Grey's Anatomy Cast

Main characters

 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, maybe at 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 a severe 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.

• 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.

• 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; although he has confronted Cristina with his suspicions about Burke's problems, he has yet to confront Callie about Sloan, due to the distraction and stress over his father's newly-diagnosed cancer.

• 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 the 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 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.

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.

• 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 stormed out 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.

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 nine nieces and five nephews. He once had an accident while riding a motorcycle, causing a scar, 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 infatuated with Meredith, though he vehemently denied it when questioned. He and Meredith had sex during the hospital prom and 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 nicer 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 is to work together with Cristina during every one of his surgeries so that she may take over in case he might have trouble with his hand. George has caught onto the tremors and Cristina's role in the cover-up, but so far has only confronted Cristina with his suspicions.

• Dr. Richard Webber: The current Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace. He had an affair with intern Meredith's mother, Ellis Grey (which he did not know his wife knew about). He confessed in a later episode that he had left her because he believed that Ellis deserved better and that he had too much luggage. He is a recovered alcoholic ("Superstition"). His niece-by-marriage, Camille Travis, is dying of ovarian cancer. His wife, 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 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.

• 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 and left. 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 since got a job 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".

 Recurring characters

• Dr. Ellis Grey: Mother of intern Dr. Meredith Grey and former surgeon. She is currently suffering from Alzheimer's. She previously 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. (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: Meredith Grey's father; left after finding out about his wife, Ellis' affair with Dr. Richard Webber. Has a wife, Susan, and two other daughters, Lexie and Molly, that Meredith recently met. (Jeff Perry)

• 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 is proud of all his sons, but 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)

 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 so that he would receive a heart from a patient whose intended recipient was not Denny. 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)