Age, Biography, and Wiki
Ellen Kathleen Pompeo was born on November 10, 1969, in Everett, Massachusetts. She is an American actress, best recognized for her portrayal of Dr. Meredith Grey in Grey's Anatomy, a role she has played for over 18 years. Pompeo has been featured on Forbes's list of highest-paid actresses multiple times, showcasing her enduring success in the entertainment industry.
| Occupation | Voice Actress |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 10 November 1969 |
| Age | 55 Years |
| Birth Place | Everett, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Scorpio |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
- Height: 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm)
- Weight: Approximately 130 lbs (59 kg), though this can vary based on recent photos and updates.
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches |
| Weight | 130 lbs |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Ellen Pompeo is married to Chris Ivery, a music producer. They have been together since 2006 and have three children.
Her father was from Gesualdo, Italy and was of Italian, English, and Irish descent; and her mother of Irish ancestry. She was raised as a Catholic. Her mother died of an accidental painkiller overdose when she was four. Her father remarried soon after; he died on September 1, 2012. In 2006, Pompeo said, "I think having my mother die at such a very young age—when she was 39—[made me] appreciate life so much." She has five older siblings: three sisters and two brothers. She was nicknamed "the pencil", and "stracciatella" (gelato flavor). She worked as a bartender in Miami when she started dating her then boyfriend. They moved to New York City in 1995, where she was approached by a casting director to appear in ads for Citibank and L'Oreal.
In 2002, Pompeo was selected by director Brad Silberling for a lead role in his film Moonlight Mile, playing Jake Gyllenhaal's character's sympathetic love interest. While generally praising the cast, Jeff Vice of Deseret News noted Pompeo's "extremely appealing" performance. Other commentators considered her performance to be worthy of an Academy Award. Also in 2002, Pompeo appeared in the biographical crime drama film Catch Me If You Can; and in 2003, she appeared in Old School as Luke Wilson's love interest. She portrayed Jim Carrey's ex-girlfriend, Naomi, in the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Although the scenes in which she appeared were cut from the film, she felt grateful that she had been selected by director Michel Gondry. She played the role of Karen Page in the 2003 film Daredevil and the next year she starred in Art Heist.
Pompeo met Chris Ivery in a Los Angeles grocery store in 2003. They began dating after six months of friendship and got married in 2007, with New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg as the legal witness to the ceremony. They have two daughters and a son.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Chris Ivery (m. 2007) |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Ellen Pompeo's net worth is estimated to be around $80 million. Her annual salary from Grey's Anatomy was approximately $20 million, making her one of the highest-paid drama actresses. She earns about $575,000 per episode, along with a significant signing bonus and backend "points" that add millions to her income.
Pompeo was then cast in ABC's Grey's Anatomy, and gained worldwide recognition as Dr. Meredith Grey for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award. Grey became widely popular, making Pompeo one of the most renowned television actresses. In 2016, she was ranked fourth in the list of highest paid TV actresses by Forbes, with earnings of $14.9 million; she became the third highest-paid female and the fifth highest-paid actor overall in 2018 with earnings of $23.6 million. She was also the highest-ranked actress from a drama series on the list.
Pompeo signed a new contract for Grey's Anatomy in 2011 that increased her salary to US$200,000 per episode; she was subsequently named the eighth highest-paid TV actress in 2012, earning $9 million. The contract would have her involved with the show until its 12th season. Under her renewed deal of 2013, she earned $350,000 per episode, with additional payment from syndication. At that point, she was ranked fourth in the list of highest-paid television actresses again in 2015, in the Forbes list, with the earnings of $11.5 million. Pompeo's contract with the company expired again at the end of the 12th season along with the other original cast members, and she signed a new one with an increased paycheck. She held on the fourth spot in Forbes' list in 2016, bringing in $14 million, a 32% increase in the earnings from 2015.
In January 2018, she renewed her contract for Grey's Anatomy, agreeing for two more seasons; she became the highest-paid actress in a television drama series, earning more than $20 million a year with the new deal. She received a sum of $575,000 per episode under her new contract and was promoted to the rank of producer for the series, which was estimated to earn her a separate $6 million to $7 million annually. She was also listed as co-producer for the Grey's Anatomy spinoff titled Station 19 and received office space for Calamity Jane at Walt Disney Studios. She wrote a piece on the issue of the gender pay gap and her new contract with ABC, which was featured as the cover story for the January 2018 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Forbes ranked Pompeo as the third highest female and the fifth highest actor overall on its 2018 list of highest paid TV actors on television; she had estimated earnings of US$23.5 million.
Business Ventures
In addition to her acting income, Pompeo has invested in real estate. She and her husband have owned several properties, including homes in Hollywood Hills and the Hamptons, which they have sold for substantial profits. They also own a Malibu beach house valued at around $30 million.
Pompeo's other film roles include the comedy Old School (2003), the superhero film Daredevil (2003), the caper film Art Heist (2004), and the comedy drama Life of the Party (2005). In addition to her acting career, she has directed two episodes of Grey's Anatomy and founded a production company, Calamity Jane. She has been married to music producer Chris Ivery since 2007; they have three children.
In 2007, Pompeo was honored by the National Italian American Foundation for her achievement in entertainment at a black-tie gala in Washington, D.C. In the same year, show-business awards reporter Tom O'Neil commented that Pompeo was overdue for an Emmy Award nomination for her role in Grey's Anatomy. The view was echoed by later critics, including Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times who suggested that Pompeo, "who has worked very hard and against all narrative odds to make Meredith Grey an interesting character at last" should have received a nomination at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. During the twelfth season of the show, Western Gazette's Alex Hawnkings gave Pompeo credit for carrying the show and re-iterated it was time for her to finally win an Emmy Award. Readers of O'Neil's awards website, The Envelope, included Pompeo in their 2009 nominations for Best Drama Actress in the site's Gold Derby TV Awards.
On October 27, 2011, Deadline Hollywood reported that Pompeo had launched her own production company called Calamity Jane which sold its first project to ABC, an untitled show about female agents on the Secretary of State's security detail. During a 2014 BuzzFeed event, she expressed a lack of interest in acting after Grey's Anatomy completes its run; she explained: "I definitely feel myself transitioning. I don't find acting terribly empowering." Since then, Pompeo has been involved in other projects as a producer and had also made her directorial debut with a Grey's Anatomy episode, from the thirteenth season. In August 2014, it was announced that Pompeo was developing two dramas with ABC Studios - an adaptation of Rachel Carey's 2013 novel Debt for ABC Family, and an untitled female police drama for ABC. Pompeo is also involved with a Spanish thriller Motivos Personales with the London-based company, New Media Vision. Pompeo appeared in the music video for Taylor Swift's 2015 single "Bad Blood", and two years later, she voiced a stuffed animal cat in Doc McStuffins.
In 2019, she appeared as a guest judge on the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. More recently, her production company and ABC bought out the rights to the Paradise book trilogy.
Social Network
Ellen Pompeo is active on social media platforms, where she engages with her fans and shares updates about her life and projects.
Born in Everett, Massachusetts, Pompeo moved to Miami and then New York City, where a casting director discovered her and signed her for an ad campaign for L'Oreal. She made her screen debut with NBC's legal drama Law & Order, then guest-starred in other television shows, including the comedy Strangers with Candy, the medical drama Strong Medicine and the sitcom Friends. She made her feature film debut in 1999 with the romantic comedy Coming Soon, and went on to play minor roles in films like In the Weeds and Mambo Café but found little initial success. A turning point came in her career in 2002, when she was noticed for her role in Brad Silberling's romantic drama Moonlight Mile.
In 2021, Pompeo told Patrick Dempsey on her podcast Tell Me with Ellen Pompeo that she remembered having an intense fight with actor Denzel Washington. Washington directed Pompeo in the 2016 Grey's Anatomy episode "The Sound of Silence". During filming, Washington took issue with Pompeo improvising dialogue to which she said "listen motherfucker, this is my show. This is my set. Who are you telling? You barely know where the bathroom is." She added that while things calmed down, "[Washington] doesn't know shit about directing TV." The story went viral and was heavily publicized with many accusing Pompeo of being disrespectful to Washington.
Pompeo criticized media reports suggesting that she suffered from an eating disorder, calling the media irresponsible for promoting such rumors. In Los Angeles Confidential Magazine in 2007, she said that she was worried about the young girls who look up to her: "I don't want them to think I starve myself or don't eat, and that to be like me that's what they have to do."
Education
Pompeo attended Everett High School and later moved to New York City to pursue a career in modeling and acting. She transitioned to acting after gaining experience in the fashion industry.
Additional Ventures
- Awards and Recognition: Pompeo has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe nomination.
- Philanthropy: She is involved in various charitable activities, often using her platform to support social causes.
Overall, Ellen Pompeo's career is a testament to her talent, business acumen, and dedication to her craft, making her one of the most successful actresses in contemporary television.
