Ellen Kathleen Pompeo was born in Massachusetts, the daughter of Joseph, a salesman, and Kathleen Pompeo. Ellen is of Irish and Italian descent and was raised Catholic. Her mother passed away when she was four years old due to an overdose, and her father remarried soon after her mother’s death. For more than two years, she served cocktails in Miami where she met then-boyfriend, fashion photographer Andrew Rosenthal. In 1996, she was bartending at the SoHo Bar & Grill in New York City’s Upper West Side when an agent approached her to appear in commercials. Subsequently, she appeared in commercials for Citibank and L’Oréal. She began her career with minor roles on television shows like Strangers with Candy and Law & Order. Ellen’s big break came in the form of Brad Silberling’s Moonlight Mile along side Jake Gyllenhaal and Dustin Hoffman, Ellen soon moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting dream.

Ellen soon got a small role in the hit flick Daredevil playing Ben Affleck’s secretary Karen Page, In 2002 and 2003, Ellen appeared in Catch Me If You Can and had a part in comedy Old School. Ellen was to portray Jim Carrey’s ex-girlfriend, Naomi, in the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. however her scenes were cut from the final version film, Ellen stated she felt grateful Michel Gondry chose her to appear in his film. Ellen met future husband Chris Ivery in a supermarket having been introduced by a mutual friend, in 2007 Ellen and Chris married in a small private ceremony at Manhattan Marriage Bureau with Mayor Michael Bloomberg as their witness. Ellen and Chris are now living in Los Angeles together.

After a string of movile roles including Life of the Party and Art Heist, Ellen soon landed her first major role on he small screen in the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, as the main character, Meredith Grey, a first year surgical intern at a Seattle Grace hospital. The show became the highest-rated on network TV in its fifth season. Ellen was soon nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series. That year, she also signed a new contract for Grey’s Anatomy that increased her salary to $200,000 per episode. Ellen was also honored by the National Italian American Foundation for her achievement in entertainment at a gala in Washington, D.C in 2007.

• "Grey's Anatomy" .... Dr. Meredith Grey (91 episodes, 2005-2009)
       - Before and After (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Meredith Grey
       - Beat Your Heart Out (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Meredith Grey
       - Stairway to Heaven (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Meredith Grey
       - Sympathy for the Devil (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Meredith Grey
       - Wish You Were Here (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Meredith Grey
        (86 more)
• Life of the Party (2005) .... Phoebe Elgin
• Art Heist (2004) .... Sandra Walker
  ... aka Golpe maestro (Spain)
• "Friends" .... Missy Goldberg (1 episode, 2004)
       - The One Where the Stripper Cries (2004) TV episode .... Missy Goldberg
• Nobody's Perfect (2004) .... Veronica
• Undermind (2003) .... Flynn
• Old School (2003) .... Nicole
• Daredevil (2003) .... Karen Page
  ... aka Daredevil: A Daring New Vision (USA: director's cut (DVD title))
• Catch Me If You Can (2002) .... Marci
• Moonlight Mile (2002) .... Bertie Knox
• "The Job" .... Sue (1 episode, 2001)
       - Anger (2001) TV episode .... Sue
• "Strong Medicine" .... Quincy Dunne (1 episode, 2001)
       - Wednesday Night Fever (2001) TV episode .... Quincy Dunne
• In the Weeds (2000) .... Martha
• "Get Real" .... Nina Adler (1 episode, 2000)
       - History Lessons (2000) TV episode .... Nina Adler
• "Law & Order" .... Jenna Weber / ... (2 episodes, 1996-2000)
  ... aka Law & Order Prime (USA: informal title)
       - Fools for Love (2000) TV episode .... Laura Kendrick
       - Savior (1996) TV episode .... Jenna Weber
• Eventual Wife (2000) .... Beth
  
• "Strangers with Candy" .... Lizzie Abrams (1 episode, 1999)
       - Feather in the Storm (1999) TV episode .... Lizzie Abrams