List_of_Grey's_Anatomy_cast_members

List of <i>Grey's Anatomy</i> cast members

List of Grey's Anatomy cast members

Add article description

Grey's Anatomy is an American television medical drama that debuted on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), as a mid-season replacement for Boston Legal on March 27, 2005. While creating the show, producers emphasize the casting process.[1] The series has aired for twenty seasons, and focuses on the fictional lives of surgical interns and residents, as they gradually evolve into seasoned doctors, while trying to maintain personal lives. The show's premise originated with Shonda Rhimes, who serves as an executive producer, along with Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon, Krista Vernoff, Rob Corn, Mark Wilding, and Allan Heinberg.[2] It is primarily filmed in Los Angeles, California.[3]

Grey's Anatomy utilized a racially diverse casting process.

The series was created to be racially diverse, utilizing a color-blind casting technique.[4] All roles for the series are cast without the characters' races being pre-specified, in keeping with Rhimes' vision of diversity.[4]

The series' protagonist, Meredith Grey, is portrayed by Ellen Pompeo. Pompeo starred in the leading role in Moonlight Mile, which led to her being cast as Meredith.[5] Meredith is assigned to work under Miranda Bailey, the only character developed with a racial description in mind, who is portrayed by Chandra Wilson. On Wilson's addition to the cast Rhimes reported, "[Wilson] is exactly who Miranda is." The other interns working with Meredith under Bailey are Cristina Yang, George O'Malley, Izzie Stevens, and Alex Karev played by Sandra Oh, T.R. Knight, Katherine Heigl and Justin Chambers respectively. Chambers' character was not originally part of the pilot but was added later as the fifth and final intern. Oh was initially brought to play the character of Bailey, but she was pressed to read for the role of Cristina instead at the audition.[6] Many actors read for the role of Dr. Derek Shepherd including Isaiah Washington, but when Patrick Dempsey read for the part, "he was just perfect", according to Rhimes. Washington was cast as Burke because the original actor to play Burke had to withdraw.[7][4]

The second season marked the introduction of Eric Dane as leading plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Sloan and Sara Ramirez as ortho-resident Dr. Callie Torres. They were initially cast as recurring characters, but both were given star billing at the opening of the third season. Ramirez was cast after ABC executives offered them a role in the network show of their choice, Dane had previously auditioned unsuccessfully for a role in the pilot episode.[8][9] Kate Walsh also joined the show in season two, after making a guest appearance in season one as Dr. Addison Montgomery, the estranged wife of Derek,[10] and leaves the show at the end of the third, to launch her own spin-off medical drama Private Practice.[11] Burke departs after the third season, and is replaced by Erica Hahn, played by Brooke Smith, who leaves the show during the fifth. Chyler Leigh first appears in the third as the half-sister of Meredith, Lexie Grey.

Kevin McKidd playing Dr. Owen Hunt was signed as a series regular after originally being cast for a specific story arc joins the cast in season 5.[12] Jessica Capshaw is given series regular status at the beginning of the sixth season after playing peds-attending Arizona Robbins in season 5. Following O'Malley's death and Stevens' departure, Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew joined the cast as new residents from Mercy West Jackson Avery and April Kepner both having made their series debuts as recurring characters in the sixth season. Kim Raver, who was cast as recurring character Dr. Teddy Altman in the sixth season, was given star billing later in the season.[13]

In the tenth season, the new batch of interns introduced during the ninth season were made series regulars including Camilla Luddington as Dr. Jo Wilson, Gaius Charles as Dr. Shane Ross, Jerrika Hinton as Dr. Stephanie Edwards, Tessa Ferrer as Dr. Leah Murphy except Tina Majorino as Dr. Heather Brooks (who died during the second episode of the tenth season. Caterina Scorsone was upgraded to a series regular to continue her role as Dr. Amelia Shepherd, one of Dr. Derek Shepherd's four sisters. Scorsone previously played Dr. Amelia Shepherd in the seventh season as a recurring role. Kelly McCreary as Dr. Maggie Pierce was promoted to a series regular after being credited as guest-starring until the eleventh episode of the eleventh season. The cast has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series,[14] a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama,[15] and numerous Primetime Emmy Award nominations for individual cast members.[16]

Cast

Main

List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who have appeared in the series as credited cast.

  • An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the season.
  •  D indicates that the character appeared with the use of a body double replacing the credited actor.
Legend
  = Main cast (credited)
  = Recurring cast (3+)
  = Guest cast (1–2)
More information Actor, Character ...


Recurring

More information Actor, Character ...

Notes

  1. Ellen Pompeo makes her last regular appearance in 19x07. She continues to narrate most episodes and appears sporadically in the following episodes and subsequent seasons. Pompeo continues to receive top billing in any episodes in which she appears and/or provides narration for.
  2. Patrick Dempsey is credited as a guest star for his appearances with exception of 17x13 where he is credited as a special guest star.
  3. Kate Walsh was originally set to appear as a recurring character in six episodes of the first season. However, after the season was cut short, Walsh's remaining five appearances aired in the second season before she was promoted to the main cast in what would have been the second episode of season two.
  4. Kate Walsh is initially credited as a special guest star in season two before being promoted to main cast in 2x07.
  5. Kate Walsh is credited as a special guest star in a recurring capacity.
  6. In season three, Eric Dane credited as a series regular from 3x03 onwards but is uncredited in 3x02.
  7. Eric Dane only appears in the first two episodes of season nine, although credited as a series regular.
  8. Brooke Smith is the only series regular to not hold the role for a full season. She was credited as a series regular from 4x5 to 5x7
  9. Kevin McKidd is initially credited as a guest star in season five before being promoted to main cast in 5x14.
  10. Kim Raver is initially credited as guest star in season six before being promoted to main cast in 6x19.
  11. Kelly McCreary is initially credited as a guest star in season eleven before being promoted to main cast in 11x11.
  12. Giacomo Gianniotti is initially credited as a guest star in season twelve before being promoted to main cast in 12x10.
  13. Jake Borelli is initially credited as a co-star in recurring capacity before being upgraded to a guest star in season fifteen.
  14. Despite being part of the recurring cast in all of the show's seasons, Kathy C. An is credited in only five episodes in the entire show, namely 15x14, 15x15, 16x21, 17x08 and 18x18.
  15. Portrayed by Sarah Paulson.
  16. Portrayed by John Ainsworth in 6x15.
  17. Portrayed by Bridget Regan in 13x08 and a stand-in in 13x24.

References

  1. [1]
    Rhodes, Joe (April 14, 2005). "Thriving Ratings for a New Patient on ABC". The New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  2. [2]
    "About the Show". Grey's Anatomy. American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  3. [3]
    Grey's Anatomy Season One DVD: Commentary Feature. Buena Vista Home Entertainment. 2005.
  4. [4]
    Fogel, Matthew (May 8, 2005). "'Grey's Anatomy' Goes Colorblind". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  5. [5]
    "Moonlight Mile Cast". TV Guide. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  6. [6]
    "Grey's Anatomy – Sandra Oh's Audition (Paley Center, 2006)". YouTube. January 5, 2009. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  7. [7]
    "Chicago as 'Grey' area?". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  8. [8]
    Yuan, Jada (September 25, 2006). "Q&A With 'Grey's Anatomy' Star Sara Ramirez". New York. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  9. [9]
    "Q & A With Eric Dane: A Preview of the Grey's Anatomy Magazine Interview". TV Fanatic. February 22, 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  10. [10]
    "ABC drops Washington from Grey's Anatomy". CBC News. June 8, 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  11. [11]
    Ryan, Maureen (February 21, 2007). "Paging Dr. Montgomery: She's starring in the new 'Grey's Anatomy' spinoff". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
  12. [12]
    "Kevin McKidd Joins 'Grey's Anatomy' Cast As Series Regular". Access Hollywood. November 12, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  13. [13]
    Vary, Adam B. (October 23, 2009). "Kim Raver becomes series regular on 'Grey's Anatomy'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  14. [14]
    "The 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Screen Actors Guild. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  15. [15]
    "List of Golden Globe Nominees and Winners". The New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  16. [16]
    "Grey's Anatomy". Emmy Awards. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article List_of_Grey's_Anatomy_cast_members, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.