American actress Ellen Pompeo is most well-known for playing Meredith Grey in the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” Ellen became one of the world’s highest-paid actresses thanks to that role. She receives a $550,000 per episode fee for the part, PLUS syndication royalties and earnings, which brings in almost $20 million annually.
Early Life
In Everett, Massachusetts, on November 10, 1969, Ellen Kathleen Pompeo was born. Her parents, Joseph and Kathleen Pompeo, raised her in the Catholic faith.
Sadly, when Ellen was just five years old, her mother overdosed on painkillers and died at age 33. Soon after, her father got remarried. The youngest of five children—three sisters and two brothers—is Ellen.
Early Career In Acting
Ellen relocated to Miami in the middle of the 1990s, where she worked as a bartender. She then relocated to New York City in 1995 to pursue a modeling career with a boyfriend. She was spotted by a casting director while she was in New York and offered to take part in several commercials for Citibank and L’Oreal.
In 1996, she made her television debut in a guest role on NBC’s “Law & Order.” Her first role in a major motion picture was in the 1999 film “Coming Soon.” In 2000, she made another appearance on “Law & Order.”
In 2001, Pompeo relocated to Los Angeles and acted in the motion picture “Mambo Cafe.” When she was chosen to play Jake Gyllenhaal’s sympathetic love interest in the 2002 film “Moonlight Mile,” it was a turning point in her career.
Critics were drawn to her performance, and several reviewers noted that she was deemed deserving of an Academy Award consideration. She had an appearance in “Catch Me If You Can” in 2002. She starred in the Will Ferrell and Luke Wilson comedy “Old School” in 2003.
In the 2004 film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” she then played Naomi, Jim Carrey’s ex-girlfriend; however, her parts were ultimately deleted from the final product. Pompeo portrayed Karen Page in the 2003 Marvel film “Daredevil.”
Breakthrough
Following her selection for the Shonda Rhimes-created ABC medical program “Grey’s Anatomy,” Ellen’s career took off in 2005. Meredith Grey, the main character and titular character, is a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, and Pompeo was chosen for the role. There was no better time than this to occur.
Source:stylecaster.com
When she read the pilot script, Ellen would later acknowledge that she was “perilously close” to being broke. The program was a critical and commercial success right away. She has received three wins and five nominations for the People’s Choice Awards for her performance.
In 2007, Grey’s Anatomy won Best Drama Series, and Pompeo was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series. Pompeo received recognition for her work in entertainment later that year at a black-tie dinner hosted by the National Italian American Foundation.
Over the course of 16 seasons, “Grey’s Anatomy” has aired more than 363 episodes as of this writing.
2011 saw the founding of Pompeo’s own production business, Calamity Jane, which sold its initial project to ABC. In 2014, Pompeo had an appearance in the music video for Taylor Swift’s song “Bad Blood.”
Since 2011, Pompeo has worked on other projects as a producer, and in season 13 of Grey’s Anatomy, she directed her first episode. Pompeo revealed on August 14 that she was creating two series for the ABC studios.
She was identified as a co-producer for “Station 19,” a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff. Pompeo participated in “RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars” in 2019 as a guest judge.
Personal Life
On November 9, 2007, Pompeo wed music producer Chris Ivery, with Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, serving as the official witness. In 2003, they connected at a Los Angeles supermarket. Together, they are the parents of two daughters and a son.
The media has long circulated rumors that Pompeo suffers from an eating disorder, which she has categorically denied. She has harshly criticized the reports, claiming she is concerned that the impression she gives to young women will be misconstrued.
Read More: Tarek El Moussa Net Worth
Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, and Pompeo all took part in a 2016 election-related ad campaign for Hillary Clinton.
Is She Leaving Grey’s Anatomy Series?
The series star of “Grey’s Anatomy,” Ellen Pompeo, has just said goodbye following rumors that she might be departing the long-running medical drama.
The revelation was made by Ellen on social media on Thursday. In a statement, she expressed her gratitude and humility for the love and support she has gotten over the course of her 19 seasons as Meredith Grey on the ABC drama.
Naturally, Ellen thanked the fans in her farewell message and credited them for making her time on “Grey’s Anatomy” so enjoyable and memorable.
As “Grey’s Anatomy” fans are well aware, a teaser for the upcoming midseason premiere shows Ellen’s character bidding her fellow medical professionals farewell as she departs Seattle and moves to Boston.
Additionally, Ellen was reportedly going to appear in only 8 episodes of the current season 19 of the show; however, she has only made an appearance in 7 episodes so far.
During her lengthy tenure on the show, Ellen participated in over 400 episodes. Despite recent suggestions that she could work again with her old “Grey’s” costar Patrick Dempsey on a new project, Patrick denied the allegations.
Even so, it sounds like Ellen isn’t totally abandoning “GA” because she says, “I’ll surely go returning to visit.”
Ellen Pompeo Net Worth
Ellen Pompeo Net Worth is estimated to be around $80 Million currently. Ellen made a total of $300,000 in each episode of Grey’s Anatomy in seasons 11 and 12 or around $7.5 million annually. She made $350,000 per episode in seasons 13 and 14, or around $8.7 million annually.
She had no backend equity points in the show at this moment. Ellen started contract talks after the 14th season concluded. Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey, was contacted by Ellen for bargaining tips. Shonda said to her:
“Ask for what you believe you are worth after determining your value. Nobody will just hand it to you.”
When the talks were finished, Ellen left with a pay raise to $575,000 per episode. Her compensation for a single season increased to $14.4 million as a result. But there’s more! Additionally, she received two backside percentage points from the show’s income through syndication.
That earns Ellen an extra $6-7 million each year. Starting with season 15, Ellen will make a little over $20 million for “Grey’s Anatomy” overall. But even so, there’s more! A producer credit on upcoming Grey’s spinoffs and pilot obligations for her production firm is also included in Ellen’s new contract.
Read More: