Ellen Kathleen Pompeo is an American actress. She is best known for playing Dr. Meredith Grey, the title character on the long-running ABC medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy. Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination. She has made multiple appearances on Forbes's year-end lists. Born in Everett, Massachusetts, Pompeo moved to Miami and then New York City, where a casting director discovered her and signed her for an ad campaign for L'Oreal. She made her screen debut with NBC's legal drama Law & Order, then guest-starred in other television shows, including the comedy Strangers with Candy, the medical drama Strong Medicine and the sitcom Friends. She made her feature film debut in 1999 with the romantic comedy Coming Soon, and went on to play minor roles in films like In the Weeds and Mambo Café but found little initial success. A turning point came in her career in 2002, when she was noticed for her role in Brad Silberling's romantic drama Moonlight Mile.
Pompeo was then cast in ABC's Grey's Anatomy, and gained worldwide recognition as Dr. Meredith Grey for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award.