Ellen Pompeo

Ellen Kathleen Pompeo is an American actress, producer, and director. She is best known for portraying the title character, Dr. Meredith Grey, on the ABC medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy. Her work on the series earned her worldwide recognition, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award nomination.

Pompeo was born in Everett, Massachusetts, on November 10, 1969. She was raised Catholic and has five older siblings. Her mother died when Pompeo was four years old, and her father later remarried. After working as a bartender in Miami, Pompeo moved to New York City in 1995, where a casting director approached her to appear in advertisements for Citibank and L'Oreal.

She made her television acting debut in 1996 with a guest role on the NBC drama Law & Order, followed by her feature film debut in the 1999 romantic comedy Coming Soon. After moving to Los Angeles in 2001, Pompeo appeared in guest roles on series such as Strangers with Candy, Strong Medicine, and Friends. Her career breakthrough came in 2002 when she played a lead role in Brad Silberling's drama film Moonlight Mile. She subsequently appeared in films including Catch Me If You Can, Old School, Daredevil, Art Heist, and Life of the Party.

In 2005, Pompeo landed her signature role as Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy. The series became a major hit, establishing Pompeo as one of television's most prominent actresses. Over her tenure on the show, she received Satellite Awards, multiple People's Choice Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for ensemble performance. Pompeo signed high-profile contract renewals that made her one of the highest-paid actresses on television, ranking among Forbes' top-earning TV actors multiple times. Starting in season 19, her on-screen role was scaled back to eight episodes, though she remained an executive producer and narrator.

Beyond on-screen acting, Pompeo made her directorial debut with a Grey's Anatomy episode during its thirteenth season and launched her own production company, Calamity Jane, in 2011. Through Calamity Jane, she developed television projects with ABC and bought the rights to the Paradise book trilogy. She also served as a co-producer for the Grey's Anatomy spinoff series Station 19.

Her other appearances include starring in Taylor Swift's 2015 music video for "Bad Blood," voicing a character on Doc McStuffins, guest judging on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, and hosting the podcast Tell Me with Ellen Pompeo. In 2016, she featured in an election advertisement supporting Hillary Clinton. Pompeo married music producer Chris Ivery in 2007, and the couple has three children.