Ellen Pompeo (born November 10, 1969, in Everett, Massachusetts) is an American actress best known for her iconic role as Dr. Meredith Grey on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy, a part that earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe nomination. After early struggles in small film roles and TV guest spots (including Law & Order and Friends), her career turned around in 2002 with a standout performance in the drama Moonlight Mile. She then skyrocketed to global fame with Grey's Anatomy, becoming one of the highest-paid actresses on television—Forbes ranked her the fourth-highest-paid TV actress in 2016 ($14.9 million) and third-highest overall in 2018 ($23.6 million). Beyond acting, she has directed two episodes of the show and founded her own production company, Calamity Jane. In her personal life, she has been married to music producer Chris Ivery since 2007, and they have three children together. Her journey from a bartender in Miami to a television superstar is a testament to her resilience, especially given that she lost her mother at age four.