Grey’s Anatomy first hit the screen in 2005 and has been a staple of the ABC Thursday night lineup for 13 seasons. In the world of television, that’s absolutely insane. Right off the bat, the audience fell in love with the cast and could not wait to see what producer Shonda Rhimes had in store for them each week. Along with all of the dramatic twists and turns have been several cast change ups as well. After being part of our families for so long, it was tough to say goodbye to some of these characters. There have been a few characters, like Meredith Grey and Miranda Bailey, who have been around since the very beginning, but others were written out or quit to pursue other projects. Here is what some of your favorite past characters have been up to since parting ways with Seattle Grace Hospital.
Former Grey’s Anatomy Cast Members: Where Are They Now?
#1 Patrick Dempsey (Dr. Derek Shepherd)
Also known as McDreamy, Dempsey was one of the key characters on Grey's Anatomy. The very first show began with him and Merideth having sex on her very first day as an intern at Seattle Grace. After 11 seasons, he wanted out of the show and a behind the scenes feud with creator/producer/writer, Shonda Rhimes, saw him being killed in a car crash that fans were furious about.
Since leaving the hit show he has just started to get back into the swing of things with a new movie coming out in the summer, 'Bridget Jones’ Baby' alongside Renee Zellweger. He is also starring in the television show Micronesian Blues. You can also catch him in current commercials playing a doctor as well if you look hard enough.
#2 Sandra Oh (Dr. Cristina Yang)
Most everyone loved Cristina because she was the voice of reason. Always had her head on straight, was overly ambitious, and knew exactly what she needed and wanted, without hurting others. She was Meredith's best pal on the show but after 10 seasons and several odd plot twists with her character, she decided to jump ship to pursue other projects. Her final scene with Meredith, about their long friendship, was heartfelt.
Since her departure from the show, she has been focusing more on comedy than medical drama. She’s been working on a diverse blend of projects, including an animated comedy feature called Window Horses, the comedy Tammy, and the upcoming rom-com, Catfight. She is also contributing to the web series, Shitty Boyfriends.
#3 Eric Dane (Dr. Mark Sloan)
He came to the show in the middle of the second season as a guest character. The audience loved him so much that he was written in as a regular at the start of season 3. He became known as McSteamy to Dempsey's McDreamy, and the two romanced just about every female character on the show. However, in the first episode of season nine, another tragedy hits the doctors, after a crazy plane crash, Sloan ends up succumbing to his injuries.
Since leaving the show he has made one film, Grey Lady, where he plays a Boston homicide detective. He is also busy with another television show he’s working on, The Last Ship, which tells the story of a crew attempting to survive after a pandemic hits the world and decimates its population. However, he has plans to get involved in directing and producing and wants to spend time behind the camera instead of in front of it.
#4 Katherine Heigl (Dr. Izzie Stevens)
She started in season one alongside Meredith and Cristina in that first class of interns, and the plans were to keep her on as long as possible since fans seemed to love her wholesome beauty and the storyline she had with George. However, a feud with Shonda Rhimes over her character, the storyline, her salary, and her schedule, left Rhimes no choice but to write the blonde bombshell out after season six when she just failed to show up for work.
She made a few blockbuster comedy's while still part of Grey's, Knocked Up, and 27 Dresses, but since leaving the series, it's been a tough go in the movies. She has been in flicks like Life As We Know It and One For The Money, as well as a handful of other not so big roles. She tried her hand at another TV series, State Of Affairs, but that flopped. She has a reputation of being difficult to work with, and there are no plans scheduled for anything new on the horizon.
#5 T.R. Knight (Dr. George O’Malley)
America loved George. They also loved the storyline concerning him and Izzie, which was another reason why Heigl had issues on the set. It was the way they let poor TR Knight go. Nobody in the cast, including Knight, knew that he was being killed off at the end of season six. Knight was one of the first tragic deaths on the show and died after jumping in front of the bus to save someone after enlisting in the army. Though rumors were that he was dumped for a pending lawsuit he had with the show and ABC after he was harassed for coming out as gay.
Since being George O'Malley, Knight has kept busy starring in big shows like The Good Wife, and in the mini-series 11.22.63. He starred in two major films, 42, and Hello Again, before making a name for himself on Broadway in several shows like Sold, Romeo and Juliet, Pocatello, It’s Only A Play among others.
#6 Isaiah Washington (Dr. Preston Burke)
Dr. Preston Burke appeared in the very first season of the show, as a rock star cardiothoracic surgeon, and soon became Cristina’s mentor and eventually her partner. The two were heading down the aisle, were working together on complex procedures, and the whole thing seemed like it was heading somewhere very interesting. However, Washington didn’t get a chance to truly explore all his character’s opportunities on the show because of some behind the scenes drama. apparently, Washington uttered a homophobic slur behind the scenes, directed at co-star T.R. Knight, and Shonda Rhimes was having none of it. She tossed him from the show, stat. Knight says that Rhimes let him go but later began treating him differently after fans were upset that she took his side.
He only appeared in three seasons because of that drama except for his return to say goodbye to Cristina.However, he has returned to television in The 100, a mystery sci-fi show. He also does charitable work for Sierra Leone.
#7 Loretta Devine (Adele Webber)
She was never more than a bit player on the show, but fans just loved it when Loretta Devine appeared in a scene as Dr. Webber's boisterous wife. Already a film superstar, her appearances on the show only added to the fans love for Devine. Sadly, Adele struggles with Alzheimer’s in later seasons of the show and, in season nine, ends up passing away. However, she did win an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the role.
Since exiting the series, she has been very busy. Devine has appeared on (or lent her voice to) characters on Doc McStuffins, The Game, The Client List, Being Mary Jane, and is currently a regular on The Carmichael Show. She has also starred in four different Tyler Perry films as well as My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?, In The Hive, Jumping the Broom, and For Colored Girls, among many others.
#8 Kate Walsh (Dr. Addison Montgomery)
Walsh probably had the most dramatic entrance to the show of all the characters – she struts in, looking utterly fabulous, and drops a bomb on Meredith – McDreamy is married to her. While she’s painted as a bit of a villain at first, since fans were rooting for Meredith and Derek’s relationship, she grows on audiences and eventually becomes so beloved that Shonda Rhimes create a spin-off show, Private Practice, which Walsh’s character starred in. ABC canceled the show after moving it from time slot to time slot and the ratings dropped.
Walsh returned to television with Bad Judge, a comedy that lasted less than a full season. In 2014, Walsh had a supporting role in the first season of FX's television series Fargo, and she's also worked on films including Dermaphoria, Just Before I Go, Staten Island Summer and Felt. She keeps busy supporting political candidates and is a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood.
#9 Chyler Leigh (Dr. Lexie Gray)
Audiences first meet Lexie when she becomes a resident at Seattle Grace, and Meredith finds out she has a half-sister. She has flings with several other doctors, including Alex Karev and Jackson Avery, but her true love on the show is Mark Sloan. They have a bit of an on-again, off again thing going on for awhile, but finally figure out how to make things work, and then they’re both killed in a plane crash. Love hurts sometimes when you’re on a Shonda Rhimes show.
Since leaving Grey’s, Leigh has stayed primarily in the television world, first appearing as Detective Caitlyn Sullivan for the one and only season of Taxi Brooklyn, before snagging a gig as bioengineer Alex Danvers on Supergirl.
#10 Brooke Smith (Dr. Erica Hahn)
After Dr. Burke ends up leaving the show, Seattle Grace requires a new cardiothoracic surgeon, and that surgeon is Dr. Erica Hahn, played by Brooke Smith. She ends up attempting to mentor Cristina and starts a relationship with Callie that makes them both realize they’re lesbians. She ends up being written out in season five, bit probably remains one of the most noteworthy characters on the show.
She has kept busy since her departure, starring in shows like Criminal Minds, American Horror Story: Asylum, Graceland, Nashville, Stitchers and Ray Donovan. Her medical training on Grey's probably paid off, since she plays a nurse on Ray Donovan.
#11 Kim Raver (Dr. Teddy Altman)
She was supposed to be a came when we met her helping a car crash victim in a field in season six. But Rhimes wrote her in afterward and had her become friends with Cristina until a figure from her past arrives and starts a tumbleweed of a storyline with Dr. Teddy Altman, a cardiothoracic surgeon who served in the military alongside Hunt, ends up becoming the new cardio god at Seattle Grace. Of course, he falls for Cristina, and the game is on. They wrote her out eventually by having her marry a patient and transferring to another hospital after three seasons.
Since wrapping on Grey’s, Raver has stayed in the television world, with roles on Revolution, NCIS: Los Angeles, 24: Live Another Day, and Bones. No role has lasted anywhere near as long as her gig on Grey’s, but she has three pilots in the works for 2018.
#12 Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny Duquette)
Denny Duquette may not have been a main cast member, but he was a pretty significant part of Izzie’s storyline. We first meet his character when he’s a patient in need of a heart transplant, and after tons of flirtation, he ends up getting engaged to Izzie. This was the storyline that had Heigl upset and wanting to exit the show stat! However, the audience loved the character regardless, and then they had him die and return in hallucinations. The worst storyline in the history of the show, so who can blame Heigl for wanting out.
Nowadays, Jeffrey Dean Morgan keeps rocking it in the television world, appearing in shows like Magic City, Extant, The Good Wife, and as Negan on the wildly popular The Walking Dead.