Ellen DeGeneres

A beloved television icon and entertainment pioneer, Ellen DeGeneres's distinctive comic voice has resonated with audiences from her first stand-up comedy appearances through her work today on television, in film, and in the literary world.

DeGeneres has made a home for herself in the daytime arena with her popular syndicated talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The show debuted in September 2003 to great success and has won a total of 31 Daytime Emmy Awards, including nine Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show and Outstanding Talk Show Host. Additionally, DeGeneres won three People's Choice Awards for Favorite Daytime Talk Show Host, Favorite Yes I Chose This Star, and Favorite Funny Female Star.

DeGeneres hosted the 79th Annual Academy Awards in 2007 and starred in the national "My Life. My Card." campaign for American Express.

In 2004, DeGeneres scored a rare coup with simultaneous achievements on stage, in film, and in the literary world. She enjoyed unprecedented popular and critical response to her character "Dory," the fish with extreme short term memory, in the blockbuster animated feature film Finding Nemo, and was nominated for a 2004 MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance for her work in the film.

Prior to that, DeGeneres crossed the country on a 35-city stand-up comedy tour, entitled the "Here and Now" tour. The series of shows included a performance taped at the famed Beacon Theater in New York, and became HBO's highest rated comedy special in years.

Later that year, DeGeneres's second book, The Funny Thing Is..., comprised of the author's comedic short stories and essays, hit the New York Times Bestseller List upon its release. In 2005, DeGeneres was nominated for a Grammy Award for the audio version of the book. Her latest book, Seriously... I'm Kidding, is due for publication in fall 2011.

DeGeneres made a name for herself on the small screen with her hit show Ellen. Running from 1994 to 1998, the sitcom received numerous accolades including: The People's Choice Award, two Golden Globe nominations, two Screen Actors Guild nominations, and Emmy nominations for Best Actress. In 1997, DeGeneres was the recipient of the coveted Peabody Award; additionally, she was awared an Emmy for writing the critically acclaimed "The Puppy Episode," which marked her character's coming out as a lesbian to a record 46 million viewers.

Other television credits include executive producing and starring with Sharon Stone in the Emmy-nominated If These Walls Could Talk II for HBO, a guest appearance on The Larry Sanders Show, for which she received an Emmy nomination, and her debut as an American Idol judge in 2010.

In 2005, DeGeneres hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards for the third time. Under her stewardship, the telecast enjoyed a five million viewer increase over the previous year. Her previous performance hosting the 2001 awards show garnered her rave reviews for providing a perfect balance of wit with heartfelt emotion to the post-9/11 telecast audience. Her inaugural efforts hosting the award show in 1994 won her an American Comedy Award.

In addition to her stints hosting the Primetime Emmys, DeGeneres has also hosted industry events including the 38th and 39th Annual Grammy Awards, for which she earned an Emmy nomination, the VH1 Honors that garnered a Cable Ace Award, VH-1 Divas Las Vegas, and The Saturday Night Live Christmas Special.

Since September 2008, DeGeneres has worked as a commercial spokesperson with Cover Girl Cosmetics; since January 2009, her face has been the focus of new Cover Girl ads. In May 26, 2010, she announced she was starting her own record label entitled "eleveneleven." The acts thus far signed to the label are Greyson Chance, Tom Andrews, and Jessica Simpson.

Beginning with her 1982 nationally recognized breakout as a comedian in New Orleans, DeGeneres and her many contributions to the entertainment industry have earned her numerous accolades including a Golden Apple Award as Female Discovery of the Year from the Hollywood Women's Press Club, a Lucy Award honoring women in Television and Film, and an Amnesty International Award.