Dr. Preston Xavier Burke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dr. Preston Burke | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "A Hard Day's Night" |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | late 30s-early 40s |
| Occupation | Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital |
| Title | M.D., F.A.C.S. |
| Relationships | Dr. Cristina Yang (fiancée) |
| Children | None |
| Relatives | Jane Burke (mother) Donald Burke (father) |
| Portrayed by | Isaiah Washington |
| Created by | Shonda Rhimes |
Preston Xavier Burke is the name of a fictional character on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by actor Isaiah Washington.
[edit] Character Background
Dr. Burke is 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. Initially, he was engaged in a cold war with Cristina, but he has since proposed to her and she has accepted his proposal. Until their secret was revealed, Burke was set to become the next Chief of Surgery, but now he has to compete with his fellow attendings for the position. He has since recovered, after being operated on by Dr. Derek Shepherd.
