Ellen DeGeneres

Joined the ninth season of FOX's "American Idol" as the fourth judge, replacing Paula Abdul

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" earned 12 Daytime Emmy nominations

Hosted the 79th Annual Academy Awards ceremony (aired in February); earned an Emmy nomination for Best Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program

Hosted the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards

Guest role on the HBO series "Six Feet Under"

Received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album for "The Funny Thing is..."

Hosted own TV show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (ABC)

Voiced the absent-minded fish Dory in the animated hit feature "Finding Nemo"

Hosted the annual telecast of the Emmy Awards; received Emmy nomination

Made long-awaited return to sitcoms as star and executive producer of "The Ellen Show" (CBS)

Co-starred (also produced) with Sharon Stone as a lesbian couple trying to have a child in the Anne Heche-directed segment of "If These Walls Could Talk 2" (HBO); as producer was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Made for TV-Movie

Headlined the HBO comedy special "Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning"; also served as executive producer and writer; garnered Emmy nominations for Outstanding Individual Performance in Variety and for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special

Co-starred as Kate Capshaw's best friend in "The Love Letter"

Had featured role as a TV programmer in "EdTV"; garnered unintentional laughs when her character proclaims "I know what women want"

Acted in Roland Joffe's "Goodbye, Lover"; co-starring Don Johnson, Dermot Mulroney and Mary-Louise Parker (released theatrically in 1999)

Earned Emmy nomination for playing herself in an episode of the HBO comedy series "The Larry Sanders Show"

Publicly revealed that she is a lesbian just prior to having her TV character come out (April)

First leading role in films, "Mr. Wrong"

Hosted the annual telecast of the Grammy Awards; received Emmy nomination

Starred in the ensemble sitcom, "These Friends of Mine" (ABC)

Feature acting debut, "Coneheads"

Cast in the short-lived series "Laurie Hill" (ABC)

Feature debut, "Wise Cracks"

Starred in her own HBO comedy special

TV series debut, "Duet" (Fox)

Made first appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (NBC); allegedly the first female comic asked to the couch on her first show

TV debut on HBO's "The Young Comedians All-Star Reunion"

Named "Funniest Person in America" by Showtime, after a nationwide search

First stand-up appearance, in a New Orleans comedy club, consisted of eating Whopper, fries and a shake

Cast as a regular in the "Duet" spin-off series "Open House" (Fox)

Raised in New Orleans and Texas

Starred in the ABC sitcom "Ellen"; a retooled version of "These Friends of Mine"; earned four consecutive Emmy nominations as lead actress in a comedy series

Toured the country performing stand-up act