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From left to right: Dr. Mark Sloan, Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery, Dr. George O'Malley, Dr. Meredith Grey, Dr. Miranda Bailey, Dr. Christina Yang, Dr. Isobel Stevens, Dr. Derek Shepherd, Dr. Preston Burke, Dr. Alex Karev, Dr. Richard Webber, Dr. Calliope Torres
The following is a partial list of characters from the television series Grey's Anatomy:
[edit] Main characters
[edit] Interns
- Dr. Meredith Grey: Meredith is the eponymous character of the series and her voice-over is usually the narration at the beginning and end of the show. Many people in the 2nd and 3rd seasons have called her "Dark and Twisty" and "Scary and Damaged". A graduate of Dartmouth College, she is the daughter of Ellis Grey, a renowned doctor and trailblazing female surgeon. Her father, Thatcher Grey, left the family when she was very young (around the age of five). As a young child, she was also present when Dr. Richard Webber ended his affair with her mother. As the show begins, we learn that Ellis has been stricken with an advanced case of Alzheimer's Disease. Meredith now lives in her mother's home, which she shares with Izzie and George. In the first episode, Meredith sleeps with Derek Shepherd as a one-night stand, only to learn when she reports for her first day at Seattle Grace that Derek is a doctor and her boss. Their on-off relationship has continued throughout the series. She has called herself the "dirty ex-mistress" and an "adulterous whore". At one point Meredith also dated Finn, a vet, who vied for her love. At the hospital prom she ended up having sex with Derek and was then forced to choose between the two. While dating both men, she suffered a bout of appendicitis. While she was recovering from her appendectomy, Derek told her that he was "walking away" to allow her to be with Finn, calling him "the better guy". This action, however, prompted Meredith to finally make her choice, and she broke up with Finn. Meredith waited while Derek took time for himself following his divorce, but he returned from his camping trip and found Meredith at Joe's bar--the site of their first meeting--and the two agreed to start over from the beginning.
- Dr. Cristina Yang: A doctor of Korean descent raised in Judaism (her mother converted upon re-marriage) and a native of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Yang is not religious, but has mentioned Jewish customs from her upbringing like Shiv'ah and at times has referred to herself as Jewish. Her mother remarried her stepfather, Dr. Saul Rubenstein, an oral surgeon three years after Cristina was born. She is incredibly focused and driven (even more so than the others) and is always excited about the chance to scrub in on a surgery. She is a graduate of Smith College, Stanford University medical school, and has a PhD from University of California, Berkeley. She became romantically involved with Dr. Burke; after she became pregnant, she kept the pregnancy a secret from him until she collapsed one day at work and learned she had an ectopic pregnancy, which had to be aborted. She loves Burke, but is somewhat reserved emotionally (she only told him she loved him while he was asleep). Though Cristina frequently shows technical proficiency, her personality can be harsh. She is a self-confessed slob. After Burke was shot and subsquently had surgery to repair damage in his right arm, he developed a tremor which threatened his surgical career. Cristina risked her own career to help him, assisting in his surgeries, taking over when his hand tremored, and even taking over his surgical schedule. After George O'Malley grew suspicious, she had a crisis of conscience and confessed the details of their scheme to the Chief. This threw her relationship with Burke into jeopardy. However, there is hope for their relationship as she silently stood by his side as he swallowed his pride about his injured hand.
- Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens: Izzie is the blonde roommate of Meredith and George. She grew up in nearby Chehalis, Washington living in a trailer park, paying her way through medical school as an underwear model. When meeting a pregnant teenage girl from her hometown, she revealed that she had a daughter at 16 whom she subsequently gave up for adoption. Her daughter, Hannah, who is now eleven, was adopted by a presumably upper-class family that once lived in Santa Barbara but has since moved; Izzie doesn't currently know where her daughter lives. Izzie has a history of becoming too emotionally involved with her patients, including Denny Duquette, who passed away in the second season finale -- after she accepted his marriage proposal. In this same episode, Izzie announces that she will be leaving the surgical internship program - her future is currently up in the air. In the third season, Dr. Bailey asks Izzie to stay in the program and she finds Duquette has left her a large inheritance, $8.7 million. She decides not to cash her multimillion dollar check until she knows what good can come of it. However, she decides to return to the internship program after a consultation with Dr. Richard Webber, and is allowed back under strict probation. Although some time has passed since Denny's death, she is gradually getting over him and still gets upset whenever Denny is mentioned in some way. Also, she has shown some signs of dissatisfaction with the lack of medical work she is allowed to do.
- Dr. George O'Malley: One of Meredith's roommates, he formerly had an infatuation with Meredith which he only recently admitted, and ended up having a one-night stand with her. She cried during their encounter. Often the most emotional of the male doctors, he sometimes gets into arguments with others despite his more positive personality. He has a markedly different personality from those of his brothers, one of whom accidentally shot his father in the buttocks on a Thanksgiving hunting trip. He had one girlfriend before, a nurse named Olivia, from whom he contracted syphilis. He was dating Dr. Callie Torres, an orthopedic surgeon at Seattle Grace, but his poor treatment of her in the third season has led her to get some distance. During a camping trip, he not only learned from Alex Karev that Callie had been sleeping with Mark Sloan, but witnessed one of Burke's hand tremors. He confronted Cristina with his suspicions about Burke's problems after his father was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and a leaking aortic valve. Concerned about Burke's current abilities as a surgeon, he contaced Dr. Erica Hahn to perform his father's valve replacement. He has also confronted Callie about her fling with Mark Sloan, but his attention is primarily focused on his father's health.
- Dr. Alex Karev: A former wrestler at the University of Iowa. Alex became a wrestler because his father used to beat his mother, Alex beat up his father after his father hit his mother. Alex's father ended up in the hospital and he left Alex and his mother after the incident. His father was a musician and was a drug addict. He had an on and off relationship with Izzie until she caught him sleeping with Nurse Olivia; they later got back together when Izzie had sex with him in a supply room in the midst of a bomb scare. After Denny Duquette returns to the hospital with a failing heart, Izzie realizes that she doesn't have to settle for Alex. She says to Alex just before scrubbing in on Denny's LVAD surgery, "On your very best day, that corpse (Alex had called Denny a corpse) is twice the man you will ever be. You're not good enough for me, Alex. You're not good enough for anyone." Alex often tries to be a "macho" sort of character, and showed an interest in plastic surgery when a visiting surgeon discussed his career prospects in Seattle. However, Alex has shown signs of distaste with plastic surgery after serving as Dr. Sloan's intern. Alex prides himself on his honesty, which often lacks tact and can verge on being brutal. However, Alex does have a moral code and is the only doctor who tells the truth as it is. Recently, he realised that his feelings for Izzie have not diminished since she dumped him in season 2, impulsively kissing her in the stairwell. Izzie has yet to get over Denny and tells him she cannot commit in a relationship with him just yet, and he understands that. There are also signs of a blossoming relationship between Addison and him, as they share a long meaningful look after she praises his character.
[edit] Residents
- Dr. Miranda Bailey: A graduate of Wellesley College, Miranda Bailey is a resident surgeon who is also in charge of the five interns, Bailey earned the nickname "The Nazi" for her tough personality. After trying for seven years to get pregnant, she gave birth to son, William George Bailey Jones (whom she calls Tuck, presumably after his father) during a bomb scare. At the same time, her husband of ten years, Tucker, was in surgery with Dr. Shepherd ("(As We Know It)"). She is currently adjusting to being a parent while at the same time handling her career. It is not known why she did not take on her husband's surname during her career, as she was already married by the time she got her MD. In season 3, she receives a lot of flak for not being able to control her interns which led to the cutting of Denny Duquette's LVAD wire. For a while, her confidence in juggling both her family and career was badly shaken, after she was slammed during the Morbidity and Mortality conference. While her confidence has somewhat been restored, she still feels bad about not spending enough time with her son; once making a late-night call to sing "God Bless the Child" to him.
- Dr. Calliope "Callie" Torres: An orthopedic surgeon who has a relationship with George O'Malley (first appearance: "What Have I Done to Deserve This?"). She lived in the basement of the hospital. She told George "I love you" ("17 Seconds") and later revealed that this was the first time she said that to a man. Webber found out she was living in the hospital and kicked her out ("I Am a Tree"). She temporarily moved in with George, but he was uncomfortable with how quickly their relationship was progressing, so she left and moved into the Archfield Hotel. Callie made an effort toward reconciliation by inviting George to her hotel room one evening, but he stands her up to go to Izzie. The same night, Callie went to Joe's, where she met Mark Sloan and invited him back to her room instead. After a brief fling, she refused Sloan's continued advances, but also discouraged George from chasing after her, even though she was still in love with him. When George's father was admitted to the hospital, Callie provided emotional support in spite of her strained relationship with George, bonding with his brothers and communicating the seriousness of their father's illness to his brothers. George rejected her help initially, stating that they had already broken up, but she comes back to talk to his brothers anyway near the end of the episode. However, George has repeatedly reminded her that they have broken up and knows about Mark. She has confessed that she did sleep with Mark but it was not a betrayal because it happened after their breakup, and George has yet to accept her explanation.
[edit] Attendings
- Dr. Derek Shepherd: Head of neurosurgery at SGH, the interns have nicknamed him "McDreamy" for his good looks. His mother's maiden name is Maloney. He has four sisters (whom he describes as "very girly" in Episode 102 - The First Cut Is the Deepest), two of whom are Nancy, an OB/GYN surgeon (who appeared in Episode 306 - Let the Angels Commit) and, possibly, Kathleen, a psychologist. All his sisters are doctors. His father passed away when Derek was very young, although his family is still large, with Derek's nine nieces and five nephews. He once had an accident while riding a motorcycle, causing a scar on his forehead, and he never rode them again. He was in a relationship with Meredith beginning in the first season, but abruptly ended it when his estranged wife, Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery Shepherd, arrived in Seattle. He had left her behind in New York City after catching her in bed with his best friend, Mark Sloan. He tried to work things out with Addison, but was in love with Meredith. He and Meredith had sex during the hospital prom and he left Meredith's panties in his tux. When Addison discovered them, she called Mark Sloan, who came to Seattle in what she later called a 'transcontinental booty call' ("I Am a Tree"). He left Addison and vied with Finn Dandridge for Meredith's affection, before finally giving in and conceding Finn was the better guy. Meredith ended up picking him, because he was 'The One', but after finalizing the divorce and learning that Addison and Mark had had a relationship, not the one-night stand he had been led to believe, Derek took his sister Nancy's advice and expressed a desire to take some time for himself before resuming his relationship with Meredith. After a brief camping trip, Derek decides to start over from the beginning with Meredith, beginning with their introductions at Joe's bar.
- Dr. Preston Xavier Burke: The chief cardiothoracic surgeon at Seattle Grace. After completing pre-medical studies at Tulane University, Burke graduated first in his class from Johns Hopkins Medical School, not because he was necessarily the most talented nor the smartest, but because he worked the hardest. He was once the interim chief of surgery while Dr. Webber was healing from his own brain surgery. He began a relationship with intern Cristina but broke it off because he feared it would ruin both of their reputations. Her miscarriage brought them back together. He and Cristina now live together in his perfectly-kept apartment. He plays the trumpet and enjoys jazz music. In the second season finale he was shot, affecting his control of his right-hand. His temporary fix to this possibly long-term problem was to work together with Cristina during every one of his surgeries so that she could take over in case he might have trouble with his hand. The arrangement fell apart after Cristina, reacting to growing stress after George caught onto their secret, went to the Chief and confessed everything. Until their secret was revealed, Burke was set to become the next Chief of Surgery, but his professional future is uncertain.
- Dr. Richard Webber: The current Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace. During their residency at Seattle Grace, he had an affair with Meredith's mother, Ellis Grey, although both were married. Although Ellis left her husband, Richard could not bring himself to leave his wife, Adele (he would learn decades later, however, that Adele had known about the affair all along and stayed with him anyway). He confessed in a later episode that he ended the affair because he believed that Ellis deserved better and that he had too much baggage. After completing his residency, Richard left Seattle Grace to complete his fellowship. There are continuity errors regarding where exactly Richard built his career; at one point he states that with the exception of his fellowship, he spent his entire career at Seattle Grace. However, it is also established that he both taught and befriended Addison and Derek, presumably in New York (the majority of references within the show, as well as additional sources, indicate that a good portion of Richard's career was spent in Manhattan, rather than Seattle). He is a recovered alcoholic ("Superstition"). His niece-by-marriage, Camille Travis, is dying of ovarian cancer. Adele asked him to retire, forcing him to choose between his career or their marriage. He tried to skirt around it, but Adele, tired of waiting, made her choice and left him. He moved out and was sleeping in his office for a short time, but now has a room at the same hotel as Callie. Since learning of Ellis's illness, Richard had been visiting her regularly, but upon deciding to attempt a reconciliation with Adele realized that he could no longer continue his emotional affair with Ellis. Richard had planned to retire and recommend Preston Burke as his successor, but after the secret of Burke's tremor and cover-up came out, it is uncertain whether or how Richard's plans have changed.
- Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery (formerly Montgomery-Shepherd): A highly regarded neo-natal surgeon, Addison is also a board certified OB-GYN with fellowships in maternal-fetal medicine and medical genetics. She was married to Derek for eleven years before having an affair with his best friend, plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Sloan, which prompted Derek to leave New York for Seattle. In spite of her chosen specialty and Derek's large family, Addison admits to Miranda Bailey that when she and Derek discussed having children, she realized she wasn't ready. After she and Derek initially separated, Addison remained in New York and lived with Mark for two months until Dr. Webber brings her to Seattle Grace for a consult on a difficult case (as well as to break things up between Derek and Meredith). Richard was aware of Derek and Addison's strained relationship, though not the cause of it ("Yesterday"). She decides to stay on as head of neonatal at Seattle Grace, signing a lucrative 2 year contract, and she and Derek decide to work things out. When Derek has an affair with Meredith, she calls Mark Sloan to Seattle for an affair in response, and Derek leaves her. She asks Mark Sloan to go back but he stays, wanting to continue their relationship, but she continues to rebuff him. After the couple split, the former Shepherd couple finalized their divorce and she dropped the "Shepherd" from her last name.
- Dr. Mark Sloan: A top-tier plastic surgeon, he grew up with the Shepherd family and used to be Derek's best friend until Derek caught him in bed with his wife Addison. He professes his love to Addison and attempts to bring her back to New York; she refuses and stays in Seattle (Episode 218 - Yesterday). Addison also reveals (by telling Derek) in episode 305 - Oh, The Guilt, that after Derek left for Seattle, she and Mark continued their relationship until she caught him cheating on her. The interns have given him the nickname "McSteamy" (to compliment Derek's "McDreamy") for his rugged good looks. He flew out for sex at Addison's request (Episode 302 - I Am a Tree) and has since been hired at the hospital. Mark has described himself as "self-destructive and self-loathing to an almost pathological degree", and apparently has a history of womanizing that not only includes Addison and his former tennis partner's wife, but Callie and Derek's sister Nancy, who told her brother that "everyone sleeps with Mark. It's practically a rite of passage." Mark has shown disdain for the responsibility of teaching the interns, delegating menial tasks such as DMV calls and dry-cleaning pick-up to Alex Karev. Mark has a unique relationship with Meredith Grey due to their roles in the dissolution of the Shepherds' marriage; he has dubbed them members of the "Dirty Mistresses' Club", but during Derek's absence from the hospital, he also made numerous suggestions to Meredith to move on (the implication being 'with Mark'), describing Derek as a "poisoned well". Mark has shown interest in mending his friendship with Derek, even admitting to Meredith that it was his fault Derek was damaged, but progress has been slow and the relationship remains estranged.
[edit] Recurring characters
- Dr. Ellis Grey: Mother of intern Dr. Meredith Grey and former surgeon. During their residency, she had an affair with current SGH Chief of Surgery, Dr. Richard Webber. She was married about 20 years ago to Thatcher Grey, who left the family when Meredith was young, partly as a result of Ellis's affair. After her divorce and break-up with Richard, Ellis moved with Meredith to pursue a position at Boston General. Her distinguished career included tenures at Mayo and the U.N., and she is noted for pioneering an operation called the laparoscopic Grey Method. She is currently suffering from Alzheimer's and resides at the Roseridge Home for Extended Care. Her case is advanced, and she most often thinks she is still completing her residency. As a result, she seldom recognizes her daughter, but delighted in visits from Richard Webber. When Richard decided to salvage his marriage to Adele, Meredith was forced to break the news to Ellis that he would not be visiting anymore, which caused her to relive their intial break-up. (Kate Burton)
- Nurse Olivia Harper: A nurse at the hospital. She had relationships with George and Alex. Alex gave her syphilis which she then unknowingly gave to George after breaking up with Alex. After that, Alex got with Izzie, who then found him cheating on her with Nurse Olivia. (Sarah Utterback)
- Joe the Bartender: The owner of the Emerald City Bar - across from the hospital - where the doctors often go for a drink, and is also where Derek and Meredith met. Derek and Burke performed a stand-still surgery to clip an aneurysm in Joe's brain. Joe and his boyfriend Walter also attended the Thanksgiving Izzie hosted at Meredith's house, and went on a camping trip with Drs. Shepherd, Burke, Webber, Karev and O'Malley. During this trip, Joe revealed during a discussion with the Chief that although he and Walter had been "on-and-off" for about ten years, they were now committed and considering the possibility of children. (Steven W. Bailey)
- Thatcher Grey: Thatcher is Meredith Grey's father and the ex-husband of Ellis Grey. They were married for about seven years before his wife began having an affair with Richard Webber. Eventually, Ellis's affair and time away from home put too much strain on their marriage and Thatcher left. Meredith was a small child at the time of the divorce, and roughly twenty years would pass before they saw each other again. Thatcher blames Ellis somewhat for his estrangment from Meredith, saying Ellis was "cold" and wouldn't let him know Meredith. After the disintegration of his first family, Thatcher married his second wife, Susan, and had two more daughters, Lexie and Molly. (Jeff Perry)
- Susan Grey: Susan is married to Thatcher Grey, and is the mother of his two youngest daughters, Lexie and Molly. Her husband describes her as a "mother lion". She was always aware of Thatcher's first wife and daughter, and has reached out to Meredith and offered to include her in their family, although Meredith has not responded warmly to her invitation. (Mare Winningham)
- Molly Grey Thompson: Molly is 22 years old and the half-sister of Meredith Grey. She and her older sister, Lexie, are Thatcher Grey’s daughters by his second (and current) wife, Susan. She proposed to her husband, Eric, before he was shipped out by the military. Originally a patient at Mercy West, Molly transferred to Seattle Grace at 32 weeks pregnant, and Addison operated to repair a congenital diaphragmatic hernia on Molly’s baby. She later gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Laura. (Mandy Siegfried)
- Dr. Finn Dandridge: The former veterinarian of Meredith, Addison and Derek's dog, Doc. He was also the newest love interest for Meredith for some time before she broke up with him for Derek. His wife, Liz, passed away in a car accident. The interns have given him the nickname "McVet", in accordance with Derek Shepherd's nickname. (Chris O'Donnell)
- Adele Webber: The outspoken wife of Dr. Webber, she has been shown to perceive much more than her husband might expect — whether it is about the past of her own marriage, or the current state of the Shepherds'. (Loretta Devine)
- Harold O'Malley: The father of George O'Malley and two other sons, Jerry and Ronnie, the O'Malley patriarch is a truck driver with a passion for vintage cars. He has been married for 40 years to his wife, Louise, and though he is proud of all his sons, he is not always able to express to George how much he cares for him. In addition to taking his sons turkey hunting every Thanksgiving, Harold also took the boys on frequent camping trips during their childhood. His diagnosis with esophageal cancer which has spread to his stomach, in addition to a leaking aortic valve, was a huge blow to the O'Malley clan. (George Dzundza)
- Louise O'Malley: Louise has been married to her husband Harold for 40 years, and they have three sons: Jerry, Ronnie, and George. Louise is a teacher and a devoted wife and mother. She has shown an intense interest in her youngest son's life, even asking Izzie for details on George's personal relationships. George seems to find her a little overbearing, and is often embarrassed by her good-natured gestures, such as sitting out breakfast for the interns during rounds and offering to iron his scrubs. (Debra Monk)
- Dr. Erica Hahn: Dr. Hahn is a long-time rival of Burke in the field of cardiothoracic surgery, dating back to their days at Johns Hopkins Medical School, where she graduated second after Burke. She is a cardiothoracic attending surgeon at Seattle Presbyterian. In Season 2, she and Burke fought over a donor's heart because of faulty information from Izzie pertaining Denny's condition, and she was contacted for a consult on Harold O'Malley's valve replacement. She and Burke have a love-hate friendship over their competition, and though she would die before saying it in front of him, Dr. Hahn respects and admires Burke tremendously, and she told Cristina that if she ever learned anything from Burke, she would be "half the surgeon that Burke is, and that's pretty damn good". She may become part of the staff at Seattle Grace and replace Dr. Burke. (Brooke Smith)
[edit] Deceased Characters
- Denny Duquette: A heart transplant patient who falls in love with surgical intern, Dr. Izzie Stevens. Izzie sacrificed her career by cutting his LVAD wire to worsen his condition so that he would receive a heart from a patient whose intended recipient was ahead of Denny on the list. He proposed to Dr. Stevens shortly before dying of a stroke in the final episode of season two. He left Izzie with a check for $8.7 million, which Izzie has yet to deposit. (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)
[edit] External links
