Last updated on: January 27, 2025

Portia de Rossi is one of the renowned Australian actresses, models, and philanthropists. The audience loved to see her performing on such renowned television serials as Ally McBeal and Arrested Development. To date, most of them know her due to being Ellen DeGeneres’ wife who is an established comedian and the host of different television programs. But it’s more to being Portia’s story; so, let’s go further exploring her life and career.

Quick Facts About Portia de Rossi

Full Name	Portia Lee James DeGeneres
Birthdate	January 31, 1973
Occupation	Actress, Model, Philanthropist
Husband/Wife	Ellen DeGeneres (married in 2008), Mel Metcalfe III (m. 1996–1999)
Education	University of Melbourne (studied law)
Age Height	51 years and 11 months old 1.73 m
Parents	Father: Barry Rogers, Mother: Margaret Rogers
Siblings	Two siblings: a brother (Michael Rogers), and a sister
Children	None (Portia and Ellen have no children)
Net Worth	Estimated at $50 million (as of 2025)

Early Life and Education

Portia de Rossi was born Amanda Lee Rogers on January 31, 1973, in Horsham, Victoria, Australia. Amanda grew up in the town of Geelong in Victoria. When she was young, she began modeling. She changed her name to Portia de Rossi when she was 15, because it was the name of a character from Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice, and she liked the Italian surname.

Portia went to the University of Melbourne, where she began studying law. However, she soon discovered that her heart was in acting. She quit her law course to pursue a career in show business.

Career Breakthrough

Portia started shining in her career when she featured in the movie Scream 2 back in 1997. However, it was not before she came to be better known when she featured as Nelle Porter in the television series Ally McBeal between 1998 and 2002. Her acting on this show brought a great deal of attention that gave her household fame.

After Ally McBeal, Portia starred in the popular TV sitcom Arrested Development as Lindsay Bluth Fünke. This made her even more popular. She was also part of other successful TV series, Nip/Tuck and Scandal.

Aside from that, Portia also appeared in films. She is known for being talented, funny, and versatile in her characters’ performances.

Personal Life

Portia is an overt lesbian who has not hidden her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres during the public forum. They first met in 2004 during a photo shoot, and were instantly close. The couple dated and became one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples.

Portia married Ellen after same-sex marriage became legal in California in 2008. The private ceremony was performed in Los Angeles. The two have since lived together and faced all their personal and professional problems with each other.

Previous Marriage

Before marrying Ellen, Portia had been married to documentary filmmaker Mel Metcalfe. She and Mel married from 1996 till 1999. Mel eventually left Portia for her sister-in-law.

Challenges and Strength

Despite all the ups and downs in their personal lives, Portia and Ellen have been able to stay strong together. Recently, there were rumors that their relationship was experiencing some difficulties, especially after Ellen retired from her talk show in 2022. Some insiders even suggested that spending more time together at home might have changed their dynamic. However, the couple has shown that they can handle tough times, and they continue to support each other.

She often posts up her love for Ellen on social media, writing wonderful notes for her. In fact, she celebrated Ellen’s birthday with beautiful posts showing the tie between them.

READ ALSO: Ellen DeGeneres Net worth, Age, Wife, Family, Facts & More

Philanthropy and Business Ventures

Apart from acting, Portia has an interest in art and giving back to the community. In 2018, she founded a company of art known as General Public. General Public focuses on bringing art into people’s homes using some modern techniques.

In the same way, Portia loves many great issues; she is active in the matter of LGBTQ+, has been actively doing many social projects to enrich people’s life, and actively works on problems concerning animal rights and environmental affairs.

Portia and Ellen have artistic styles, and their love is as deep as artistic feelings. Both are interested in talking about them.

 

Source: celebs.infoseemedia.com