Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (born November 10, 1969) is a Golden Globe-nominated and Screen Actors Guild award-winning American actress, known for playing the title role of Meredith Grey on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.

Early life

Ellen Kathleen Pompeo was born in Everett, Massachusetts, the daughter of Joseph, a salesman, and Kathleen Pompeo.[1] Pompeo is of Irish and Italian descent and was raised Catholic.[2][3] Her grandfather was born in Gesualdo, a village in Province of Avellino, Italy.[citation needed] Her mother died when she was four years old due to an overdose, and her father remarried soon after her mother's death. She was nicknamed the pencil and Straciatella (which translated from Italian to "little rags" or "strings")[4] for her thin frame.

For more than two years, she served cocktails in Miami where she met then-boyfriend, fashion photographer Andrew Rosenthal. In 1996, she was bartending at the SoHo Bar & Grill in New York City's Upper West Side when an agent approached her to appear in commercials. Subsequently, she appeared in commercials for Citibank and L'Oréal. She began her career with minor roles on television shows like Strangers with Candy and Law & Order and a handful of films.

Career

Determined to succeed in acting, Pompeo moved to Los Angeles in 2001. A turning point came when she was selected by director Brad Silberling in 2002 for a role in his film Moonlight Mile playing Jake Gyllenhaal's sympathetic love interest. She also appeared in the film Daredevil playing Matt Murdock's (Ben Affleck) secretary Karen Page, but most of her scenes were deleted from the theatrical version of the film. In 2002 and 2003, Pompeo appeared in Catch Me If You Can and Old School. Television guest roles include two episodes of Law & Order and an episode of Friends. She portrayed Jim Carrey's ex-girlfriend, Naomi, in the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Although her scenes were cut from the film, she felt grateful that director Michel Gondry chose her to appear in his film.[5]

Pompeo landed her first major role in the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy, as the title character, Meredith Grey, a surgical intern at a prestigious hospital. The show became the highest-rated on network TV in its fifth season. In 2007, Pompeo was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series. That year, she also signed a new contract for Grey's Anatomy that increased her salary to $200,000 per episode. She is contracted with the show for seven seasons.[6]

On October 13, 2007, Pompeo was honored by the National Italian American Foundation for her achievement in entertainment at a black-tie gala in Washington, D.C.[7]

Personal life

Pompeo married record producer Chris Ivery on November 9, 2007 at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau near New York's City Hall, with Mayor Michael Bloomberg serving as their witness.[8] They met in 2003 when mutual friends introduced them at a Whole Foods Market, and began dating six months later. They later discovered that they grew up in Boston 10 miles from each other.[9] They now reside in Los Angeles with their two mini poodles, Valentino and Gigi.

On April 19, 2009, it was announced that Pompeo and Ivery are expecting their first child together. [10]

Filmography

1999    8 ½ x 11    Human Resources Woman    (short film)
Coming Soon    Upset Girl    
2000    Eventual Wife    Beth    (short film)
In the Weeds    Martha    
2002    Moonlight Mile    Bertie Knox    
Catch Me If You Can    Marci    
2003    Old School    Nicole    
Daredevil    Karen Page    
Undermind    Flynn    
2004    Nobody's Perfect    Veronica    (short film)
Art Heist    Sandra Walker    
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind    Naomi    (scenes deleted)
2005    Life of the Party    Phoebe Elgin    

Television

Year    Series    Role    Episode
1996    Law & Order    Jenna Weber    Savior
1999    Strangers With Candy    Lizzie Abrams    Feather in the Storm
2000    Law & Order    Laura Kendrick    Fools for Love
Get Real    Nina Adler    History Lessons
2001    The Job    Sue    Anger
Strong Medicine    Quincy Dunne    Wednesday Night Fever
2004    Friends    Missy Goldberg    The One Where the Stripper Cries
2005 - present    Grey's Anatomy    Meredith Grey    All/Lead Role/Narrator

Awards and Nominations

2 Wins and 5 Nominations

    * 2005 Teen Choice Award for "Choice TV- Breakout Female" (nominated)
    * 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards for "Best Ensemble Cast -Drama Series" (nominated)
    * 2006 Teen Choice Award for "Choice TV -Actress" (nominated)
    * 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards for "Best Ensemble Cast -Drama Series" (Won)
    * 2007 Golden Globe Awards for "Best Actress -Drama" (Nominated)
    * 2007 Satellite Awards for "Best Actress ,Drama" (Won)
    * 2008 Screen Actors Guild Awards for "Best Ensemble Cast -Drama Series" (nominated) (**!!)

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