Which actress plays Meredith Grey?

Ellen Pompeo plays Meredith Grey in Grey's Anatomy. Pompeo was cast as the show's title character and protagonist, a surgeon whose professional ambitions and personal relationships drive much of the series.

Meredith first appears as a surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital in the pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night," which aired on March 27, 2005. Pompeo's performance helped make the character internationally recognizable, while Meredith's narration gives the series its distinctive reflective voice. Pompeo also became an executive producer and directed two episodes of the show.

Before Grey's Anatomy, Pompeo had smaller roles in films and television programs including Law & Order, Friends, Old School, and Daredevil. Her role as Meredith became her career breakthrough and earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award, along with a Golden Globe nomination.

Viewers sometimes confuse Meredith's performer with Sandra Oh, who played Cristina Yang, or Katherine Heigl, who played Izzie Stevens. Both were original cast members, but Pompeo is Meredith's actress.