Ellen Degeneres: Latest news, bio & photos

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Ellen DeGeneres: Snapshot

Name Ellen DeGeneres
Date of Birth January 26, 1958
Birth Place Metairie, Louisiana, USA
Birth Name Ellen Lee DeGeneres
Height 5' 8" (1.73 m)

After one semester of university, DeGeneres left school to do clerical work in a law firm. Other working experiences included being a waitress at TGI Friday's, a clothing sales assistant, a house painter, a hostess, and a bartender. She relates much of her childhood and career experiences in her comedic work.

DeGeneres started performing stand-up comedy at small clubs and coffeehouses. DeGeneres' comedy material became the basis of the successful 1994-1998 sitcom Ellen, named These Friends of Mine during its first season.

Ellen reached its height of popularity in February 1997, when DeGeneres made her homosexuality public on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

DeGeneres launched a daytime television talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show in September 2003. The show has won 25 Emmy Awards in its first three seasons on the air.

DeGeneres has hosted many awards shows, including the Emmys (2001 & 2005), the Grammys (1996 & 1997) and the Academy Awards (2006).

Ellen is vegan, she says she made this choice because she learnt about factory farming and cruelty to animals, and realised "that what was on my plate were living things, with feelings".