Ellen DeGeneres has played a male character on TV.
Ellen DeGeneres . She starred in two television sitcoms , Ellen from 1994 to 1998 , and The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002 . Her character , Ellen Morgan , also came out to a therapist played by Winfrey , and the series went on to explore various LGBT issues , including the coming-out process . This made her the first openly lesbian actress to play an openly lesbian character on television .