There is something very engaging about a beautiful woman with great comic chops. She was born Amanda Rogers in Geelong Australia. When she was just a 15 years old lesbian, she reinvented herself as Portia de Rossi, choosing the name from her love of Shakespeare & all things Italian. She was cast in the Australian film- Sirens, & then it was off to Hollywood. I first took note of her funny work as lawyer-Nell Porter on Ally McBeal..She was slyly hilarious in the much missed Arrested Development, & is the comic glue on the underrated Better Off Ted.
She feared she would jeopardize her career if she came out of the closet. When she finally did come out of the closet, many people didn't believe she was gay. She told the Advocate, "I had a hell of a time convincing people I was gay…which was so annoying! First of all, you live with the fear people might find out. Then you actually have the courage to tell people and they go, 'I don't think you are gay.'"
Besides being beautiful & funny, she was able to grab the attention of some woman named Ellen. Portia says when she first saw Ellen, she took her breath away. "That had never happened to me in my life, where I saw somebody & experienced all of those things you hear about in songs & read about in poetry. My knees were weak." Portia left Countess Francesca McKnight Donatella Romana Gregorini di Savignano di Romagna (Ringo Starr’s step-daughter) to be with & eventually marry Ellen DeGeneres (who had a birthday earlier this week). They were married in August 2008 in a small ceremony attended by family & a few close friends. They live in LA with their dogs.
Here is a very, very funny out-takes reel from Better Off Ted:
''I didn't really have a plan. My point is, by the time I was your age, I thought I knew who I was. But I had no idea. Like for example, when I was your age, I was dating men.... So, what I'm saying is, when you're older, most of you will be gay! .... The way I ended up on this path, was from a very tragic event. I was, maybe, 19, & my girlfriend at the time died in a car accident. & I passed the accident, & I didn't know it was her, & I kept going.... I started this path of stand-up, & it was successful, & it was great but it was hard because I was trying to please everybody, & I had this secret that I was keeping that I was gay. & I thought that if people found out they wouldn't like me, they wouldn't laugh at me.... Really, when I look back on it, I wouldn't change a thing. I mean, it was so important for me to lose everything because I found out what the most important thing was it to be true to yourself.''
Parts of a commencement speech delivered by Ellen Degeneres at Tulane University, in her hometown of New Orleans
13 years ago… Ellen DeGeneres was on a fast track with a popular sitcom, club appearances, dipping her toes into feature films, & then came the Oprah confession (Winfrey would go on to play her therapist when Ellen came out herself in an episode of her own show), & the public was drawn to the drama of a Hollywood celebrity coming out, a revelation that was not as common or acceptable then as it is now, especially for a woman Ellen's coming out ignited a storm of controversy, prompting ABC to place a parental advisory at the beginning of each episode of the show & then show took a dive in the ratings, & was cancelled in 1998. Pop culture pundits suggested that her public coming out, her heartfelt admission of her homosexuality on The Oprah Winfrey Show, had killed her career.
Ellen returned to standup &, in 2001, rebounded in prime time with The Ellen Show, a sitcom where she portrayed a lesbian. The show lasted only a year, & many dismissed it a nice try but conservative middle America just wasn't ready for a loud & proud lesbian TV star. But, times did start to change, & sexuality became somewhat less of an issue in Show Biz, although Adam Lambert could suggest there's work still to be done.
In 2003,with the closet door wide open door, Ellen stepped out as the host of crisp new daytime talk show. The EllenDeGeneres Show is not only a ratings winner but it has turned the comedienne into a beloved mainstream star.
Part of the show's appeal, of course, is that Ellen does not apologize or shy away from her sexuality, joking about & sharing details about her life with wife- Portia de Rossi, whom she legally married in a ceremony at their Beverly Hills home in 2008.
As an interviewer, she is sweet & naturally funny, a perfect host who just happens to be a lesbian. Middle America, to my surprise, embraced her uniqueness & today, Ellen has a bunch of Emmys, & represents American Express & Cover Girl in commercial campaigns. She hosted the Oscars, the 1st openly gay person to do so.
Which may be why the announcement that Paula Abdul was leaving the judging panel of American Idol was ultimately less newsworthy, or interesting, than the show's decision to replace her with Ellen DeGeneres. America’s top rated show will feature an openly gay person… & there seems to be to be little protest or ripples of anxiety in the industry.
I have always found her to be funny & original, & think that she is a true hero to gay people. She looks smashingly good on her 52nd birthday! I guess lots of money, a hit show, awards, a personal trainer & a beautiful spouse is the secret to looking good after 50.
