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Rosie O'Donnell (born 1962)
Born Rosanne Teresa O'Donnell in Commack, Long Island on 21 March, Rosie O'Donnell has long been best known for her daytime television talk show, her stand-up comedy performances, and roles in films like A League of Their Own, Exit to Eden, and The Flinstones. More recently, she has been most well-known as the latest out celebrity and a crusader for the rights of gay parents. Of particular concern to her are laws which prohibit gays and lesbians from adopting. The middle of five children, Rosie lost her mother to breast cancer when she was only ten. Her father, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland who worked as an engineer, was "rarely available." Her childhood largely consisted of watching television "nearly 24 hours a day." In high school, where she was voted homecoming queen, prom queen, senior class president, class clown, and "Most Popular," Rosie often went out with her friends, but while they flirted, talked, and danced with the boys, she sat alone with a diet Coke. Only after she turned eighteen did she begin to wonder if her disinterest in boys might be because she was gay. Her first relationship with a woman came when she was twenty, though she had both male and female lovers for many years before finally accepting herself as a lesbian. Dropping out of Boston University after her first year, Rosie went to pursue a career in stand-up, and became a contestant on Star-Search, winning $20,000 in their stand-up competition. Her stand-up career led to roles on Gimme a Break, starring Nell Carter and other television sitcoms, and a stint on VH-1, first as a VJ and then host and producer of Stand-Up Spotlight, starting in 1988. In 1992 she won a role in A League of Their Own, about the first female pro baseball teams, co-starring with Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna. Close friendships developed with both Madonna and director Penny Marshall which have lasted to this day. Additional roles in Sleepless In Seattle and Another Stakeout firmly established her as a comedic film actress, and when Sharon Stone backed out of the 1994 film adaptation of Anne Rice's S&M novel Exit to Eden, Rosie snapped up the part. Her performance as an undercover police officer was one of the few highlights in an otherwise inept attempt to adapt the story as a comedy to make it more palatable to mainstream audiences. That same year, she played Betty Rubble in the live-action film adaptation of The Flinstones. In 1996, Rosie O'Donnell began hosting her own daytime television talk show. The Rosie O'Donnell Show played first on the NBC network and then in syndication. During the show's six-year run, she hosted the show less as a celebrity and more as a fan, having as guests not only old Hollywood chums but also stars she had long been a fan of, especially Tom Cruise. Despite her popularity, Rosie has not been without her critics and detractors. Following the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, Rosie emotionally declared on her show that "no one should be allowed to have guns." She also quit a series of commercials she had done for K-Mart with Penny Marshall, because the department store chain sold rifles. Conservatives, libertarians, and even anti-gun lobbyists were quick to point out that her own bodyguards carried guns. Rosie later said that her remarks and actions were largely emotional outbursts, and that she does not really believe guns should be banned, but still thinks they should be more tightly regulated. An episode of The Simpsons had her being included with Dr. Laura, Pauly Shore, and other celebrities being fired off on a rocket into the sun. In all honesty, her optimism and perkiness does not sit well with everyone. While rumors of her lesbianism had been floating around the gay and tabloid press for years, Rosie's decision to come out was finally motivated by a story she had come across of a gay male couple in Florida who were fighting to keep custody of their adopted son. Having herself adopted three children, Rosie was aware of the many objections raised by political and religious conservatives to allowing GLBT persons to adopt, all based on the misguided and incorrect assertion that their sexuality automatically disqualified them as fit parents. While she had never cared if people knew if she was gay or not, she felt it very important that people know that she was a gay parent, and a good parent as well. In March of 2002, in an interview with Barbara Walters, Rosie O'Donnell came out to the world, not so much as a lesbian celebrity as a lesbian mother who loved and cherished her children. She also brought attention to the plight of GLBT persons throughout the world who are denied adoption or see their biological children taking away from them, often to placed with heterosexual ex-spouses or relatives who are sometimes physically violent, alcoholics or drug addicts, or convicted felons. Rosie hoped that her coming out would demonstrate that being gay does not automatically make one an unfit parent, anymore than being straight automatically makes one a fit parent. Her commitment to this cause was such that she even agreed to be interviewed by controversial television commentator Bill O'Reilly who, though viewed by many as anit-gay, has voiced his opinion that gay persons in monogamous relationships should not be barred from adopting children. Most recently, Rosie O'Donnell has been involved in a very public lawsuit with the publishers of a magazine based on her defunct talk show and bearing her name. She has also been the producer and chief financial backer for the American version of Taboo, a musical based on the life and career of Boy George. While a success in London, the show was panned by Broadway critics, most of whom took issue with a total rewrite of the book Rosie requested for the show's American performance. At this writing, Taboo is closing after suffering a loss at the box office. Links: E! Online - Fact Sheet - Rosie O'Donnell Everything Rosie: The Ultimate Guide for Rosie O'Donnell Fans
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