Vance DeGeneres

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Vance DeGeneres
DeGeneres in 2008
Born
Vance Elliott DeGeneres

(1954-09-02) September 2, 1954 (age 69)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • musician
  • film producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1979–present
Spouses
Mimi DeGeneres
(m. 1990; div. 1991)
Joanna Brooks
(m. 2013)
Parent(s)Elliott DeGeneres
Betty DeGeneres
RelativesEllen DeGeneres (sister)
Portia de Rossi (sister-in-law)

Vance Elliott DeGeneres (born September 2, 1954)[1][2] is an American actor, comedian, musician, film producer and screenwriter, known for his work in television and movies.

Early life[edit]

DeGeneres was born at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, Louisiana to Betty and Elliott DeGeneres.[1] He is the older brother of comedian Ellen DeGeneres.[3]

Career[edit]

After a two-year period in the Marine Corps, during which he reached the rank of corporal, DeGeneres hosted a radio program called New Wave New Orleans in the late 1970s, broadcast on WQUE-FM.

He played bass guitar and was a songwriter in the band The Cold, a new-wave band founded in New Orleans in the late 1970s.[4] The Cold was inaugurated into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2018.[5]

He was the original "Mr. Hands" of "The Mr. Bill Show."[6]

In 1991, DeGeneres was a staff writer on Eerie, Indiana, on NBC.[6] In 1993, DeGeneres co-created, with Karl Schaefer, a pilot script for ABC called Lost Angels, he wrote an episode for Diagnosis Murder.[6] In 1994–95, DeGeneres wrote and produced 9 Line. In 1995, he and Emily Cutler co-created and co-hosted Movies Schmoovies, a movie review pilot.

In 1995, DeGeneres and Alex Herschlag co-created and co-hosted a comedy show called The 4th Floor Show, a mock talk show. The pilot episode aired on E! In 1996/97, DeGeneres was a writer on Ellen.[6] In 1998, DeGeneres was a writer on the UPN sitcom Hits.[6]

DeGeneres has been a writer on The Academy Awards, The Emmy Awards, and The Grammy Awards.[6]

In the mid-1980s, DeGeneres co-founded the rock band House of Schock with The Go-Go's drummer Gina Schock on Capitol Records.

In 1998, he played keyboards and guitar for the New Orleans-based band Cowboy Mouth. In March 2006, he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show with Cowboy Mouth to perform their song "The Avenue".

DeGeneres was a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 1999 to 2001.[7]

In 2002, he co-created, with Andy Lassner at Fox, a comedy pilot called Your Local News. DeGeneres also hosted.

DeGeneres was co-president of Carousel Productions at Warner Bros. for six years, Steve Carell's production company, developing comedy movies, including Crazy Stupid Love and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.[8] He was an executive producer on both films.

DeGeneres was an executive producer on the Showtime series Inside Comedy, hosted by David Steinberg, for four seasons.

He currently has a television development deal at Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros.[citation needed]

During the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, DeGeneres and Rick Springfield created the online series, Rick Springfield & Vance DeGeneres Present the Miniseries: the 60 Second Guide to Songwriting with a Partner. The comedic series resulted in two songs: "The Wall Will Fall" and "Welcome to Your Bright New World", with proceeds benefitting Feeding America.[9]

He was an executive producer on Ellen's Game of Games, which aired on NBC in 2020.

Personal life[edit]

DeGeneres married his wife Joanna in 2013 in a small ceremony at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, and actor Steve Carell were among the guests.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b DeGeneres, Betty (1999). Love, Ellen: A Mother/Daughter Journey (1st ed.). New York: Rob Weisbach Books. pp. 66, 70. ISBN 9780688162740. OCLC 40489091.
  2. ^ Mallegg, Kristin, ed. (2011). Almanac of Famous People. Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale/Cengage Learning. ISBN 9781414445489. OCLC 659753779. About this person: Born: 1954 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
  3. ^ "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Vance DeGeneres, Correspondent". Comedy Central. n.d. Archived from the original on September 1, 1999. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  4. ^ Lien, James (March 1, 1998). "A Brief History of New Orleans Rock". OffBeat. New Orleans, Louisiana. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  5. ^ "The Cold". Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Vance DeGeneres". IMDb.
  7. ^ Yahr, Emily (August 5, 2015). "How 'Indecision 2000' changed everything for Jon Stewart and 'The Daily Show'". Washington Post. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  8. ^ Fleming, Michael (January 13, 2009). "Steve Carell's Carousel forms TV arm". Variety. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  9. ^ Spera, Keith (May 2, 2020). "Vance DeGeneres, Rick Springfield's 'The Wall Will Fall': a goof that grew into a fundraiser". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. New Orleans, Louisiana. Retrieved July 21, 2020.

External links[edit]