Rosie O'Donnell

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	Rosie O'Donnell on ABC's "The View"

Rosie O'Donnell has taken her popularity and put it to good use. As a tireless crusader for children,

Rosie O'Donnell

established the "Rosie's For All Kids Foundation" in 1997. Since its inception, the Foundation has raised more than $56 million and awarded more than $22 million dollars in grants to over 1,400 child-related non-profit organizations to benefit low income families across the country. This past year

Rosie O'Donnell

established a fund to provide $3 million dollars to children and families displaced by Katrina. In 2003

Rosie O'Donnell

established "Rosie's Broadway Kids," a program that provides in-school, after-school and summer instruction in musical theater to the public school children of New York.

In 2004 Rosie and Kelli O'Donnell launched R. Family Vacations, and along with 1,500 people - gay, lesbian, straight, young and old - set sail on the first ever gay family cruise to the Caribbean. Sold out cruises continue on the high seas. In April of this year HBO aired the documentary "All Aboard Rosie's Family Cruise," directed by Emmy nominee Shari Cookson. The documentary, which recently garnered three Emmy Award nominations, chronicles this historic undertaking, offering a glimpse of a society shaped by a truly diverse, inclusive network of families. It premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival in the spectrum category.

For six years

Rosie O'Donnell

was America's best friend for an hour each day as host and executive producer of the critically acclaimed, nationally syndicated talk/variety series, "The

Rosie O'Donnell

Show." However in May 2002

Rosie O'Donnell

decided to leave her successful show to concentrate her talents and energies elsewhere.

In her phenomenal first season on the air,

Rosie O'Donnell

won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host.

Rosie O'Donnell

continued her success for five consecutive seasons by winning Daytime Emmys for both Outstanding Talk Show Host and Outstanding Talk Show.

Rosie O'Donnell

also won a Primetime Emmy for The 52nd Annual Tony Awards.

Rosie O'Donnell

has graced the cover of Newsweek magazine (dubbed the "Queen of Nice"); was cited as one of Time magazine's 25 Most Influential People in America (1997); was named one of Ladies Home Journal's Fascinating Women of the Year (1996); one of Barbara Walter's 10 Most Fascinating People of 1996; and Entertainment Weekly named her 1996's Entertainer of the Year.

In April 1997, Warner Books published Kids Are Punny, a bestselling collection of

Rosie O'Donnell

's favorite jokes sent to the show by kids, with all proceeds going to the Foundation. Furthering her commitment to kids,

Rosie O'Donnell

hosted Nickelodeon's "Kids Choice Awards" from 1997-2003.

When critics claimed that Broadway was on the decline and the networks threatened to stop broadcasting the Tony Awards,

Rosie O'Donnell

, an ardent fan of the theater, came to the rescue. Not only did

Rosie O'Donnell

agree to host the 51st Annual Tony Awards (1997), but she also did a weeklong tribute to the Great White Way on her show leading up to the event. The Tonys earned their highest ratings in 10 years, with much credit given to

Rosie O'Donnell

.

As much at home in front of the camera as she is in front of the TV set, self-confessed television savant

Rosie O'Donnell

has made guest appearances on a number of television series, including "Will & Grace," "All My Children," "Suddenly Susan," "Spin City," "Sesame Street," "The Nanny" and "The Larry Sanders Show."

Rosie O'Donnell

was first able to hone her hosting and executive producing skills back in 1988 on the top-rated cable show, "Stand Up Spotlight," on VH1.

While she was increasing her popularity among television audiences,

Rosie O'Donnell

was also making a name for herself in movies.

Rosie O'Donnell

made her motion picture debut in Penny Marshall's 1992 smash film, "A League of Their Own," starring opposite Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Madonna.

Rosie O'Donnell

recalls that she got the role because she was the only actress in Hollywood who could "throw a baseball from third to first base."

Rosie O'Donnell

has since gone on to star on the big screen in "Sleepless in Seattle," "Another Stakeout," "The Flintstones," "Exit to Eden," "Now and Then," "Beautiful Girls," "Harriet the Spy" and "Wide Awake," and she was the voice of Turk in Walt Disney's full-length animated motion picture, "Tarzan."

Following her heart to the stage, the multi-talented

Rosie O'Donnell

added Broadway to her repertoire in 1994 when she starred as Rizzo in Tommy Tune's revival of "Grease." In 2001

Rosie O'Donnell

returned to Broadway to star as The Cat in the Hat in "Seussical."

In April 2001,

Rosie O'Donnell

made her media debut as the editorial director of "Rosie," the magazine she launched for G&J USA publishing, in partnership with her own KidRo productions. The magazine was a celebration of humanity with humor and heart. The December 2002 issue was its last. Keeping up with cultural trends,

Rosie O'Donnell

launched her website, www.Rosie.com, where she publishes her photos, artwork, answers questions and keeps a blog.

Rosie O'Donnell

shared her gift for writing with the release of her book, "Find Me," in April 2002. In her premiere endeavor as an author,

Rosie O'Donnell

offered a brave and powerful account of an extraordinary experience that changed her life. "Find Me" reached number two on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Rosie O'Donnell

combined her love of Broadway and '80s pop musical sensation Boy George and produced the musical "Taboo," based on his life.

Rosie O'Donnell

also starred on Broadway in "Fiddler on the Roof" and in CBS's Hallmark Hall of Fame production, "Riding the Bus with My Sister," in which she made her dramatic television debut. The telepic is directed by Angelica Huston and co-stars Andie MacDowell.

Rosie O'Donnell

also completed a three-arc episode on Showtime's acclaimed hit, "Queer as Folk," and recently filmed a guest-starring spot on HBO's hit series, "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Rosie O'Donnell

spent her childhood staring at posters of Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler, dreaming of "being them" -- her ideals of the all-around performer. With her multi-faceted talents,

Rosie O'Donnell

is well on her way to living that dream.