Sexy Nelle

Background:

Sharp sexy Nelle Porter caught our eye on TV's Ally McBeal with former law student Portia De Rossi at the helm of the character. Although certainly not her first role, Nelle proved to be the role Portia and most actresses love to have. The role caught critics and the viewer's eye while raising her stature as actor making her one of the top 10 earning Australian entertainers of 2001.

Due to be released at the end of February of 2005, Portia will team up with actors Christina Ricci, James Brolin, Jesse Eisenberg and Shannon Elizabeth to star in director Wes Craven's (Scream trilogy, A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Last House on the Left) newest horror film, Cursed.

Besides a new horror movie, Rossi is gearing up with new girlfriend, comedian Ellen DeGeneres, with the two sharing DeGeneres' Hollywood Hills home. Predictions are though that DeGeneres and Rossi will not last, with DeGeneres possibly returning to her former partner, photographer Alexandra Hedison.

Aussie Child

Childhood and Family:

Born in Melbourne, Australia on January 31, 1973, Amanda Rodgers changed her name to Portia de Rossi at the age of 15. Rossi's mother Margaret raised Portia and her brother Michael. Their father, Barry Rodgers, died in the year 1982.

Portia attended the Melbourne University, majoring in Law, but later left college to pursue acting. "It was the most courageous thing I've ever done." Portia de Rossi on changing her name

Portia de Rossi romantic involvements include documentary filmmaker Mel Metcalf, musician/writer Francesca Gregorini and comedian Ellen DeGeneres.

Before, During and After Ally

Career:

Before playing the role of lawyer Nelle Porter on the popular TV series Ally McBeal, Portia de Rossi was cast as nude model Giddy in the 1994 Australian comedy Sirens, Maria Hunter in TV's Too Something, in the movie The Woman in the Moon (1995) and in TV's Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher. It was the role of the smart beautiful Nelle Porter of series Ally McBeal that would bring Portia fame. Life during and after Melle Porter continued with Portia playing roles in Scream 2 (1997), Girl (1998), TV's Perfect Assassins (1998) and Astoria (1998), The Invisibles (1999), American Intellectuals (1999) and Stigmata (1999).

In 1999 a half hour version of the series Ally McBeal aired with scenes from the original show, including character Nelle Porter, played by Portia. 2000 found Portia cast in Women in Film (2001), Who Is Cletis Tout? (2001), starring Tim Allen, Christian Slater and Richard Dreyfuss, television's The Glow (2002) and America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story (2003), I Witness (2003), The Night We Called It a Day (2003), TV series Arrested Development (2003), Dead & Breakfast (2004) and Wes Craven's Cursed (2005).

Awards:

• Screen Actors Guild, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared award for Ally McBeal) 1998