Ellen DeGeneres (born
January 26,
1958) is a popular
American actress and stand-up comedian. She is known for her successful
1990s sitcom, "Ellen". The show was hugely popular for its first few seasons, even though DeGeneres was a known
lesbian. It caused controversy, however, which would eventually lead to declining ratings for the show, in
1996, when DeGeneres' sitcom character came out of the closet, confirming that she was a lesbian as well. In spite of the controversy, or maybe because of it, the outing episode was one of the highest-rated episodes of the show, before or after.
DeGeneres was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
DeGeneres' films have included: