Portia de Rossi made her show business debut in the 1993 Australian film Sirens, in which she played a supporting role to none other than Hugh Grant. Following her move to Los Angeles, she earned a role in the television series Too Something, in which she co-starred. Soon gaining a significant role in the series Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher, she went on to play roles in movies such as Scream:2, Astoria, Girl, Perfect Assassins, The Invisibles, and Stigmata. It was not until 1999 that Portia de Rossi landed the role that would send her on a whirlwind of success.

In one of FOX’s highest-ranked shows of all time, Portia de Rossi played the part of lawyer Nell Porter on Ally McBeal. From 1999 until the show wrapped in 2002, she attracted the attention of Hollywood executives and viewers alike. Co-starring in the comedy flick Who Is Cletus Tout? in 2001, she acted with familiar faces Christian Slater and Tim Allen. De Rossi went on to appear in movies including Women in Film, The Glow, Two Girls from Lemoore, I Witness, The Night We Called It a Day, and Cursed. During this time she flexed her acting muscles in everything from thrillers to dramas.

De Rossi’s convincing depiction as drug-addicted, alluring Linday Bluth Funke on the successful comedy series Arrested Development garnered her critical acclaim. Winning a Golden Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Comedic or Musical Series, she also shared a TV Land Future Classic award with her fellow cast members. With additional cast nominations for Screen Actors Guild Awards, Portia de Rossi was no longer a new face in the American entertainment business by the time this show was wrapped after three very attention getting seasons.

Shortly after Arrested Development, Portia de Rossi was a frequent guest on Nip/Tuck and snagged a role on Better Off Ted as Veronica Palmer. Over the years de Rossi has endeared audiences to her adorable personality even more with appearances on talk shows such as The Rosie O’Donnell Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Wayne Brady Show, and The View. She has even been featured as a guest by the ultimate of talk show hosts, Oprah Winfrey, during which she promoted her newly published autobiography Unbearable Lightness.

Television appearances have also included TV documentaries such as Wendy Williams Is on Fire 4, VH1 Big in 01, and Tussen de Sterren. Her interviews on a number of less-serious talk shows have shown audiences that she is still down to earth, not taking herself too seriously. On shows such as Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, de Rossi has proven that to indeed be the case. With all of these television and film credits under her belt, it might seem as though Portia de Rossi would be ready for a well-deserved break, but it appears that this talented actress has much more to come.