1/10 Grey's Anatomy Fans Can't Match The Actor To The Character
- by Nicole
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Isn't it just the weirdest thing when one is watching another series or movie, and out of nowhere Meredith makes an appearance? Viewers may have seen her in movies such as: Daredevil, Catch Me If You Can, or Old School. She has also starred in shows like: Friends, The Job and Law & Order. The thing is this - it's not Meredith Grey on that screen. It's a real life person who is playing a new or different role. But who is that real life person? What is her actual name? And the same can be said for the other characters as well. They all have other acting roles, some more famous than others.
Sometimes we become fans of the actual person, and not the character they play. This is what makes it easier to accept when seeing them in another show. The reverse is also true. One may question why Izzie is trying on 27 dresses when she should be helping out with a code at the hospital... There are many famous actors and actresses who have made an appearance on Grey's Anatomy over the last few years as well. This is something that certainly keeps the show interesting and exciting too.
Now it's time to see if the real fans can match the actors to their favorite characters.
Izzie's fiancé, Denny Duquette, was played by...
This male actor first appeared in Grey's Anatomy back in 2006, as Denny Duquette. He was a cardiac (heart) patient who needed a heart transplant. He fell in love with Izzie Stevens, and they actually got engaged. Even though Izzie went to the ends of the earth to save him, it just wasn't enough. This actor also appeared in ‘Rampage’. In real life, this actor is currently 52 years old and has two children. He has also been married twice (Wikipedia). He is also famously known for his role in ‘P.S. I Love You’ where he starred along Hilary Swank.
Izzie Stevens is played by....
Izzie Stevens goes by many nicknames. These include: Dr Model, Bethany Whisper, Cricket and Patient X. She also has a daughter who she gave up for adoption at a young age. After Izzie was diagnosed with cancer, she married Alex Karev. They don't live happily ever after though. In fact, their marriage ended in a divorce. Izzie also fell for George, who was married to Callie. She was also engaged to a patient, Denny Duquette. The actress who portrayed Izzie is well known for many other shows and films. She also won nine different awards between 2003 and 2012 (Wikipedia).
Cristina Yang is played by...
Cristina Yang was best buds with Meredith Grey. They started their internship together and although they had a rough start, they became like sisters. She was seen on the set of Grey's Anatomy for at least 9 years alongside Meredith. Her character fell head over heels for Preston Burke, the cardiothoracic surgeon. They were to be married, but Preston left her high and dry at the altar. This actress also starred in a number of TV shows and movies. She has also won at least three awards for her role as Cristina Yang in Grey's Anatomy. There are many other nominations as well.
True or False: Derek is portrayed by Dylan McDermott
Derek Shepherd is also known as McDreamy. He was just a guy in the bar who fell for a girl in a bar, Meredith Grey. They almost lived happily ever after, but Derek passed away before they got the chance. He left Meredith behind, with three young children. Dylan McDermott is an actor who was born in 1961. He first won a Golden Globe Award in 1999 for his role in ‘The Practice’. He has only won one other award during his time as an actor. He also starred as Detective Jack Larsen in the TV show ‘Stalker’ (Wikipedia).
Who plays Meredith Grey?
Meredith Grey is the show's name sake. She is the intern who was born with a golden spoon in her mouth, since Dr Ellis Grey was her mother. She is a general surgeon; of course her mother was pretty disappointed when she found out. Meredith goes through more ups and downs than anyone should ever be allowed to experience. The lady who plays this role was born on 10 November 1969. Her salary for 2018 was a glorious $20 million! She is also married and has three children. This actress even appeared in one of Taylor Swift's music videos (Wikipedia).
Chyler Leigh portrays...
Chyler Leigh is an actress, singer and model. She is married to Nathan West and they have three children together. The first time she appeared on stage was in 1996. Chyler has also been in a music video for Marilyn Manson. She sang in some Grey's Anatomy soundtracks in 2008 and 2011 (Wikipedia). The character she plays in Grey's Anatomy has a very soft spot for George O'Malley. She really gets to know him during their internship. She gets romantically involved with a number of men, including: Mark Sloan, Alex Karev and Jackson Avery. She also shares a father with another doctor.
Who plays Amelia Shepherd?
Amelia Shepherd is a neurosurgeon and also Derek's sister. She kind of filled his shoes after he left the series. Amelia is portrayed by a female actress who was born in 1981. This actress also starred in other shows such as: Castle, Alice and Edge of Darkness. Amelia isn't in that many of the old episodes because she is dealing with her own addictions and recovery as well. Amelia also has to work out her love life. She struggles at first, but eventually she pulls herself towards herself, and is able to find love with the handsome Dr Owen Hunt.
Martin Henderson plays the role of...
Martin Henderson is an actor from Auckland, New Zealand. He was born on 8 October 1974. His acting role started back in 1989. Although Martin has also been in a number of other films and TV shows, he has also appeared in a music video. In 2003 Martin played Britney Spears' boyfriend in the music video ‘Toxic’. He most recently played the role of Mike in the film 'The Strangers: Prey at Night' (Wikipedia). The character Martin played in Grey's Anatomy only appears after Derek leaves. This was from 2015 to 2017, so fans who recently started watching may not know who he is.
George O'Malley is portrayed by...
George O'Malley is an original intern who is no longer in the series. In fact, the only two doctors left are Meredith and Alex. George was super sweet, and he often got pushed around. Maybe he was just too sweet... Nevertheless, he always pushed through to be the best person he could be. George was eventually written out of the series in 2009. The person who acts as George has also starred in various films and TV shows. The most recent film he acted in was 'Hello Again'. In this movie he played the role of Carl, the husband (Wikipedia).
Mark Sloan is portrayed by...
Mark Sloan is the ‘Super Famous Plastics Guy’ who falls in love with Little Grey. Before this though, he also gets involved with his best friend’s wife, Addison. Mark works closely with Jackson Avery - teaching him all he knows. The man who acts as Mark is also famous for his role as Jason Dean in ‘Charmed’. This actor was born on 9 November 1972. He also appeared in ‘Marley and Me’ in 2008 (Wikipedia). If one starts watching the latest season of Grey's Anatomy, it's clear that Mark Sloan isn't there. That's because he passed away after the plane crash.
True or False: Kim Raver plays Teddy Altman
Teddy Altman is a cardiothoracic surgeon, on Grey's Anatomy, who was introduced by Owen Hunt. They worked together in the army. Teddy secretly likes Owen but only recently confessed this to him. This actress has starred in many different TV Shows but not in that many movies. In fact, she has only starred in six movies and done one voice over. Kim Raver will be 50 years old in March 2019 (Wikipedia). She has two kids and is also married. Spoiler alert - Teddy, is currently pregnant in the latest season of Grey's Anatomy. And the father is Owen Hunt.
Jackson Avery is played by...
Jackson was one of the interns who joined Grey's Anatomy when the merger first happened. He was from Mercy West Hospital. Initially, no one knew that he was actually related to Harper Avery, one of the world's most famous doctors. Jackson didn't like to mention this, as it seemed to have a negative stigma attached to it. Of course, he couldn't hide this for very long. He eventually married April Kepner and they had two children together. The actor who plays Jackson Avery was actually a teacher who taught in high school. He also appeared in music videos and a video game (Wikipedia).
Who plays Ben Warren?
Ben Warren is a fictional character on this show. He was only someone viewers met more recently. He is the guy who captured Miranda's heart. They fell in love, and they got married. Ben used to be an anaesthetist, and that's how he met Bailey. Then he decided to do a surgical internship. In recent episodes, he became a fire fighter in ‘Station 19’. This actor also recently acted in ‘Indivisible’ and ‘Breaking In’. He also starred as J. T. Hunter in the show ‘Eve’. He was only ever nominated for one award back in 1999. but he didn't win anything (Wikipedia).
Kevin McKidd plays the role of...
This actor plays the role of a male surgeon who gets married twice. He swoops in and saves the day for a patient and for Cristina, after she gets stuck with a piece of ice. He can be somewhat unorthodox, but this makes him great at what he does. He used to be best friends with Nathan but the relationship went sour when something happened to his sister. Recently he also got a lady friend of his pregnant, but secretly they've always liked each other. Spoiler alert - in recent episodes he also decided to foster a little baby boy.
Who plays Addison Shepherd?
Addison was Derek's first wife. She cheated on Derek with his best friend, Mark. The first time viewers had the pleasure of meeting her; she walked up to Meredith and Derek and introduced herself as Derek's wife. Meredith's world came crashing down at this point. Addison is actually a doctor in the show 'Private Practice', which is a spinoff from Grey's Anatomy. The woman who portrays Addison has won three awards for her acting since 2006. Two of these awards were for her role in Grey's Anatomy. She was most recently featured in the TV show '13 Reasons Why' (Wikipedia).
Preston Burke is portrayed by...
Preston Burke was known as the 'Cardio God'. He hit it off with Cristina Yang in the very beginning, and she even fell pregnant with his child. They were engaged to be married, but as she was about to walk down the aisle Preston made a move and left her on their wedding day. He left the country and married a woman named Edra. They have two children; Jane and Donald. The actor who plays Preston was born in Texas in 1963. He first started acting in 1991, and has since been in a number of movies and TV shows (Wikipedia).
Who plays Maggie Pierce?
Maggie Pierce is a female doctor who also joined Grey's Anatomy in more recent seasons. At first, we couldn't really place her. Eventually, we discovered that she was Meredith's half-sister. Richard Webber is her father and her mother is Ellis Grey. Ellis gave her up for adoption when she was born. Richard had no idea that he even had a daughter. The lady who acts as Maggie first starred in a TV show called ‘Cyberchase’ in 2005. She did some acting in college, but her success only started much later. This actress turns 38 years old on 29 September 2019.
Sarah Drew plays the role of...
Sarah Drew was born on 1 October 1980 in New York. In 2014 she starred as Charlotte in ‘Waking Marshall Walker’. In 2018 Sarah also produced and directed the movie ‘Indivisible’. The character she plays in Grey's Anatomy starts as an intern from Mercy West Hospital. She uses a notebook to keep positive notes about herself. She uses this to keep her self-esteem up. The book is eventually stolen by another doctor. She gets married, gets divorced and even has two children. Then she decides to go work overseas in the army. This doctor is someone who often surprises herself and others.
Adele Webber is played by...
Adele Webber was married to Richard. She supported his work, but it did prove difficult when he was never around to be a husband. He also kept many secrets from her - including the time he had brain surgery! Ironically, she also developed Alzheimer's (like his fling, Ellis). But she passed away from a heart attack. The lady who portrayed Adele was born on 21 August 1949, in Texas. She has appeared in over 60 different movies during her time as an actress. In fact, she has also done a number of Broadway productions (Wikipedia). Not bad for an almost 70 year old!
Richard Webber is played by...
Richard Webber is the head doctor in this TV show. He is known as ‘The Chief’. Richard had a romantic relationship with Dr Ellis Grey, Meredith's mother. At the time, he was actually married to a lady named Adele. He never spent much time with her, and their relationship ended in a divorce. He found love again and recently married a doctor named Catherine Avery. The man who plays Richard also acted in the TV series ‘X-Files’. He was born in 1954 and has two children. He recently acted as Chuck Mitchell in a TV show called ‘The Conners’ (Wikipedia).
True or False: Alex Karev is played by Justin Chambers
Alex Karev is one of the original interns who started with Cristina, Izzie, George and Meredith. He was pretty arrogant, but he has evolved in to a decent human being. He got involved in paediatric surgery and is a very good doctor. He has been married twice, but most recently to Jo Wilson. The man who plays the role of Alex was born on 11 July 1970. The last movie he acted in was ‘Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox’ in 2013. This actor has been nominated for a number of awards since 2005 and he has won four awards to date (Wikipedia).
Who plays Erica Hahn?
Erica is one of the many doctors whose favorite organ is the heart. In the beginning, Erica was often found battling it out with Preston Burke. Erica was also one of the first ladies Callie found herself interested in. Erica last appeared in Grey's Anatomy back in 2008, so newer fans might not recognize her. This actress most recently played the role of Sybil Meeks in the TV series 'The Good Doctor'. Her role in Grey's Anatomy also landed her a nomination. This was for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (Wikipedia).
Miranda Bailey is played by...
Miranda Bailey is the ‘Mama Bear’ of Grey's Anatomy. She is fierce and lets nothing stand in her way. Miranda is a little bit sarcastic, but she is so good at it! Initially, she can come across as a bit outspoken, but she always has her doctor's backs. She will protect them as much as she can, then call them out in private. She is definitely a fantastic mother hen! The lady that plays this role was actually born in Texas, in 1969. We all know that she is rather short too, in fact she is only 1.52m tall (Wikipedia).
Who plays Leah Murphy?
Leah Murphy was on and off the Grey's Anatomy scene for a while. She got in to the surgical program at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital because of the relationship her mother had with Mark Sloan. While she was there she got involved with Arizona Robbins. This relationship turned sour quickly and did something to their reputations. This actress was born in LA on 30 March 1986. She has starred in various films, including: Insidious: The Last Key and The Passing Parade. She has also been in a few TV shows. In 2018 she played the role of Cora Babineau in ‘Mr. Mercedes’ (Wikipedia).
Who plays Callie Torres?
Callie Torres is an orthopaedic surgeon in Grey's Anatomy. She has a daughter with Arizona Robbins and Mark Sloan. She has also been married, and divorced, twice. Her first impromptu marriage was to George O'Malley and the second was to Arizona Robbins. One of her most memorable episodes was the musical which happened after her accident. She was also romantically involved with Penny, the woman held responsible for Derek's passing. The lady who plays Callie was born in Mexico in 1975. She is also a singer and songwriter. This lady also went to Juilliard and was seen on Broadway (Wikipedia).
True or False: Jo Wilson is portrayed by Kelly McCreary
Jo Wilson is now known as Jo Karev, since she married Alex Karev. She was also previously known as Brooke Stadler during her previous marriage. She ran away and changed her name to Jo Wilson. Jo is a lady that has been through a very tough time - she even lived in her car! The lady who portrays Jo first appeared in a film called 'A Couple of White Chicks at the Hairdresser' in 2007. She even appeared in some of the Tomb Raider video games as Lara Croft. Although she hasn't won any awards, she has been nominated four times (Wikipedia).
Who plays Andrew's sister, Carina Deluca?
Andrew was on the Grey's Anatomy scene before his sister, Carina. Carina is an OB/GYN and she is currently working on a study involving the female brain and body. Arizona and Carina seemed to hit it off pretty well, but so did Owen and Carina. She was also the doctor who found Amelia Shepherd's brain tumour. This was after she managed to get Bailey on board, to allow her to do her research. The actress who plays Carina was born on 17 July 1982 and she was born in Sicily, Italy. In actuality, both she, and her fictional character, grew up in Italy (Wikipedia).
Jerrika Hinton portrays...
Jerrika Hinton is an actress who was also born in Texas. She first started acting in 2005. The last movie she acted in was ‘Odious’, in 2016. In 2018 she was seen acting in 'A Majestic Christmas' and 'Here and Now'. She appeared in 111 episodes of Grey's Anatomy (Wikipedia). The character she played was dating Jackson Avery at one point. She was also good friends with Jo. In the show, she was given the nickname 'Grumpy'. She also exchanged phone numbers with a male patient named Kyle Diaz. She left the series after saving a child from a fire.
Who plays Finn Dandridge?
Finn Dandridge is a veterinarian who Meredith meets when he treats her dog, Doc. Finn and Derek try to compete for Meredith's love and attention, but he doesn't make the cut. He is nicknamed 'McVet' and 'McSingle' during his appearance on the show. While he was on a date with Meredith they helped birth a horse. The last time this actor was in a movie was back in 2010. After Grey's Anatomy he also acted in other TV shows like: The Company, NCIS, and The Prince Is Right! This actor also has five children and has his own clothing company (Wikipedia).
Andrew Deluca is played by...
Andrew first appeared in season 11 as an intern, but was mistakenly thought to be an attending. He moved in to Arizona's house as she needed a roommate. Andrew also once took a beating from Alex - over a girl! That being said though, it was a complete misunderstanding which landed Alex in a bit of trouble. He also had a romantic relationship with Maggie Pierce and Sam Bello. The actor who plays Andrew was also born in Rome, Italy in 1989. He first started acting in 2010, but the last movie he acted in was 'Race' in 2016 (Wikipedia).
Who acts as Shane Ross?
Shane Ross was an intern who started the program with Leah Murphy, Heather Brooks, Jo Wilson and Stephanie Edwards. He was romantically involved with Stephanie and Cristina Yang (but not at the same time!). He followed Cristina to Zurich where he also started working at the Klausman Institute for Medical Research. Before he left, he felt guilty for what had happened to Heather. This caused a psychiatric episode. The actor who plays Shane appeared in 'The Book of Daniel' in 2006, and he appeared in 'Taken' in 2017. He is also famously known as Brian Williams from 'Friday Night Lights' (Wikipedia).
Who plays Heather Brooks?
Heather Brooks is no longer in this series, but she did make an impact on viewers. She was involved with Alex Karev at some stage. Heather was also ordered to follow Arizona with a wheelchair, just in case she fell. This intern was assigned to work with Derek, and he thought that she had great potential in neurosurgery. The lady who acts as Heather also played in a band with her older brother, Kevin. Her first TV show was 'Camp Wilder' which was in 1992, and the last movie she acted in was 'Veronica Mars', which was in 2014 (Wikipedia).
True or False: Jessica Capshaw portrays Arizona Robbins
Arizona Robbins is a doctor that specialises in treating children. She was married to Callie Torres, but they recently got a divorce. They also have a child together, Sofia Robbins Sloan Torres. She is not her biological mother, but she is a legal guardian. She was one of the doctors involved in the plane crash. It was as a result of this, that she lost a leg. The lady who plays Arizona was born in 1976 in Columbia. She started acting in 1997, and has four children. The last movie she featured in was 'The Hero of Color City' in 2014 (Wikipedia).
Ellis Grey is played by...
Ellis Grey is the mother of Meredith and Maggie. She had a fling with Richard while she was still married to Thatcher. She was one of the leading doctors in the medical field, and even named a technique after herself. She won the Harper Avery Award more than once - which left her peers gawking! While she was still practicing she kept a number of journals. The woman who played this role started acting in 1982. During her time as an actress she has been in more than 40 different TV shows and 30 different films. She has also narrated audiobooks (Wikipedia).
Debbie Allen plays...
Debbie Allen is a more mature actress from Texas. She was born in 1950 and has been acting since 1976. She has three children and is married to Norm Nixon. Not only has Debbie been in TV shows and films, she has also directed and produced a number of shows. She is a writer, dancer and choreographer too (Wikipedia). In Grey's Anatomy, she plays the role of a strong, influential female doctor who carries a heavy surname. She only has one child, who is also a doctor in the show. Her chosen speciality is urology and she is the Board Chairman.