ROSIE O'DONNELL Biography - Other artists & entretainers

 
 

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ROSIE O'DONNELL

Name: Roseann O'Donnell                                                               
Born: 21 March 1962 Bayside, Queens, New York, United States                         
                                                                                     
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an eleven-time Emmy Award-winning 
American comedian, television talk show host, author, and film, television, and       
stage actress. She has also been magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity     
blogger, LGBT civil rights activist, television producer and collaborative           
partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family Vacations.                       
                                                                                     
Raised Irish Catholic, O'Donnell lost her mother to cancer as a pre-teen and         
has consistently stressed values of protecting children and supporting families       
throughout her career. O'Donnell started her comedy career while still a             
teenager and her big break was on the talent show Star Search. A TV sitcom and a     
series of movies introduced the comic to a wider audience and in 1996 she             
started hosting The Rosie O'Donnell Show which won multiple Emmy awards.             
                                                                                     
During her years on The Rosie O'Donnell Show she wrote her first book, a memoir       
called Find Me and developed a reputation for being "the queen of nice" as well       
as a reputation for charitable philanthropy. She used the book's $3 million           
advance to establish her own For All Kids foundation and promoted numerous other     
charity schemes and projects encouraging other celebrities on her show to also       
take part. O'Donnell came out officially as a "dyke" two months before finishing     
her talk show run, she cited her primary reason was to bring attention to gay         
adoption issues. O'Donnell is a foster and adoptive mother. She has since             
continued to support many LGBT causes and issues.                                     
                                                                                     
In 2006 O'Donnell became the new moderator on The View boosting ratings and           
attracting controversies with her more liberal views and strong personality           
arguably dominating many of the conversations. She became a polarizing figure to     
many conservatives and her strong opinions resulted in several notable               
controversies including an on-air dispute regarding The Bush administration's         
policies with the war in Iraq resulting in her pre-maturely ending her contract.     
In 2007 O'Donnell also released her second memoir, Celebrity Detox, which             
focuses on her struggles with fame and her time at The View. She continues to do     
charity work and remains focused on LGBT and family-related issues.