Biography
Outspoken comedienne Rosie O'Donnell first made a name for herself with her Long Island-accented stand-up and later as the affable star of films and, most notably, her popular daytime television talk show, "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" (1996-2002). Just before leaving her cushy TV gig, the comic came out of the closet, revealing both her homosexuality and a whole other side to her "Queen of Nice" personality. Taking on everything from the NRA to …
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Career Milestones
| Made her stage debut as Glinda the Good Witch in a second grade production of "The Wizard of Oz" | ||
1978 | Made professional debut as comedian at the local Ground Round restaurant's open-mike night at age 16 | |
1984 | Made TV debut on the syndicated series "Star Search"; won the comedy competition five times by decade's end | |
1986 | Made TV series debut as Nell Carter's dental-hygenist neighbor on "Gimme a Break" (NBC) | |
1988 | Produced and hosted VH1's half-hour series "Stand Up Spotlight" | |
1992 | Made feature acting debut in Penny Marshall's "A League of Their Own" | |
1992 | Starred on the short-lived Fox sitcom "Stand By Your Man" | |
1993 | Joined Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez for the sequel "Another Stakeout" | |
1993 | Played Meg Ryan's best buddy in "Sleepless in Seattle" | |
1994 | Made Broadway debut as Rizzo in a revival of the musical "Grease" | |
1994 | Offered a bright performance in Garry Marshall's "Exit to Eden" as half of a team of undercover cops | |
1994 | Played Betty Rubble in the live-action feature version of "The Flintstones" | |
1996 | Delivered memorable role in Ted Demme's "Beautiful Girls" | |
1996 | Hosted the daily syndicated talk show "The Rosie O'Donnell Show"; also served as executive producer | |
1997 | Served as host for the annual Tony Awards telecast on CBS for two consecutive years | |
1998 | Portrayed a baseball-loving nun in M. Night Shyamalan's "Wide Awake" | |
1999 | Hosted "The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards" | |
1999 | Supplied the voice of Terkoz for Disney's animated "Tarzan" | |
2000 | Became the editorial director of McCall's magazine; retitled it Rosie in 2001; ceased publication at the end of 2002 | |
2001 | Assumed role of the Cat in the Hat in the Broadway musical "Seussical" while originator David Shiner was on vacation | |
2001 | Narrated the Oscar-nominated documentary "Artists and Orphans: A True Drama" | |
2002 | Played a lesbian on an episode of "Will & Grace" (NBC) only a month before she officially 'came out' | |
2002 | Published her memoir Find Me | |
2002 | Resigned from daytime television and returned to doing stand-up | |
2002 | Severed her connection with Gruner & Jahr USA Publishing and resigned from the Rosie Magazine | |
2005 | Cast in the role of Golde, the wife of Harvey Fierstein's 'Tevye the milkman' in the Broadway revival of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" | |
2005 | Co-starred as a developmentally disabled woman opposite Andie MacDowell in the CBS movie "Riding the Bus With My Sister"; directed by Anjelica Huston | |
2006 | Announced as the replacement for Meredith Viera on "The View" (ABC) | |
2006 | Helmed the documentary film "Aboard: Rosie's Family Cruise," about R. Family Vacations, the gay cruise that was started by O'Donnell and her partner (aired on HBO) | |
2006 | Returned to daytime TV as co-host of "The View" (ABC); left the show in 2007 and was replaced by Whoopi Goldberg | |
2007 | Released her second memoir Celebrity Detox | |
2009 | Guest starred on the Lifetime series "Drop Dead Diva" | |
2009 | Hosted a daily radio show for Sirius XM Radio in the fall | |
2010 | Announced return to television with her talk show "The Rosie Show" on Oprah Winfrey's eponymous cable network OWN; premiered in 2011 and cancelled after five-month run in March 2012 due to low ratings | |
Awards
1993 | MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance in A League of Their Own |
1995 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance In a Variety or Music Program in Rosie O'Donnell |
1996 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in The Larry Sanders Show |
1999 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program in Rosie O'Donnell's Kids Are Punny |
2006 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Special in All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise |