Profile Text
de Rossi in 2015, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: Amanda Lee Rogers
Place of Birth: Horsham, Victoria, Australia
Date of Birth: 31 January, 1973
Ethnicity: English, some Cornish, possibly other
Portia de Rossi is an Australian and American actress, model, and philanthropist. Her roles include the series Ally McBeal and the films Scream 2 and Sirens .
Portia is the daughter of Margaret and Barry Rogers. She is married to American comedian, actress, and television personality Ellen DeGeneres . Her birth name is Amanda Lee Rogers. It does not appear that she has Italian ancestry. Portia has changed her legal name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres.
Of her name, she has said :
I picked Portia because I was a Shakespeare fan [Portia is the character in The Merchant of Venice who famously declaims, “The quality of mercy is not strain’d / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.”]. De Rossi because I was Australian and I thought that an exotic Italian name would somehow suit me more than Amanda Rogers. When you live in Australia, Europe is so far away and so fascinating, so stylish and cultured and sophisticated.
I picked Portia because I was a Shakespeare fan [Portia is the character in The Merchant of Venice who famously declaims, “The quality of mercy is not strain’d / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.”]. De Rossi because I was Australian and I thought that an exotic Italian name would somehow suit me more than Amanda Rogers. When you live in Australia, Europe is so far away and so fascinating, so stylish and cultured and sophisticated.
Portia’s paternal grandfather was Raymond Arthur James Rogers (the son of James Henry Rogers and Harriet Loveland). Raymond was born in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. James was born in Sandhurst, Frankston City, Victoria, the son of Alfred Rogers, who was born in Porkellis, Cornwall, England; and of Sarah Sutton. Portira’s great-grandmother Harriet was born in Sandhurst, to English-born parents, Henry Loveland, who was born in London; and Mary Ann Johns, who was born in Saint Allen, Cornwall.
Portia’s paternal grandmother was Dorothy Kathleen Taylor (the daughter of John Taylor and Caroline Priest).
Portia’s maternal grandfather’s surname was Manderson.
Sources: Genealogy of Portia de Rossi (focusing on her father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Portia’s paternal great-grandmother, Harriet Loveland (through her own brother) – https://www.findagrave.com