Ellen Pompeo

Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (pʌmˈpɛoʊ, born November 10, 1969) is an American actress and producer. Born in Everett, Massachusetts, Pompeo moved to New York City at 26 where she was discovered by a casting director who signed her for an advertisement campaign for L'Oreal. She made her screen debut with NBC's legal drama Law & Order, and then guest-starred in other television shows, including the comedy Strangers with Candy, the medical drama Strong Medicine and the sitcom Friends. Pompeo 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 success initially. A turning point came in her career in 2002, when she gained wide recognition for her starring role in Brad Silberling's drama Moonlight Mile. Pompeo then starred in ABC's popular medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2005–present), and garnered worldwide recognition for her portrayal of the title character Dr. Meredith Grey. The role on the long running series earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama nomination, and the Screen Actors Guild Award. The character became widely popular, making Pompeo one of the most popular television actresses. In 2015, Pompeo was ranked fourth in the list of highest paid TV actresses by Forbes, with the earnings of $11.5 million, a spot that she held on to the following year with the earnings of $14.5 million. Pompeo's other notable film roles include the comedy Old School (2003), the superhero film Daredevil (2003), the caper film Art Heist (2004), and the comedy drama Life of the Party (2005). In October 2007, she was honored with Special Achievement in Entertaining by the National Italian American Foundation for her achievement in the entertainment industry. Pompeo married producer Chris Ivery in 2007 and the couple have three children together.