EXPLORE All The Shades of Grey

ELLEN POMPEO...................................................................................................

Pompeo was born in Everett, Massachusetts, then lived on New York's Upper West Side. Her father was born in Gesualdo, a village in province of Avellino (Italy). Her mother died when she was only four years old. She eventually moved to Miami, where she worked as a cocktail waitress and met New York fashion photographer Andrew Rosenthal, with whom she eventually returned to New York. In 1996, she was bartending at the SoHo Bar & Grill when an agent approached her about appearing in commercials. She subsequently appeared in commercials for Citibank and L'Oreal. Minor roles on shows like Strangers with Candy and a handful of films followed. 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. She was also 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. She also was Jim Carrey's ex-girlfriend, Naomi, in the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but all her scenes were cut from the final movie. They can be viewed on the two-DVD collector's edition of the film. She starred in Old School as Nicole and Catch Me If You Can as Marci. Guest roles include two episodes of Law & Order and an episode of Friends ("The One Where the Stripper Cries"). However, Pompeo landed her first major role in the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy, as the title character, Meredith Grey, an intern and lead character at a prestigious hospital. The show was an instant hit and became the highest-rated show on network TV in its third season. Pompeo and Rosenthal split in late 2003. She is currently engaged to African-American music producer Christopher Ivery; They currently reside in Los Angeles. They met in 2003 when mutual friends introduced them, but only began dating after 6 months. They later discovered that they grew up in Boston 10 miles from each other. Ivery also knew Pompeo's father. Ivery proposed on Pompeo's 37th birthday, and they are now married.

PATRICK DEMPSEY...........................................................................................
Dempsey was born in Lewiston, Maine and grew up in Turner, Maine, the youngest of three children born to Amanda and William Dempsey. Dempsey attended St. Dominic Regional High School, where his mother worked as a secretary, but dropped out before he graduated. He was an adept juggler, tying for second in a National Juggling Competition. He once said that as a child, one of his main ambitions was to be a supermodel. Dempsey was discovered by an agent and invited to audition for a role in the stage production of "Torch Song Trilogy." Dempsey's audition was successful, and he spent the following four months touring with the company in San Francisco. He followed this with another tour, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," in the lead role, which was directed by Gene Saks. Dempsey has also made notable appearances in the stage productions of "On Golden Pond", with the Maine Acting Company, and "The Subject was Roses", which showed at the Roundabout Theatre in New York. Dempsey's first major feature film role was at age 21 in the teen comedy Can't Buy Me Love in 1987 with actress Amanda Peterson. In 1989, he had the lead role in the film Loverboy with actress Kirstie Alley. Although the teen comedy and romance roles led to Dempsey being somewhat typecast for a time, he continued to be featured in film and television roles throughout the 1990s. Dempsey made a number of featured appearances in television in the 1990s; he was cast several times in pilots that were not picked up for a full season, including lead roles in the TV versions of the films The Player and About A Boy. His first major television role was a recurring role as Will's closeted sportscaster boyfriend on Will & Grace. He went on to play the role of Aaron Brooks, Sela Ward's psychologically unbalanced brother, on Once & Again. Dempsey received an Emmy nomination in 2001 as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for the role of Aaron. In 2004 he co-starred in the highly acclaimed HBO production, Iron Jawed Angels, opposite Hilary Swank and Anjelica Huston. Dempsey had a high-profile role as one of the suitors for Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama. Dempsey's most recent roles include the 2007 Disney film, Enchanted. He is also lending his voice for the main character in Brother Bear 2. Dempsey has received signficant public attention for his role as Dr. Derek Shepherd in the drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to landing the role of Derek Shepherd, Dempsey auditioned for the role of Dr. Robert Chase on another medical show, House. Initially a midseason replacement, the show has become a highly rated program. Media attention has been focused on Dempsey's character Derek, often referred to as "McDreamy", and the character's romance with intern Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo). The intense media attention appears to have led to some backstage friction. News reports surfaced in October 2006 that Dempsey was involved in an argument with co-star Isaiah Washington that appears to have become a physical altercation. News reports have also stated that this argument may have been initiated over an anti-gay slur directed at T.R. Knight. Dempsey has been married twice. From 1987 to 1994, he was married to actress Rocky Parker. When the couple married, much was made in the media of the age difference between the two (and its parallels to Dempsey's film "Loverboy"); at the time, Dempsey was 21 years old, while Parker was 48. Because of the age difference in his first marriage, his stepson Corey Parker was actually one year his senior. The two remain friends. Dempsey remarried on July 31, 1999; his second wife is noted make-up artist and founder of Delux Beauty, Jillian Fink Dempsey. The couple has one child, a daughter named Tallulah Fyfe, born in January 2002. In September, 2006, it was announced that Jillian is pregnant. When Dempsey appeared on the show Live With Regis and Kelly on September 19, 2006, he revealed that he and his wife are having twin boys. Dempsey enjoys racecar driving in his spare time. On June 27, 2004, he participated in race #2 of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, driving a Panoz GTS race car. In 2007 he will race in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

SANDRA OH..........................................................................................................
Oh was born in Nepean, Ontario, to middle-class Korean immigrant parents Joon-Soo (John) and Young-Nam, who had come to Canada in the late 1960s. Her father is a businessman and her mother a biochemist.^[2] Oh grew up living on Camwood Crescent in the Ottawa suburb of Nepean, Ontario, where she began dancing and acting at an early age. For example, at the age of 10, she played "The Wizard of Woe" in a class play, "The Canada Goose".

Later, at Sir Robert Borden High School, she founded the Environmental club (BASE - Borden Active Students for the Environment), leading a campaign against the use of styrofoam cups. While at Sir Robert Borden High School she was Student Council President. While in high school, she played the flute and continued both her ballet training and acting studies; however, she knew that she "was not good enough to be a professional dancer" and eventually focused solely on acting. This interest led her to take drama classes, act in school plays, and join the drama club where she took part in the Canadian Improv Games and Skit Row High, a comedy group. Against her parents' advice, she rejected a four-year journalism scholarship to Carleton University to study drama at the prestigious National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal, paying her own way. She told her parents that she would try acting for a few years, and if that failed, return to school.

Soon after graduating from the National Theatre School in 1993, she starred in a London, Ontario stage production of David Mamet's Oleanna. Around the same time, she won roles in biographical TV films of two significant female Chinese-Canadians: as Vancouver author Evelyn Lau in The Diary of Evelyn Lau (Oh won the role over more than 1,000 others who auditioned); and as Adrienne Clarkson in a CBC bio-pic of Clarkson's life.

Oh became even more widely known in Canada for her lead performance in the Canadian film Double Happiness, for which she won the Genie Award for Best Actress. Her other Canadian films include Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity and Last Night, for which she again won a Best Actress Genie. Oh also won FIPA d'Or Best Actress at Cannes Film Festival for her role in The Diary of Evelyn Lau.

Oh is most familiar to American audiences from her roles in the popular films Under the Tuscan Sun and Sideways. She considers Sideways to be one of the two best movies she has made, along with Evelyn Lau.^[5] In the less well-known Dancing at the Blue Iguana, she played a poetry-writing stripper, performed several nude dance routines and received the movie's best reviews. On American television, she is renowned for her current role in the hit ABC medical series Grey's Anatomy, for which she has won both a 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series and a 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. In July 2007, she received her third Emmy nomination for her work on the series.

Oh received critical acclaim for her six seasons as Rita Wu on the HBO series Arli$$. She received an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and a Cable Ace award for Best Actress in a Comedy for her work on Arli$$. In theatre, Oh has also starred in the world premieres of Jessica Hagedorn's Dogeaters at the La Jolla Playhouse and Diana Son's Stop Kiss at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre in New York City. She made several guest appearances on the series Popular (1999) playing a humanities teacher. She has also guest starred in the television series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Judging Amy, American Dragon: Jake Long, Six Feet Under, and Odd Job Jack.

In 2006, she costarred in the film The Night Listener as "Anna," alongside Robin Williams and Toni Collette. Although Oh remains active in feature films, the critically acclaimed Grey's Anatomy remains her primary current occupation.

Oh was host of the 28th Genie Awards on March 3, 2008.

Oh and Sideways filmmaker Alexander Payne, were in a relationship for five years, including two years of marriage; they married on January 1, 2003. Payne and Oh separated in early 2005 and divorced in late 2006. Oh is currently dating musician Andrew Featherston.

KATHERINE HEIGL..............................................................................................
Heigl was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Nancy, a personal manager, and Paul Heigl, a financial executive/accountant. She has German and Irish ancestry and was raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a strict upbringing. She is the youngest of four children (in addition to siblings Meg, Jason, and Holt). Heigl lived in Virginia and then Denver before her family settled in Connecticut, where they moved into a large, old Victorian-style farmhouse in the wealthy town of New Canaan, where she spent most of her childhood.

In 1986, her 15-year-old older brother Jason died of injuries suffered in a car accident, after being thrown from the back of a pickup truck while out for lunch with some of his high school classmates. Following his death the family decided to donate his organs. As well, the parents converted to Mormonism (prior to that her mother was Lutheran and her father Catholic). Heigl is now a strong proponent of organ donation.

When Heigl was nine, an aunt visiting the family decided to take a number of photographs of her. After returning to her home in New York, the aunt sent the photos to a number of modeling agencies, with the permission of Heigl's parents. Within a few weeks, Heigl was signed as a child model. Almost immediately afterwards, a client slated Heigl for use in a magazine advertisement where she made her debut. She was soon earning $75 an hour posing for Sears and Lord & Taylor catalogs. Television jobs soon followed, the first in a national spot for Cheerios cereal. She made her acting debut in the 1992 movie That Night. Heigl appeared as Christina Sebastian in Steven Soderbergh's Depression-era drama King of the Hill before being cast in her first leading role in the 1994 comedy My Father the Hero. During this time, Heigl continued to attend New Canaan High School, balancing her film and modeling work with her academic studies. Heigl left New Canaan High School after her sophomore year to pursue her career in Hollywood.

She then appeared opposite Steven Seagal in the 1995 action thriller Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. Despite an increased focus on acting, she still modeled extensively, appearing regularly in magazines such as Seventeen. She took the lead role in Disney's made-for-television film Wish Upon a Star in 1996. Also in 1996, Heigl's parents divorced and her mother was diagnosed with cancer. After her high school graduation in 1997, she moved with her mother into a four-bedroom house in Malibu Canyon, Los Angeles, and her mother became her manager.

In 1998, she co-starred with Peter Fonda in a re-working of the classic Shakespearian play The Tempest, set during the American Civil War. Later that year, she starred in the horror film Bride of Chucky.

In 1999, Heigl turned her attention to television when she accepted the role of Isabel Evans on the science fiction TV drama Roswell, a role that was expanded in the show's second and third seasons. Heigl had auditioned for all 3 female leads on Roswell before she was finally cast as Isabel.

Heigl was frequently featured in photo essays in magazines such as Life, TV Guide, and Teen as well as FHM. She appeared in the FHM and Maxim calendars, FHM's annual "100 Sexiest Women in the World", and was featured in the Girls of Maxim Gallery. In May 2006, Maxim awarded her #12 on their annual Hot 100List as well as voted the 19th "Sexiest Woman in the World" by readers of FHM magazine. While Roswell was in production, Heigl worked on several films, including 100 Girls, an independent 2001 film, and Valentine, a horror film starring David Boreanaz and Denise Richards.

Heigl accepted a role in Ground Zero, a television thriller scheduled to be telecast that fall which was based on the bestselling James Mills novel The Seventh Power, in the spring of 2001. She co-starred as a brilliant and politically-concerned college student who helps to build a nuclear device to illustrate the need for a change in national priorities; the device ends up in the hands of a terrorist following betrayal by a fellow student. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, however, the film was shelved when its plot was considered inappropriate; it re-emerged in 2003 under the title Critical Assembly. After the attacks, Heigl recorded a public service announcement for the American Red Cross in an effort to help raise money for victims.

In 2003, Heigl appeared in three television movies. She returned to the horror genre with Evil Never Dies, a modern-day variation on the Frankenstein story co-starring Thomas Gibson. Love Comes Softly, for Hallmark Entertainment, found Heigl starring as Marty Claridge, a young, pregnant newlywed traveling west. (She reprised the role of Marty in the sequel Love's Enduring Promise the next year.) Heigl played Isabella Linton in MTV's modern revamp of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. In October 2003, Heigl was cast opposite Johnny Knoxville in The Ringer, a Farrelly brothers comedy that was released in December 2005. Heigl starred as Romy in the 2005 television movie Romy and Michele: In the Beginning, a prequel to the 1997 film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.

In 2005, Heigl was cast in what would become her most high-profile role, as intern Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens on Grey's Anatomy, an ABC medical drama. The show, originally introduced as a midseason replacement, has become a huge ratings success. The same year, Heigl landed the starring role in the independent film Side Effects, about marketing and the pharmaceutical industry. In late 2006, Heigl was nominated for a Golden Globe award in the category, Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-series, or Motion Picture Made for Television for her work on Grey's Anatomy. Also in 2006, she filmed Knocked Up, a comedy from writer/director Judd Apatow, starring opposite Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Apatow's real life wife, Leslie Mann. Upon its June 2007 theatrical release, the film received largely positive reviews from critics, and proved to be a box office success. She has been on FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World" list twice as of 2007.

On September 16, 2007, Heigl won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Izzie Stevens. In her acceptance speech she acknowledged that even her mother did not believe she would win, and when her name was called, she had to be censored vocally by the telecast's producers, due to her saying "Shit!" when she reacted to the win. Earlier, she had corrected telecast announcer Rebecca Riedy, who had been given an incorrect phonetic spelling of Heigl's name, when she mispronounced her name as Hi-gell before the presentation of the award with Kyle Chandler for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. She starred in the film, 27 Dresses which was released in January 2008, playing alongside James Marsden.

Katherine Heigl was announced the Most Desirable Woman of 2008, according to AskMen.com.

Heigl was once in a relationship with Roswell costar Jason Behr but that relationship ended around the time the series ended. In June 2006, she became engaged to singer Josh Kelley, whom she met on the set of his music video for "Only You." They were married on December 23, 2007 in Park City, Utah. For their honeymoon they escaped to the plush Esperanza resort in Cabo San Lucas. In December 2007, Heigl and Kelley moved into a new home in Los Feliz, California.

At the end of 2007, Barbara Walters named Heigl one of the "The 11 Most Fascinating People of 2007 " on an ABC/DEF program of that title. Heigl questioned her inclusion on the list, saying that in fact she is actually "quite boring.....not, just kidding, but really".

TR KNIGHT.........................................................................................................
Knight was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he became involved with the Guthrie Theater at the age of five. After finishing high school at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Knight enrolled at the University of Minnesota for a brief period of time. He dropped out and soon landed leading roles at the Guthrie Theater.

Knight moved to New York City and has appeared on Broadway; his most notable role was playing opposite Patti LuPone in the 2001 revival of Noises Off. Knight's most recent stage appearance was in the 2004 drama, Boy. He also gained notice performing in 2003 as Damis in Tartuffe and received a Drama Desk Award nomination in 2003 for his role in the off-Broadway production of Scattergood.

On television, Knight was a regular cast member of the short-lived Nathan Lane series, Charlie Lawrence, with Laurie Metcalf. In 2005, he was cast as the sweet, bumbling intern George O'Malley on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. His role earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series in 2007.

Rumors over Knight's sexuality gained momentum when news reports surfaced in October 2006 that Grey's Anatomy co-stars Patrick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington were involved in an argument during which, Knight and others allege, Washington used an anti-gay slur directed at an unnamed co-star. Washington later apologized, stating "I sincerely regret my actions and the unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on-set".

Knight, who is gay, did not disclose his sexuality to the public until October 19, 2006 — after the scuffle — when he released a statement through People magazine stating, in part, “I guess there have been a few questions about my sexuality, and I'd like to quiet any unnecessary rumors that may be out there. While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I'm gay isn't the most interesting part of me.”

The controversy over the verbal exchange gained additional momentum on January 15, 2007 immediately following the Golden Globe Awards. When asked by E! Online reporter Ted Casablanca about the incident, Washington said, "I never called T.R. a faggot. It never happened."

Knight appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on January 17, 2007 and stated that Washington in fact had referred to him as a faggot on the Grey's Anatomy set on October 9, 2006.

In June 2007, Knight's role was secured for an additional season of Grey's Anatomy, while Isaiah Washington's contract was not renewed.

T. R. Knight is inside People's Top 50 Sexiest Man Alive of 2007 ^.

On February 25, 2008 pictures surfaced of Knight and his new boyfriend, Mark Cornelson, attending the 2008 Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

JUSTIN CHAMBERS............................................................................................
Chambers was born in Springfield, Ohio, to Pam and John Chambers of Irish and German descent. He has a twin brother named Jason, one older brother Chip (John); and two older sisters, Mia and Susan. He and his twin brother visited hospitals often as children due to frequent bouts with pneumonia. He has five children with his wife, Keisha: Isabella (1997), the twins Maya and Kaila (1999), Eva(2001) and Jackson (2002). Keisha is a former model agency booker whom he married in 1993. His wife and children have recently moved to Los Angeles with Justin from their home in a suburb just outside of New York City.

Chambers was discovered by a modeling scout on the Paris Metro and went on to represent Calvin Klein in a fragrance campaign. He worked throughout Europe, Japan, and the United States for CK, Armani, and Dolce & Gabbana. After deciding on an acting career, he moved to New York, where he studied at H.B. Studios for four years. That landed him a few television roles, including Another World and New York Undercover. More recently, he starred in several movies, notably The Wedding Planner (2001, alongside Jennifer Lopez), The Musketeer (2001) Southern Belles (2005), The Zodiac (2005), and the HBO original movie Hysterical Blindness (2002). Chambers was cast as one of the leads in the CBS crime drama Cold Case but left after appearing in only three episodes. Now he plays resident Alex Karev on the hit ABC medical show Grey's Anatomy.

His first major acting role came in the music video "Ants Marching" by Dave Matthews Band in 1994.

JAMES PICKENS, JR.........................................................................................
Pickens was born in Cleveland, Ohio and did not begin acting until he was a student at Bowling Green State University. His first acting role was in a campus production of Matters of Choice by Chuck Gordone.

Pickens earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from BGSU in 1976.

Pickens started his acting career at the Roundabout Theatre in New York playing Walter Lee in A Raisin in the Sun.

In 1981, Pickens performed in the Negro Ensemble Company's production of A Soldier's Play, starring alongside Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson.

In 1990, Pickens moved to the West Coast and began his Hollywood career playing Zack Edwards on the soap opera Another World from 1986 to 1990. He went on to have recurring roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm, The West Wing, Roseanne, Beverly Hills 90210, JAG, and Six Feet Under.

In the February 28, 2007 all-star benefit reading of "The Gift of Peace" at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, he portrays a man whose life experiences lead him to volunteer in the peace movement, and plays alongside actors Ed Asner, Barbara Bain, Amy Brenneman, George Coe, and Wendie Malick. The play is an open appeal and fundraiser for passage of U.S. House Resolution 808, which seeks to establish a Cabinet-level "Department of Peace" in the U.S. government, to be funded by a two percent diversion of the Pentagon's annual budget.

In 2005, Pickens was chosen to play chief Richard Webber on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.

Pickens is married to Gina and has two children.

In his spare time Pickens can be found riding horseback and roping cattle. He is a member of the United States Team Roping Championship and competes in roping events across the country. He owns an American Quarter Horse named Smokey.

James' two children Carl Tharps, and Gavyn Picken are both pursuing careers in show business. His son Carl is currently working on a Hip- Hop career and can be seen in various television appearances, including "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" where he appeared alongside his long time friend Omar Gooding.

CHANDRA WILSON..............................................................................................
Wilson was born in Houston, Texas. She started her theater career at the age of five with the Houston-based Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS). Wilson attended Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and went on to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where she earned a BFA in drama.

Wilson's first notable TV role was in the short-lived series Bob Patterson (2001), one of the first post-"Seinfeld" vehicles for Jason Alexander. She has also appeared on Law & Order, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos, and had a featured role in Lone Star (1996). Wilson has had a notable career in the theater. She had an acclaimed run as Bonna Willis in The Good Times are Killing Me, and was also featured in the Tony-nominated Caroline, or Change. Wilson is an accomplished singer, and has sung in several productions.

Wilson was working at a bank when she auditioned for the role of Miranda Bailey for the pilot of Grey's Anatomy. The role was initially envisioned as a blond Caucasian woman, but Wilson's audition got her cast in the role. The show became a breakout hit, and the character of Bailey - referred to as "the Nazi" - is an audience favorite. Wilson was nominated in 2006 and 2007 for an Emmy Award for best supporting actress in a drama. She was nominated and won the Screen Actors Guild Award in 2007 for outstanding female actor in a drama series; she also won a SAG Award as part of the Grey's Anatomy cast, which won Best Ensemble in a Drama Series. Wilson and her husband have three children; daughters Serena and Joy were born in 1992 and 1994, respectively, and son Michael was born on October 31, 2005.

KATE WALSH.......................................................................................................
Walsh was a model in Japan during the 1980s. When Walsh moved to Chicago, she began working with the Piven Theatre Workshop. She performed on National Public Radio in the production of the radio play Born Guilty. Walsh subsequently moved to New York City and joined the comedy troupe Burn Manhattan on June 27, 1987, performing in a number of Off-Broadway plays.

After playing Cathy Buxton in the "Stakeout" episode of Homicide: Life on the Street in 1996, her first major television appearance was in 1997, when she appeared on The Drew Carey Show as Carey's character's girlfriend Nicki. She wore a fatsuit in some episodes of the show, as the Nicki character was a formerly obese woman who lost weight & slowly started to gain it back. She went on to portray Carol Nelson in HBO's The Mind of the Married Man television series, and played Norm Macdonald's romantic interest in the sitcom "The Norm Show". Walsh also made a notable guest appearance on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Mimosa, a transsexual. She sometimes appeared in sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. She had a recurring role on Karen Sisco as Detective Marley Novak in 2003 and 2004.

In 2005, she was cast in the ABC hit, Grey's Anatomy, as Dr. Addison Montgomery, the estranged spouse of Derek Shepherd ("Dr. McDreamy", played by Patrick Dempsey). The role of Addison was originally conceived as a short-term role (five episodes) but audience response to Walsh, and to the Derek/Meredith/Addison triangle, convinced series creator Shonda Rhimes to expand the role and make Walsh a series regular. As she noted in an interview she's "The house guest who never leaves" referring to her extended role on both Grey's Anatomy & The Drew Carey Show.

It was announced in February 2007 that Walsh's Grey's Anatomy character Addison would be in a spin-off of Grey's Anatomy that began airing in September 2007. Taye Diggs, Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman, Chris Lowell and Audra McDonald have been cast in the spin-off, which has been given the name Private Practice.

Beginning in September 2007, Walsh has appeared in television commercials for the 2008 Cadillac CTS. Her memorable quote in the series: "When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?"

The crime drama Normal Life marked her film debut; she played the sister of a bank robber played by Luke Perry. She portrayed a kleptomaniac in the film Peppermills. Walsh also appeared in the cult movie, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part 2. She had her first significant role in a major Hollywood production as Will Ferrell's wife in the family comedy, Kicking & Screaming, alongside Robert Duvall and Mike Ditka. Walsh has also appeared in several other films with Ferrell, including Bewitched and an "alternate film" to Anchorman titled, Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie.

In 2003, Walsh appeared in Under the Tuscan Sun, with Diane Lane and Sandra Oh. She played the partner of Grey's Anatomy co-star Sandra Oh's character.

Regarding her various lesbian roles, Walsh said: "Do I give off a girl-on-girl vibe, I wonder? Or is it because I’m tall? I guess the chicks just dig me!"

Walsh was also set to star across John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson in the supernatural thriller 1408, but she had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.

As a teenager, Walsh’s stepfather, a prison psychologist, paid her $5 a page to type psychological profiles of inmates he treated. Walsh's best friend, Nancy Pimental, based the two main characters in her screenplay for the film The Sweetest Thing in part upon her and Walsh.

An opera fanatic, Walsh overlooked some bizarre antics of a date in the 1990s because he had tickets to the Metropolitan Opera. “I get into the car, and the first thing this guy does is spray me with perfume. I don’t even know where it came from. Maybe it belonged to the last woman he killed?”

Walsh told Women’s Health she went from blonde to red because she never was a blonde at heart. "Being blonde was always other than what I really am. I thought I wanted to be one of those softer, girly girls. Then I grew out of that. I realized I’d never be a sweet girl. Never." She is the current spokeswoman for Caress and their new line of body wash called Exotic Oil Infusions. She appeared on the cover of O at Home (homestyle magazine by Oprah Winfrey) and was credited as being their first covergirl for that magazine.

Walsh is married to Alex Young, a production co-president at 20th Century Fox. On September 1, 2007, Walsh and Young were married in the Ojai Presbyterian Church in Ojai, north of Los Angeles.

ISAIAH WASHINGTON.........................................................................................
Washington was born in Houston, Texas, where his parents were residents in the Houston Heights community. His parents relocated to Missouri City, Texas around 1980, where he was one of the first graduates from Willowridge High School, Houston, in 1981. Isaiah revealed in an interview with Star Jones that his father, after whom he was named, was murdered when Washington was 13 years old. Washington went on to serve in the United States Air Force and attended Howard University.

Washington married Jenisa Marie Washington on February 14, 1999. The couple have three children.
A DNA test suggested Washington's maternal ancestry likely traces back to Sierra Leone, and that he is probably of Mende descent. In December 2006 he visited his ancestral homeland, and received a warm welcome from the local people. Washington is perhaps best known for his role as the gifted cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr. Preston Burke on Grey's Anatomy, a portrayal that earned him two NAACP Image Award for Best Actor in a Drama series as well as a SAG Award. He was paired onscreen with Sandra Oh, who plays intern Dr. Cristina Yang. Washington had originally auditioned for the role of Dr. Derek Shepherd, which ultimately went to Patrick Dempsey. Burke had originally been described as a nebbishy, stout forty-something man. For his portrayal of Dr. Burke, Isaiah was honored by TV Guide Magazine as one of "TV's Sexiest Men" in June 2006. Prior to the TV Guide honor, Isaiah was named as one of People Magazine's "50 Beautiful People" in May 2006.

In the show's third season, Washington became a central figure in widely-reported backstage controversy. In October 2006, news reports surfaced that Washington had grabbed co-star Patrick Dempsey by the throat. It was reported that the altercation was prompted by or related to Washington's use of a derogatory epithet toward co-star T. R. Knight and his sexuality. Shortly after the details of the argument became public, Knight publicly disclosed that he is gay. The situation seemed somewhat resolved when Washington issued a statement, apologizing for his "unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on-set."

The controversy later resurfaced when the cast appeared at the Golden Globes in January 2007. While being interviewed on the red carpet prior to the awards, Washington joked, "I love gay. I wanted to be gay. Please let me be gay." After the show won Best Drama, Washington, in response to press queries as to any conflicts backstage, said that he had never referred to Knight as a "faggot." However, in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Knight said that Washington had, in fact, used that particular epithet.

After being rebuked by his studio, Touchstone Television (now ABC Studios), issued a statement where Washington, again apologizes for using the epithet and stated that he has "asked for help" in "dealing with issues [he] obviously needs to examine within [his] own soul." On January 30, 2007, a source told People magazine that Washington was scheduled to return to the Grey's Anatomy set as early on that Thursday for the first time since entering "executive counseling" after making a homophobic slur.

However, on June 7, 2007, ABC announced they had decided not to renew Washington's contract, and that he would be dropped from the show. "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore," Washington said in a statement released by his publicist, borrowing the famous Howard Beale line from Network. In another report, Washington stated he was planning to "spend the summer pursuing charity work in Sierra Leone, work on an independent film and avoid worrying about the show." In a subsequent interview, Washington claimed that "they fired the wrong guy" (referring to T.R. Knight) and said he was considering filing a lawsuit as a result. He accused Knight of using the controversy to bolster his own career and increase his salary on Grey's Anatomy.

Washington, in late June 2007, began asserting that racism was a factor in his firing from the series. On July 2, 2007, Washington appeared on Larry King Live on CNN, to present his side of the controversy. According to Washington, he never used the "F Word" in reference to T.R. Knight, but rather blurted it out in an unrelated context in the course of an argument "provoked" by castmate Patrick Dempsey, who, he felt, was treating him like a "B-word," a "P-word," and the "F-word," which Washington said meant "weak."

SARA RAMÍREZ....................................................................................................
Ramirez was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, a popular Mexican beach resort on the Pacific. Sara moved with her mother at age eight to Tierrasanta, in San Diego, CA. After graduating from the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts in San Diego, California, she graduated from the Juilliard School in New York City, where she refined her skills as an actress.

She debuted on Broadway playing Wahzinak in Paul Simon's The Capeman (1998). In 1999, she appeared in The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm (1999) and received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for her role. She has also appeared in A Class Act (2001), Dreamgirls (2001), and she performed in The Vagina Monologues with Tovah Feldshuh and Suzanne Bertish.

Ramirez also voiced the lead character in the 1999 PlayStation video game UmJammer Lammy. She reprised her role in the 2001 PlayStation 2 game PaRappa the Rapper 2. Ramirez joined the cast of Grey's Anatomy in a recurring role as Dr. Calliope 'Callie' Torres in the show's second season. For the third season she became a series regular. On a special Grey's Anatomy themed episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, she revealed that ABC loved her performance in Spamalot and offered her a role in any ABC show she wanted, and she picked Grey's, of which she was a fan.

Ramirez speaks both Spanish and English fluently.

CHYLER LEIGH....................................................................................................
Leigh was born Chyler Leigh Potts in Charlotte, North Carolina, the daughter of Yvonne Norton and Robert Potts. She was raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia, until the age of twelve when she moved with her mother and brother Christopher Khayman Lee to Miami, Florida. During eighth grade she started modeling. She soon moved on to acting by appearing in local television commercials and a syndicated teen news show called Hall Pass. Leigh did not graduate from high school and she took the California High School Proficiency Exam.

Leigh started acting at an early age and debuted in the film world at age 15 in 1997's Kickboxing Academy. In this movie, her real life brother plays her love interest. In the movie, there are several scenes in which the two siblings kiss. In 2001, Leigh had the lead role in the film Not Another Teen Movie as Janey Briggs. She also appeared in Marilyn Manson's music video "Tainted Love", a song which appeared in the film. She was ranked #65 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002.

In 2002, Leigh was cast in two short-lived TV series: Girls Club, in which she played lawyer Sarah Mickle, and That '80s Show, in which she played punk rocker June Tuesday. Following that, she joined the cast of Reunion in September, 2005. In ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Leigh first appeared as a woman in Joe's bar who tried to pick up Derek Shepherd. In the third season finale, it was revealed that she was Lexie Grey, Meredith's half-sister. She was made an official series regular for season four. On July 20, 2002, she married actor Nathan West and together they have two children. Their son, Noah Wilde, was born December 2003. She gave birth to her second child, a daughter named Taelyn, in September 2006. Leigh and West worked side-by-side in 2000 on the television series 7th Heaven playing Mary Camden's troubled friends, Frankie and Johnnie. Leigh's older brother is Christopher Khayman Lee.

BROOKE SMITH...................................................................................................
Brooke Smith was born in New York, the daughter of Gene Smith and publicist Lois Smith, who has worked with Robert Redford, Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, and other actors. She is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and shared an apartment with Jeff Buckley before he recorded Grace. Smith has appeared in numerous films, including The Moderns (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (as Catherine Martin), The Night We Never Met (1993), Mr. Wonderful (1993), Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995), Trees Lounge (1996), Kansas City (1996), The Broken Giant (1998), Remembering Sex (1998), Random Hearts (1999), Eventual Wife (2000), Series 7: The Contenders (2001), For Earth Below (2002), Bad Company (2002), Melinda and Melinda (2004), Shooting Vegetarians (2005), In Her Shoes (2005), and The Namesake (2006). Brooke has appeared in many television shows, such as Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Crossing Jordan, Law and Order, The Hunger, Weeds and more recently Grey's Anatomy.

Her TV appearances most famously include her portrayal of Dr. Erica Hahn in five episodes of Grey's Anatomy, her portrayal of Dr. Kate Switzer on Crossing Jordan (She appeared in thirteen of the episodes of the sixth season, credited as a guest star), her appearance on Six Feet Under as one of Claire Fisher's art teachers, and most recently her appearance on Weeds (TV series) as the ex-wife of Peter Scottson (late husband of main character Nancy Botwin).

Smith returned to her role as Dr. Erica Hahn in Season 4 of Grey's Anatomy, in episode 5 "Haunt You Every Day", in which it was announced that Dr. Hahn would become the hospital's head of cardiothoracics, sealing Brooke Smith as the series newest season regular. At the same time, Brooke originated the role of Andrea in pilot of the new ABC drama Dirty Sexy Money, but would be replaced by Sheryl Lee after her promotion at Grey's Anatomy.

ERIC DANE............................................................................................................
After appearing in a high school production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, Dane decided to pursue a career in acting. He relocated to Los Angeles, where he played small roles in the television series Saved by the Bell, The Wonder Years, Roseanne, and Married With Children, among others. But in 2000, he was signed for a recurring role in Gideon's Crossing, and followed this with a two-season run in Charmed. His made-for-television movie credits included two biopics, Serving in Silence (about Margarethe Cammermeyer's experiences in the military), and Helter Skelter, in which he portrayed a member of the Charles Manson clan.

Dane's first major feature film appearance was in The Basket (1999). He also appeared in Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane, Sol Goode, Feast, Open Water 2, and X-Men: The Last Stand.

In 2005, Dane guested as Dr. Mark Sloan (nicknamed "McSteamy" by Meredith Grey) in "Yesterday," the eighteenth episode of the second season of the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Positive audience reaction to the character led to Dane's becoming a regular in the show's third season. His first appearance in the season, in which he walked out of the bathroom soaking wet and wearing only a strategically placed towel, was labeled a "watercooler moment".

In December 2006, he starred in the A&E TV movie Wedding Wars as the brother of a gay man (played by John Stamos) who goes on strike in support of marriage equality.

Dane was born in San Francisco, California to a homemaker mother and an interior designer/architect father. In 2001, Dane briefly became involved with actress Lara Flynn Boyle when the two met while filming crossover episodes of their respective drama series Gideon's Crossing and The Practice, both produced by David E. Kelley. He married actress Rebecca Gayheart on October 29, 2004. He is also close friends with actor Balthazar Getty.

On February 6, 2008, celebrity news magazine OK! reported that Dane was diagnosed with skin cancer, and was recovering after having malignant tissue removed from his lip. However, on February 13, Dane's representative told Us Weekly that Dane does not have cancer and was "mortified" by the erroneous information. Dane is said to be considering legal action.