Ellen DeGeneres was born on January the 26th 1958 to Betty Jane DeGeneres and Elliot DeGeneres. Her mother was a speech therapist while her father was an insurance agent. Their family is of English, German, French and Irish descent. She has a musician/producer brother, Vance DeGeneres. Their parents were divorced in 1974. Ellen and her brother were raised in Metairie, Louisiana and were both raised Christian Scientists.

Ellen DeGeneres spent her first years of high school at Grace King High School, but completed her high school education at Atlanta High School and graduated in May 1967. She continued her studies and moved back to New Orleans to major in communication studies at the University of New Orleans. She then left school with her cousin Laura Gillen after one semester to work in a law firm doing clerical work.

Ellen DeGeneres’ work experiences include being a house painter, waitressing at TGI Fridays, a bartender and a hostess. She draws from these experiences and they often end up as materials in her stand-up comedy work when she began making rounds in small clubs and coffee houses in the early 1980s. By 1982, Ellen DeGeneres has made a name for herself with Showtime even naming her “The Funniest Person in America.” In 1986, she appeared and performed on the “Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.”

Ellen later was cast on the short-lived TV sitcom “Open House” which ran from 1990 to 1993. From 1994 to 1998, DeGeneres starred in the ABC sitcom “Ellen,” the show in which she came clean about her homosexuality. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Ellen DeGeneres hosted the Emmy Awards. In 2005, she again hosted the Emmys just three after Hurricane Katrina hit, making her the only host to ever lead the ceremonies right after two national tragedies.

Aside from stand-up comedy tours and TV shows, Ellen DeGeneres also appeared in several films, including “Coneheads” and her memorable role as Dory the forgetful fish in “Finding Nemo.” In 2003, she launched her own talk show called “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which earned 25 Emmy Awards for its first three seasons alone. On February 9, 2010, Ellen joined and replaced former judge Paula Abdul on the hit talent search show “American Idol.”

DeGeneres was in a relationship with actress Anne Heche from 1997 to 2000. Ellen then met director, actress & photographer Alexandra Hedison, who she dated from 2001 to 2004. On August 16, 2008, Ellen DeGeneres and “Arrested Development” star Portia de Rossi married in California, after dating for four years.