In the 90s, Ellen Pompeo began her career as an actress. Little by little, the actress earned a place in Hollywood with some supporting roles. In fact, he is part of the celebrities who starred in a superhero movie and you might not remember it.
In the mid-2000s, her luck changed and she got the lead role that changed her life: playing Meredith Gray in “Grey’s Anatomy”, one of the most successful series on television.
Ellen Pompeo’s evolution on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’: photos
In 2005, at the age of 35, the actress made her debut as young medical intern Meredith Gray in the first season of the Shonda Rhimes production.
Her character won the hearts of the audience in no time, as did her relationship with Derek Shepherd ‘Mc Dreamy’, played by Patrick Dempsey. Together they were part of the best medical drama couples.
Ellen’s acting work as Meredith did not go unnoticed by critics and in 2007 she received her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
The success of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ quickly got it renewed for more seasons, a constant that has been repeated for more than a decade.
As Meredith Gray went from intern to resident, Ellen’s popularity and earnings also increased.
In 2012, the year Meredith officially became a surgeon, Ellen Pompeo was already among Forbes magazine’s 10 highest-paid television actresses.
Over the years, farewells and deaths of beloved colleagues at Seattle Grace Hospital (now Gray Sloan Memorial Hospital) have plagued Meredith, and among the most poignant is Derek’s death in Season 11 (2014-2015).
After the death of McDreamy and the end of one of the most beloved couples of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, a decline in the ratings of the series seemed possible. However, the series’ success didn’t really suffer. Instead, the production of the medical drama continued to renew it season after season.
Ellen also managed to not only star in the show, but also landed a major behind-the-scenes role. Since 2017, Pompeo has been a part of the producers of “Grey’s Anatomy”.
In addition, he has directed some episodes of the series such as ‘Be Still, My Soul’ from season 13 and ‘Old Scars, New Hearts’ from season 14.
In 2018, at the age of 48, Ellen Pompeo was crowned the highest paid television actress with an estimated annual earnings of $20 million.
In 2020, in season 17, Meredith Gray became the resident program director at Gray Sloan Memorial Hospital, and in the same year, Ellen won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Female TV Star, which she won again in 2022.
Throughout her career as Meredith Grey, Ellen Pompeo was not nominated for an Emmy Award, one of the small screen’s most important awards. Despite all that, she has multiple People’s Choice Award nominations and wins.
In addition to her two wins for Favorite Female TV Star, she won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Drama Actress in 2013 and 2015.
In October 2022, after starring in more than 400 episodes over 17 years of “Grey’s Anatomy,” Ellen Pompeo returned to Meredith Gray in season 19 of the show, which stands out from the rest by being the one that works the least. .
According to ABC, the show’s distributor, Ellen will only appear in eight episodes of this 19th season.
On November 10, 2022, Pompeo turned 53, and it was the day that a preview of the second part of season 19 of “Grey’s Anatomy” was released.
In this clip, Meredith Gray’s farewell from Gray Sloan Memorial Hospital was revealed. The dedicated surgeon will start a new life in Boston, which justifies the departure of Ellen Pompeo as the series’ protagonist.