Vance DeGeneres

Vance DeGeneres
Born (1954-09-02) September 2, 1954
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation Actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter
Years active 1993–present
Parent(s) Betty DeGeneres (mother)
Elliott DeGeneres (father)
Roy Gruessendorf (stepfather)
Relatives Ellen DeGeneres (sister)
Portia DeRossi
(sister-in-law)

Vance DeGeneres (born September 2, 1954) is an American actor, musician, film producer and screenwriter, known for his work in television. He is the brother of actress and comedian Ellen DeGeneres.

Career

After a two-year stint 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 WRNO-FM. He played bass guitar in The Cold, a new-wave band based in New Orleans in the early 1980s.

He originated the role of "Mr. Hands" in Walter Williams's Mr. Bill short films in the mid-1970s. According to the 1986 book Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live, DeGeneres sued Williams in federal court in 1979, asking for his name on the Mr. Bill copyright and for half of all profits the Mr. Bill character produced. After a two-day hearing, DeGeneres received an undisclosed portion of merchandising rights to Mr. Bill. However, the judge ruled that Mr. Bill was Williams's "basic idea and concept."

In the mid-1980s, DeGeneres co-founded the short-lived rock band called House of Schock with The Go-Go's drummer Gina Schock. In 1998, he played keyboards 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." In December 2006, he became the rhythm guitarist in Cowboy Mouth, but left in September 2007 to pursue additional TV projects. He played guitar on the band's 2007 Live DVD The Name of the Band is Cowboy Mouth.

DeGeneres was a correspondent on The Daily Show from 1999 to 2001.

He co-runs Carousel Productions at Warner Bros., Steve Carell's production company, developing comedy movies.

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