appearence on Ellen, the two "clicked" and became friends. Ellen has also become buddies with actress Jamie Lee Curtis. They met "doing the Disney Exhibit for Epcot." Ellen is also good friends with (and this is how cool Ellen is) her mom.
Is Ellen DeGeneres a lesbian?
Yep.
What are the lyrics to the theme song from Ellen?
"You know I'm close,
I'll always keep my promises.
I'll always listen when you talk to me,
And I'll always hear you. Yeah"
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