Portia de Rossi

Portia de Rossi is an AustralianAmerican actress model and philanthropist She is best known for her roles as Nelle Porter on the American drama series Ally McBeal 19982002 for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award Lindsay Bluth Fünke on the American television sitcom Arrested Development 20032006 2013 20182019 and Elizabeth North on the American political thriller series Scandal 20142017 De Rossi was born Amanda Lee Rogers in Horsham Victoria Australia on January 31 1973 She began modeling as a child and appeared in several television commercials In 1994 she made her film debut in the comedy Sirens She moved to Los Angeles in 1995 and began appearing in guest roles on television shows such as Ally McBeal and Chicago Hope In 1998 de Rossi was cast as Nelle Porter on Ally McBeal The role made her a star and she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series She also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress Series Miniseries or Television Film De Rossi continued to work steadily after Ally McBeal ended in 2002 She starred in the films Stigmata 1999 and Girl 1998 and she appeared in the television series Arrested Development 20032006 2013 20182019 and Better Off Ted 20092010 In 2014 de Rossi was cast as Elizabeth North on the political thriller series Scandal The role earned her a Critics Choice Television Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series De Rossi is also a philanthropist She is a supporter of several organizations including the Human Rights Campaign the Trevor Project and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline She is also a cofounder of the animal rescue organization Kindred Spirits De Rossi is married to actress and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres They have been together since 2000 and were married in 2008