Preston Burke
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| Dr. Preston Xavier Burke | |
|---|---|
 Dr. Preston Burke |
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| First appearance | "A Hard Day's Night" |
| Last appearance | "Didn't We Almost Have It All?" |
| Cause/reason | Resigned |
| Created by | Shonda Rhimes |
| Portrayed by | Isaiah Washington |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 43 |
| Occupation | Former Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital |
| Title | M.D., F.A.C.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Dr. Cristina Yang (ex-fiancée) |
| Relatives | Jane Burke (mother) Donald Burke (father) |
Preston Xavier Burke is a fictional character on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by actor Isaiah Washington.
[edit] Fictional Biography
Dr. Preston Burke is the former chief cardiothoracic surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital. After completing his pre-medical studies at Tulane University, Burke graduated first in his class from Johns Hopkins Medical School. He was once the interim chief of surgery while Dr. Webber was healing from his brain surgery. He began a relationship with intern Cristina Yang but broke it off because he feared it would ruin both of their reputations. Her miscarriage brought them back together. He and Cristina lived together in his perfectly-kept apartment. He plays the trumpet and enjoys jazz and classical music, especially Eugene Foote's. He actually performs a surgery on his musical hero, but the patient dies during the surgery.
In the second season finale he was shot, which affected 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, where neither of them spoke (neither would "say Uncle") but after she broke the silence, he proposed to her and she accepted his proposal. Before their secret was revealed, Burke was to become the next Chief of Surgery, but he had to compete with his fellow attendings for the position. He has since recovered from the injury, after being operated on by Dr. Derek Shepherd.
However, in the finale of season three, on the day of their wedding, Burke told Cristina that he no longer wished to make her do anything against her will, and realized he was trying to make Cristina the woman he wanted her to be, and not accept her as the woman she is. Cristina said she "thought this was what she wanted" . He wanted her to say she knew it was what she wanted, so he left her in the chapel. Cristina then returned to their apartment and discovered Burke had left, taking with him the things that meant something to only him (his trumpet, his Eugene Foote collection, his grandmother's picture, and his lucky scrub cap), leaving Cristina devastated.
In season 4 of Grey's Anatomy, Preston's long-time rival and love-to-hate medic Dr. Erica Hahn replaced him as the head of cardiothoracic surgery. Having such, she has a huge respect for Burke although she would never admit it to him in his face. She was even appropriately nicknamed The New Burke and Dr. McHardcore. Hahn dislikes Christina Yang because of her relationship with Dr. Burke. During his employment at a new hospital, he is made the recipient of 2008's Harper Avery, a highly prestigious medical award.
[edit] Reason For Departure
On June 7, 2007, it was announced that Isaiah Washington was released from his contract.[1] This was reportedly due to the controversy of Washington using the derogatory word "faggot" towards fellow cast member T.R. Knight during an off camera argument following a physical altercation with Patrick Dempsey.
[edit] References
- ^ Washington Out of "Grey's Anatomy", Yahoo!, June 8, 2007
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