Ellen Pompeo
Ellen Pompeo is an American actress known for playing Dr. Meredith Grey on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. She has also appeared in films including Moonlight Mile, Catch Me If You Can, Old School, and Daredevil, and has worked as a producer and director.
Personal life
Ellen Pompeo has been married to music producer Chris Ivery since 2007. They have three children: daughters Stella Luna and Sienna May, and son Eli Christopher.
Pompeo gave birth to Stella Luna in 2009 and Eli Christopher in 2016. Sienna May was born via surrogate in 2014.
Early screen work and *Moonlight Mile*
Pompeo began her acting career with advertisements and small film parts after moving to New York City in 1995. She was discovered while working at SoHo Bar & Grill and appeared in ads for Citibank and L'Oréal. Her television debut came with a guest role on Law & Order in 1996, followed by appearances in Strangers with Candy, Strong Medicine, and Friends.
Her feature-film debut was the 1999 romantic comedy Coming Soon. She later appeared in In the Weeds and Mambo Café before gaining wider attention in Brad Silberling's Moonlight Mile (2002), in which she starred alongside Susan Sarandon, Dustin Hoffman, and Jake Gyllenhaal. She also played Marci in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can, Nicole in Old School, Karen Page in Daredevil, Sandra Walker in Art Heist, and Phoebe Elgin in Life of the Party.
*Grey's Anatomy* and Meredith Grey
In 2005, Pompeo began playing Dr. Meredith Grey, the title character and central protagonist of Shonda Rhimes's medical drama Grey's Anatomy. The role brought her worldwide recognition and became the defining performance of her career. She received a Golden Globe nomination for the part and shared a Screen Actors Guild Award with the show's ensemble.
Pompeo won People's Choice Awards for Favorite Dramatic TV Actress in 2013, 2015, and 2016, and later won additional People's Choice Awards for her work on the series in 2020, 2021, and 2022. She continued as an executive producer and reduced her on-screen role during the show's nineteenth season while retaining Meredith's voice-over duties.
Production, directing, and later projects
Pompeo founded the production company Calamity Jane in 2011. The company developed projects for ABC, including dramas centered on female agents and police officers, and later acquired the rights to the Paradise book trilogy. Pompeo became an executive producer of Grey's Anatomy in 2017 and a co-executive producer of its spin-off Station 19.
She made her directing debut on Grey's Anatomy, directing the episodes “Be Still, My Soul” and “Old Scars, Future Hearts” in 2017 and 2018. Her later screen work included voicing Willow in Doc McStuffins, appearing in Taylor Swift's “Bad Blood” music video, judging RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, and playing Kristine Barnett in the 2025 miniseries Good American Family. She was named a Disney Legend in 2022.
Quick facts
- Pompeo was discovered while working at SoHo Bar & Grill in New York City.
- Her major studio screen debut was Brad Silberling's Moonlight Mile in 2002, where she starred alongside Susan Sarandon, Dustin Hoffman, and Jake Gyllenhaal.
- Pompeo's scenes as Naomi in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind were deleted from the released film.
- She turned down the role of Becky Scott in Clerks II after completing the pilot for Grey's Anatomy.
- Pompeo directed the Grey's Anatomy episodes “Be Still, My Soul” and “Old Scars, Future Hearts.”
- She founded the production company Calamity Jane in 2011.
- Pompeo became an executive producer of Grey's Anatomy and a co-executive producer of Station 19.
- She was named a Disney Legend in 2022.
- Pompeo played Luna in Taylor Swift's 2015 music video for “Bad Blood.”
- She appeared as a guest judge on the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars.
- Pompeo's daughter Sienna May was born via surrogate in 2014.
- Pompeo's performance in Grey's Anatomy earned her a Golden Globe nomination and multiple People's Choice Awards.
FAQs about Ellen Pompeo
How many marriages has Ellen Pompeo had?
Ellen Pompeo has had one marriage. She married music producer Chris Ivery in 2007.
Did Ellen Pompeo give birth to all her children?
No. Pompeo gave birth to her first child, Stella Luna, in 2009, and her son Eli Christopher in 2016. Her daughter Sienna May was born via surrogate in 2014.
Who is Ellen Pompeo's husband?
Ellen Pompeo's husband is music producer Chris Ivery. They married in 2007.
What role is Ellen Pompeo known for?
She is best known for playing Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy.
Was Ellen Pompeo in *Friends*?
Yes. Pompeo played Missy Goldberg in a 2004 episode of Friends.
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