Rosie O'Donnell Biography Quotes 4 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Rosie O'Donnell was born on March 21, 1962, in Commack, Long Island, New York. She was the third of five children in an Irish American family. Her mother, Roseann Teresa O'Donnell (nee Murtha), a homemaker, died of cancer in 1973, a loss that profoundly shaped Rosie's outlook and later her philanthropy for children. Her father, Edward Joseph O'Donnell, worked in the defense industry as an engineer. Growing up in suburban Long Island, Rosie gravitated to school plays, talent shows, and comedy, building the quick wit and candid presence that became her signature. After high school she attended college briefly, including time at Dickinson College and Boston University, before leaving to pursue stand-up comedy.

Stand-Up and Television Breakthrough
O'Donnell began performing in comedy clubs in the early 1980s, refining a conversational style that mixed pop-culture banter with observational humor. National recognition came through multiple winning appearances on the television competition Star Search in 1984, which led to bookings and television opportunities. She joined the NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! in its later seasons, gaining a foothold as a comic performer on network television. The exposure positioned her for film roles and guest spots and introduced her to producers and directors who recognized her timing and warmth.

Film Stardom and Screen Presence
The early 1990s brought a swift rise in films. O'Donnell co-starred in A League of Their Own (1992), directed by Penny Marshall and featuring Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Lori Petty, and Madonna, where her comedic instincts and athletic credibility made an immediate impact. She followed with Sleepless in Seattle (1993), playing the confidante to Meg Ryan's character opposite Tom Hanks, and then The Flintstones (1994), portraying Betty Rubble in a big-screen adaptation of the classic animated series. Additional roles in Now and Then (1995) and Beautiful Girls (1996) deepened her presence in mainstream Hollywood. On camera she tended to project a mix of blunt humor and empathy, a balance that would later define her daytime persona.

The Rosie O'Donnell Show
In 1996 she launched The Rosie O'Donnell Show, a daytime talk show that quickly became a cultural touchstone. The program blended enthusiastic conversations with actors and authors, regular showcase segments for Broadway performers, and a buoyant sense of fun that led to multiple Daytime Emmy Awards. O'Donnell earned the moniker "Queen of Nice" early in the run, though her willingness to tackle serious issues gradually became more visible. She used the platform to advance adoption awareness and literacy initiatives, spotlighting families and educators alongside celebrities such as Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, and prominent Broadway figures who brought musical numbers to daytime television. The show concluded in 2002 at the height of its popularity, largely on O'Donnell's own terms.

Broadway, Producing, and Advocacy for the Arts
A self-described Broadway enthusiast, O'Donnell made her Broadway debut in the 1994 revival of Grease and later returned as a replacement in Seussical, underscoring her commitment to live theater. She hosted the Tony Awards multiple times in the late 1990s, raising the profile of the ceremony for mainstream audiences. As a producer, she backed Taboo, featuring Boy George, reflecting her willingness to take risks on unconventional material. In 2003 she co-founded Rosie's Theater Kids with Lori Klinger, providing free dance, music, and mentoring to New York City public school students. The program, alongside her Rosie's For All Kids Foundation established in 1997, became central to her philanthropic identity, financing early childhood initiatives and arts education in underserved communities.

Public Voice, The View, and Later Hosting
In 2006 O'Donnell joined The View, the daytime panel created by Barbara Walters and anchored by Joy Behar. Her one-season stint was notable for spirited political debates and a very public feud with Donald Trump that began over his role with Miss USA and extended into years of mutual criticism. Exchanges with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck highlighted ideological divides that were playing out in American culture at large. O'Donnell returned to The View in 2014, 2015, again making headlines with candid commentary before departing. She also led The Rosie Show on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network in 2011, 2012, a venture that reinforced her continued interest in conversation-driven television even as media landscapes were shifting to digital platforms.

LGBTQ Advocacy and Family Life
O'Donnell came out publicly in 2002 and became one of the most visible LGBTQ figures on American television. She advocated for marriage equality and adoption rights, speaking out against bans that discriminated against gay and lesbian parents. With Kelli Carpenter, whom she married in 2004, she built a blended family that included adopted children Parker Jaren O'Donnell, Chelsea Belle O'Donnell, and Blake Christopher O'Donnell, and a daughter, Vivienne Rose, conceived via assisted reproduction. The couple co-founded R Family Vacations with Gregg Kaminsky, creating family-friendly travel for LGBTQ parents and their kids and chronicling one voyage in the HBO documentary All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise. After her separation from Carpenter in 2007, O'Donnell married Michelle Rounds in 2012; the two adopted a daughter, Dakota, before divorcing in 2015. Following years of personal challenges, including the death of Michelle Rounds in 2017, O'Donnell continued to center her children and close circle of friends in her life and public statements.

Health and Personal Resilience
In 2012 O'Donnell suffered a serious heart attack. She detailed her symptoms and treatment in public posts and interviews, encouraging women to recognize atypical signs of cardiac distress and to seek immediate care. Her candor about health, grief, and mental wellness echoed earlier disclosures about losing her mother as a child and helped demystify difficult subjects for her audience. That willingness to speak plainly, even at personal cost, became one of her hallmarks.

Television in the 2010s and Beyond
O'Donnell added respected dramatic and comedic television credits in the 2010s. On the ABC Family/Freeform series The Fosters she played Rita Hendricks, a compassionate group-home director, collaborating with creators Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg and a cast led by Teri Polo and Sherri Saum. She also appeared in the Showtime series SMILF as Tutu and took on a key supporting role in the HBO limited series I Know This Much Is True as social worker Lisa Sheffer, opposite Mark Ruffalo. These roles highlighted her range beyond talk formats and family films, drawing on the empathy and authority that had long anchored her public persona.

Philanthropy and Public Impact
Beyond entertainment, O'Donnell's most sustained influence has been in philanthropy for children and the arts. Through Rosie's For All Kids Foundation, she directed substantial resources to early childhood centers and after-school programs, often partnering with educators, local leaders, and parent advocates. Through Rosie's Theater Kids, she and Lori Klinger and a team of teaching artists have helped thousands of students access training, mentorship, and college readiness support. Her persistent amplification of Broadway on television boosted box-office fortunes for shows and exposed a daytime audience to theater creators from Penny Marshall's circle to rising composers and performers. While her politics and public disputes could be polarizing, colleagues and collaborators frequently cite her reliability off camera, her readiness to fundraise, and her habit of stepping in quietly when specific needs arise.

Legacy
Rosie O'Donnell built a multifaceted career that bridged stand-up comedy, blockbuster films, and one of the most successful daytime talk shows of its era. She leveraged fame to champion adoption and LGBTQ families, to elevate Broadway, and to create durable institutions for young people. The web of relationships around her, from family members like her children Parker, Chelsea, Blake, Vivienne, and Dakota to creative partners such as Penny Marshall, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Boy George, and Oprah Winfrey, traces a life lived at the intersection of entertainment and advocacy. Through triumphs, controversies, and personal trials, she remained an unmistakable voice in American culture, using humor and candor to draw attention to causes and communities that shaped her own story.

Our collection contains 4 quotes who is written by Rosie, under the main topics: Freedom - Equality - Anger.

Other people realated to Rosie: Rosie Perez (Actress), Michelle Trachtenberg (Actress), Alex D. Linz (Actor), Donna Dixon (Actress), Elizabeth Perkins (Actress)