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DeGeneres in 2011, Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Ellen Lee DeGeneres
Place of Birth: Metairie, Louisiana, U.S.
Date of Birth: January 26, 1958
Ethnicity: Cajun/French, English, Irish, German, distant Dutch and Swiss-German
Ellen DeGeneres is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She was the host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2003 to 2022; which she also created and wrote for. She also presented the game show Ellen’s Game of Games , from 2017 to 2021, and reality competition show Ellen’s Next Great Designer , in 2021. Her acting roles include the films Coneheads , Mr. Wrong , Goodbye Lover , Dr. Dolittle (1998), EDtv , The Love Letter (1999), as Dory in Finding Nemo and its sequel Finding Dory ; Pauly Shore Is Dead , Justin Bieber’s Believe (2013), Taylor Swift: The 1989 World Tour Live , and Unity (2015); the made-for-tv movie If These Walls Could Talk 2 ; the shows Open House , One Night Stand , Laurie Hill , Ellen , which she also wrote for; The Larry Sanders Show , The Ellen Show , which she co-created; and The Big Bang Theory ; the video games 9: The Last Resort , Finding Nemo , and Disney Infinity 3.0 ; and the music videos for “A Change Would Do You Good,” “Girls Like You,” and “You Need to Calm Down.” She also co-created variety shows Bethenny and Little Big Shots , sitcom One Big Happy ; and game show Family Game Fight!
Ellen is the daughter of Elizabeth Jane “Betty” (Pfeffer), a speech therapist, and Elliott Everett DeGeneres, an insurance agent. Her surname, DeGeneres, is of French origin, and her ancestry includes Cajun/French, English, Irish, German, and distant Dutch and Swiss-German. Ellen is married to Australian actress Portia de Rossi .
Ellen’s patrilineal line can be traced to Jean Baptiste DeGeneres, who was born, c. 1691, in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France. Jean Baptiste immigrated to Haiti.
Ellen’s paternal grandfather was Elliott/Elliot Everett DeGeneres (the son of Alfred George DeGeneres and Julia E. Bellieu/Billiu). Elliott was born in Mississippi. Alfred was born in New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Joseph C. DeGeneres and Mary Whittemore. Julia was the daughter of John Sargent Billiu and Mary Frances Williams.
Ellen’s paternal grandmother was Ruth Elodie Martin (the daughter of Emile “Lee” Paul Martin and Jane “Jennie”/”Jeannie” G. Dickson). Ruth was born in Louisiana. Emile was the son of Pierre Numa Martin and Marguerite Elodie Bossie.
Ellen’s maternal grandfather was William Dick Pfeffer (the son of William Pfeffer and Pauline Schunke). Ellen’s grandfather William was born in Texas. Ellen’s great-grandfather William was born in New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Phillip Pfeffer and Augusta Eliesa W. Koch, who were born in Germany. Ellen’s great-grandmother Pauline was born in Texas, the daughter of German parents, William Schunke and Emelia Becker.
Ellen’s maternal grandmother was Mildred Morrill (the daughter of George Morrill and Mary Helen McArdle). Mildred was born in Louisiana, and was of Irish or significantly Irish ancestry. George was the son of Charles Morrill and Mary Fox. Mary Helen was the daughter of James Philip McArdle and Helen McBreen.
Sources: http://www.canada.com
Genealogies of Ellen DeGeneres – http://www.geni.com https://www.wikitree.com
Genealogy of Ellen DeGeneres (focusing on her father’s side) – http://www.famouskin.com
Lisa Kudrow discusses Ellen’s family tree – https://www.youtube.com