Actress Portia de Rossi of Arrested Development and Ally McBeal fame turned 40 this week and wife Ellen DeGeneres had a television surprise for her.

With a little bit of help from guest Sean Hayes and a series of wigs, DeGeneres re-enacted de Rossi's life story on her daytime talk show - from her birth in Australia to the couple's 2008 wedding.

DeGeneres portrayed de Rossi throughout her life including her modeling days in London to her days of television stardom in the US. When it came time to dramatize her meeting de Rossi, DeGeneres remained in character as her wife and Hayes appeared in a blond pixie wig - as Ellen.

De Rossi, now sporting short hair herself, watched from the audience laughing. She then took the stage and wiped away tears as DeGeneres shifted from comedy to sentimental and said: 'The last eight years have been the happiest of my life - the best time ever. You make me so happy. You're amazing, I love you!'

Below is the full video: