Rosie O'Donnell
About
Biography
Filmography
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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 the President of the United States to the government of the Bahamas, O'Donnell let the fur fly, speaking her mind as she had always done - only this time, without the restrictions of her talk show persona. Fans delighted when O'Donnell returned to daytime television on "The View" (ABC, 1997- ) in 2006, resulting in skyrocketing ratings immediately upon her arrival. After a single, stormy season on "The View" - encompassing an escalating war of words with media-loving tycoon Donald Trump, and culminating with an on-air dust up with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck - O'Donnell departed the show abruptly in April of 2007. In the years following her exit from "The View," O'Donnell published a tell-all memoir Celebrity Detox, continued her popular video blog, "JaHeRo" on her rosie.com website, and hosted "Rosie Radio" on Sirius XM satellite radio. Unceasingly passionate, always opinionated, and frequently controversial, O'Donnell never failed to both inspire and irritate the public at large.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Special Thanks (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Writer (Special)
Producer (Special)
Music (Special)
Special Thanks (Special)
Misc. Crew (Special)
Life Events
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
Starred on the short-lived Fox sitcom "Stand By Your Man"
1992
Made feature acting debut in Penny Marshall's "A League of Their Own"
1993
Joined Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez for the sequel "Another Stakeout"
1993
Played Meg Ryan's best buddy in "Sleepless in Seattle"
1994
Offered a bright performance in Garry Marshall's "Exit to Eden" as half of a team of undercover cops
1994
Made Broadway debut as Rizzo in a revival of the musical "Grease"
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 <i>McCall's</i> magazine; retitled it <i>Rosie</i> 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 <i>Find Me</i>
2002
Resigned from daytime television and returned to doing stand-up
2002
Severed her connection with Gruner & Jahr USA Publishing and resigned from the <i>Rosie</i> Magazine
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
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"
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
Announced as the replacement for Meredith Viera on "The View" (ABC)
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 <i>Celebrity Detox</i>
2009
Hosted a daily radio show for Sirius XM Radio in the fall
2009
Guest starred on the Lifetime series "Drop Dead Diva"
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
2014
Left the show "The View" for the second time
2014
Played Rita Hendricks on "The Fosters"
2016
Played a gym teacher on "Hairspray Live!"
2017
Began playing Tutu on "SMILF"
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