15 Former Grey's Anatomy Cast Members Where Are They Now?

Grey's Anatomy first graced our television screens back in 2005 - that's right, over a decade ago - and has been airing episodes for a staggering 13 seasons. In the world of television, that's absolutely insane. Just stop to think - even classics like Friends were only on the air for 10 seasons! The reason is simple - fans just can't get enough of Shonda Rhimes' drama. Now, Rhimes is obviously skilled at what she does - she is, after all, the brain behind other shows we're obsessed with, like Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder. However, Grey's Anatomy was the first show that introduced her to the world, so it holds a special place in our hearts.

One of the reasons the show has been able to go on as long as it has is because they've made some significant casting switch-ups over the years, and added in some pretty dramatic twists. There have been a few characters, like Meredith Grey and Miranda Bailey, who have been around since the very beginning. And then there are characters that left in the eighth, ninth, or tenth seasons, characters who were killed off, or who got fictionally transferred to another hospital, or who were written off the show because of something they said off screen.

Wondering where some of your favorite actors are now that they're not showing up on your television screen in scrubs? Well, we've pulled together a list of 15 former Grey's cast members and where they are now.

15 Patrick Dempsey (Dr. Derek Shepherd)

Dempsey's character was arguably one of the most important on the show - after all, the entire series starts with him and Meredith sleeping together before her first day as an intern at Seattle Grace, and then they start their whirlwind McDreamy and Mer romance. They go through drama surrounding children, they get married, and they story takes a whole lot of twists and turns. In season 11, Derek finally leaves the show, as he's killed in a car crash (something that countless fans absolutely freaked out about). Since his exit from the show is relatively recent, Dempsey is just getting back into the swing of things, and appears in the movie Bridget Jones' Baby alongside Renee Zellweger, as well as in the television show Micronesian Blues, where he plays a character totally unlike Derek Shepherd. He's also looking to move into the world of producing, and to focus on his other passion - racing cars.

14 Sandra Oh (Dr. Cristina Yang)

Cristina Yang was the girl boss to end all girl bosses - she was fierce, she was unapologetically ambitious, and she knew exactly who she was. Everyone absolutely loved Cristina, and her friendship with Meredith was arguably more interesting than half the romantic relationships on the show. After ten seasons on the show, Sandra Oh decided she wanted to have the time to pursue other projects, and felt like it was time to let the fascinating character of Cristina Yang go - so Shonda wrote her out of the show, wrapping up her and Meredith's relationship with a brilliant dancing scene (check it out if you haven't seen it yet). Since her departure from the show, she's been working on a diverse blend of projects, including an animated feature called Window Horses, going to the comedy world and appearing in Tammy and the upcoming Catfight, and also contributing to Refinery29's comedy web series Shitty Boyfriends. It seems that, after years of medical jargon, Oh is ready to get audiences laughing.

13 Eric Dane (Dr. Mark Sloan)

Dr. Sloan - also known as McSteamy - first came on the show as a guest star in the second season, and became a beloved regular starting with season three. 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 then, Dane has made one venture into the film world, in a film called Grey Lady, where he plays a Boston homicide detective. However, the majority of his time is taken up 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. Dane plays a commanding officer, so if you ever wanted a more serious, authoritarian Mark Sloan, you're in luck. Dane is also a producer on that show, so who knows - perhaps some of his upcoming roles will involve more behind the scenes work rather than leading roles.

12 Katherine Heigl (Dr. Izzie Stevens)

Katherine Heigl first appeared on the show as one of the interns alongside Meredith and Cristina, and it seemed like she would be a main cast member for as long as the show was on the air - however, she only appeared up to season six. The reason is pretty juicy - apparently, there was some drama between Heigl and creator Shonda Rhimes. At first Heigl asked for a lighter schedule and withdrew herself from Emmy consideration; then, when she began commanding larger and larger salaries and filming tons of successful movies, she got a little bit frustrated being tied to a show, and failed to show up for work one day. Heigl allegedly said her decision was because she wanted to focus more on her family. Whatever the reason, one thing is for certain - Heigl probably has the most blockbusters under her belt, and though a majority of her biggest hits like Knocked Up and 27 Dresses came while she was filming Grey's, she's also been in flicks like Life As We Know It and One For The Money since wrapping, as well as on another television drama, State of Affairs, before it was cancelled. She's also a lifestyle blogger at Heavenly Days.

11 T.R. Knight (Dr. George O'Malley)

T.R. Knight captivated audiences as the lovable George O'Malley, who went from a quiet intern to a quietly confident resident. Despite being one of the main cast members in the first few seasons, he left after only six seasons - but it wasn't due to drama, like Katherine Heigl's departure. 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. However, he certainly hasn't been struggling to find work after the show wrapped - he's returned to television for big shows like The Good Wife, and in the mini-series 11.22.63. He's starred in films like 42 and Hello Again. And, perhaps most interestingly, he's returned to his theatre roots, starring in several shows both on and off Broadway, including Sold, Romeo and Juliet, Pocatello, It's Only A Play and more. We kind of dig that he's opted for interesting roles rather than just the biggest blockbusters he could find.

10 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 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. So, apart from his brief appearance in season ten to help see Cristina Yang's character off, Dr. Preston Burke only appeared in the first three seasons. Since then, Washington has returned to television in The 100, a mystery sci-fi show. He was also granted Sierra Leonean citizenship following a DNA test, and engaged in charity work, travelling to Sierra Leone to help build a school and bring medical supplies.

9 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. After wrapping two insanely popular television shows, Walsh returned to television with Bad Judge (which only aired for one season), and has worked on films including Dermaphoria, Just Before I Go, Staten Island Summer and Felt. She's also a passionate activist, championing causes like pet adoption, Planned Parenthood, and even helping campaign for Hilary Clinton. Walsh found time to do an astounding amount of things while she had a packed television filming schedule, so we can only imagine what she'll get up to in the next few years now that both her shows have wrapped - and we can't wait to find out.

8 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. If she ever decides to take a bit of a break from television and head to the world of film, we have no doubt she'd be a massive success - she's totally gorgeous and could easily be a leading lady.

7 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. Oh, and Izzie ends up going totally rogue and essentially stealing a heart in order to make sure her new love lives. He ends up dying, but then returns to the show as a hallucination of Izzie's tumor-ridden brain. He was involved in several dramatic storylines, which makes him a major part of the show. 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. It seems like he's found his perfect fit in the television world - and we can't wait to see what he works on next.

6 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 (or bisexual, in Callie's case). Dr. Hahn leaves in season five, meaning Smith's character wasn't on the show for very long, but it probably remains her most notable television role. Since then, Smith has continued to act steadily, appearing on shows including Criminal Minds, American Horror Story: Asylum, Graceland, Nashville, Stitchers and Ray Donovan - although the last one is the only show she's been on for an extended storyline. And, it seems her time on Grey's paid off in that case, as she plays the character of a nurse in Ray Donovan - all that medical jargon was probably a cake walk after playing a cardiothoracic attending.

5 Kim Raver (Dr. Teddy Altman)

The Grey's audience first meets trauma surgeon Owen Hunt when he helps a patient out in the field who has suffered from a car crash, and he quickly starts up a relationship with Cristina Yang. However, a figure from his past soon emerges - Dr. Teddy Altman, a cardiothoracic surgeon who served in the military alongside Hunt, and ends up becoming the new cardio god at Seattle Grace. While she has several interesting storylines, including her mentorship of Yang and her marriage to a patient, she eventually takes a job somewhere else and leaves the show. 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, so perhaps eventually she'll turn her attention to the silver screen and try her hand in the film world.

4 Loretta Devine (Adele Webber)

While she didn't appear too frequently throughout the show, Adele Webber was without doubt one of the more memorable recurring characters - after all, she was the Chief's wife! Unfortunately, Adele struggles with Alzheimer's in later seasons of the show and, in season nine, ends up passing away. While Adele's often challenging storylines were likely a lot of fun for Devine to tackle - she won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the role - she certainly hasn't been resting too much since her exit from Grey's. 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. It seems she splits her roles between acting and voice acting gigs, so next time you hear a character that reminds you a little of Adele Webber, check the credits - it may very well be Loretta Devine.

3 Melissa George (Sadie Harris)

Sadie Harris was only on the show for a handful of episodes, and certainly had an interesting storyline. She's an old friend of Meredith's from college who comes to work at Seattle Grace as an intern, encourages the interns to do reckless things like perform an appendectomy on her, and finally leaves because it's revealed that she cheated her way into the program. Since her stint on Grey's, George has certainly been busy. She's appeared on shows including The Slap (both the Australian and American versions), Lie To Me, The Good Wife, and Hunted. Most recently, she snagged a role on the medical drama Heartbeat, so she'd better brush up on that medical lingo! She also, interestingly, is an entrepreneur - George invented a product called Style Snaps which allows people to change the hem of their pants without requiring sewing. It may seem like a fad product, but George herself has said she earns more from that handy invention than she ever did from her acting career.

2 Gaius Charles (Dr. Shane Ross)

Gaius Charles is no stranger to being a part of a successful television show - before he was wandering the halls of the hospital as Dr. Shane Ross, he played the role of Brian “Smash” Williams on the sports drama Friday Night Lights. He only got the chance to be a member of the main cast on Grey's for one season before he left the show, allegedly following Cristina to Switzerland to work with her there. Since leaving Grey's, Charles' major role has been as a regular on the show Aquarius. With fairly lengthy stints on two television shows under his belt, we have no doubt that Charles would be able to tackle a variety of great roles - it's just about finding the right one, and he hasn't seemed to have done that just quite yet. We look forward to checking out what projects he's tackling next (and if you want to check out his comedic chops, watch him as Muhammad Ali in an episode of Drunk History).

1 Kate Burton (Dr. Ellis Grey)

Given that Meredith Grey is arguably the most central character of the show - after all, the entire thing is named after her - it only makes sense that audiences would meet her mother. However, when Shonda Rhimes crafted the character of Dr. Ellis Grey, she didn't just create a typical maternal doctor - she created a fierce, difficult, ambitious woman who audiences alternatively loved and hated. And apparently, Shonda Rhimes absolutely loved working with her so much that, when she was casting her other show, Scandal, she thought of Burton for the role of Vice President Sally Langston. Though Ellis Grey seems like such a huge character, given how much she's influenced the lives of both Meredith Grey and Richard Webber, her appearances on the show were few and far between - meaning she had plenty of time to rock her role on Scandal. Burton also, interestingly, has used her expressive voice to narrate several audiobooks - who would've guessed?