Kate Burton ( actress ) - wikipedia Kate Burton ( actress ) Kate Burton Katherine Burton ( 1957 - 09 - 10 ) September 10, 1957 ( age 60 ) Geneva, Switzerland Education Brown University ( BA ) Yale University ( MFA ) Occupation Actress Years active 1982 -- present Spouse ( s ) Michael Ritchie ( m. 1985 ) Children Parent ( s ) Richard Burton Sybil Christopher Katherine `` Kate '' Burton ( born September 10, 1957 ) is a Swiss - born British actress, daughter of actor Richard Burton and Sybil Burton. On television, Burton received critical acclaim for performances in Shonda Rhimes 's drama series as Ellis Grey on Grey 's Anatomy, and as Vice President Sally Langston on Scandal. She has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Stage work 2.2 Film and television 2.3 Other work 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4.1 Film 4.2 Television 5 References 6 External links Early Life Burton was born in Geneva, Switzerland, the daughter of producer Sybil Burton ( née Williams ; 1929 -- 2013 ) and actor Richard Burton ( 1925 -- 1984 ). She was thus the stepdaughter of Elizabeth Taylor and of Sybil 's second husband Jordan Christopher, both actors. Burton earned a bachelor 's degree in Russian Studies and European History from Brown University in 1979, where she was on the board of Production Workshop, one of the university 's student theater groups, and a master 's degree from Yale School of Drama in 1982. Brown awarded Burton an honorary doctorate in 2007. Career Stage work Burton 's first notable role on Broadway was in a 1982 production of the Noël Coward play Present Laughter directed by George C. Scott. The following year, she appeared in the Broadway production of Doonesbury, playing J.J. Burton also appeared as Alice in Eva Le Gallienne 's Alice in Wonderland on Broadway, produced by The Mirror Theater Ltd 's Sabra Jones. Several key roles followed, including roles in Wendy Wasserstein 's An American Daughter and Martin McDonagh 's The Beauty Queen of Leenane. In 2002, she received Tony Award nominations in separate performance categories : Best Actress in a Play, for her portrayal of the title role in Henrik Ibsen 's Hedda Gabler, and Best Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayals of Pinhead / Mrs. Kendal in the revival of The Elephant Man. As of January 2016, she is one of only five actors, including Amanda Plummer, Dana Ivey, Jan Maxwell and Mark Rylance, to be nominated for Tony awards in two different categories in the same year. In 2006, Burton starred in the Off - Broadway production of The Water 's Edge opposite Tony Goldwyn. That year, she again received a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Play for her role in W. Somerset Maugham 's The Constant Wife. In 2007, she played Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard at Boston 's Huntington Theatre. On December 21, 2007, she joined the cast of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening in the role of the Adult Women when she replaced actress Christine Estabrook. Kristine Nielsen replaced her on March 2, 2008 for a short stint until Estabrook reassumed the role. During the summer of 2010, Burton portrayed actress Katharine Cornell in A.R. Gurney 's The Grand Manner at Lincoln Center in New York. In April, 2017, she began playing Liz Essendine in the Broadway revival of Present Laughter, the play in which she made her debut. Film and television Burton 's first screen appearance was in the 1969 film Anne of the Thousand Days, starring her father, with whom she later appeared as Alice opposite his White Knight in the 1983 Great Performances broadcast of Alice in Wonderland, and in the 1984 CBS miniseries Ellis Island. Other films include Big Trouble in Little China, The First Wives Club, Life with Mikey, and The Ice Storm. Burton has said of these roles that she usually plays `` the sweet wife, or the sweet dead wife. '' Burton has been perhaps most prolific in her work on television. She made many television appearances in the late 1980s and 1990s on such episodic shows as Spenser : For Hire, All My Children, and Brooklyn Bridge. About playing the mother, in her late thirties, of David Schwimmer 's character in the short - lived 1994 FOX sitcom, Monty, she said, `` you do n't really start playing moms in Hollywood until you 're in your 40s, and usually the kids are almost your age ! When I played Schwimmer 's mother, I was 37 and he was, I think, 28... that happens a lot in TV and film ; you really do end up being close in age to your child, which is nonsensical. '' In 1996, Burton won a Daytime Emmy award for her performance as a mother dying of breast cancer in the ABC Afterschool Special, ' Notes For My Daughter '. More recently, she made guest appearances as recurring characters on Law & Order, The Practice, The West Wing, Judging Amy and Medium. She also appeared on the HBO miniseries Empire Falls. Her recent recurring television roles have involved subplots concerning Alzheimer 's disease. On FX network 's Rescue Me, she played the role of Rose, a friend and possible romantic interest to Chief Jerry Reilly. Reilly, whose wife is in a facility suffering from Alzheimer 's, hires Rose, a caregiver for her husband who was also a victim, to provide assistance and emotional support. In perhaps her most visible and well - known role to date as the mother of Dr. Meredith Grey ( the titular character on the well - known ABC medical drama Grey 's Anatomy ), Burton played Dr. Ellis Grey, the former trailblazing surgeon, who dies of Alzheimer 's. In 2008, the New York City Chapter of the Alzheimer 's Association singled her out for her compelling performances in both shows. In 2006 and 2007, Burton received Emmy nominations for her Grey 's Anatomy role. In 2011, Burton appeared as Marie Kessler, a veteran monster hunter, and the aunt of Nick Burkhardt in the opening episodes of the NBC supernatural drama Grimm. Since 2012, she plays the recurring role of Vice President Sally Langston in the ABC hit show Scandal, for which she again received an Emmy nomination. In 2015 it was reported that Burton was cast in a leading role in the U.S. remake of the French - language film Martyrs, which opened theatrically in January 2016. In March 2017 she reprised her role as Aunt Marie Kessler in the series finale of Grimm. Other work Burton has narrated numerous audiobooks, including works by : Patricia Cornwell, Lisa Scottoline, Iris Johansen, and Dean Koontz. Personal Life In 1985, Burton married Michael Ritchie, Artistic Director of the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles and one of the producers of the Broadway musicals The Drowsy Chaperone and Curtains. They had met in 1982, while Ritchie was stage manager of a revival of Noël Coward 's Present Laughter at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York City in which Burton was playing the character Daphne. They have two children, a son Morgan Ivor ( born May 14, 1988 ), who is an actor, and a daughter Charlotte Frances ( born January 19, 1998 ). Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1969 Anne of the Thousand Days Serving Maid Uncredited 1984 Ellis Island Vanessa Ogden Television film 1986 Big Trouble in Little China Margo Litzenberger Uncle Tom 's Cabin Ophelia Television film 1993 Life with Mikey Mrs. Burns 1993 Love Matters Deborah Television film August Helen Blathwaite The First Wives Club Woman in Bed Mistrial Katherine Donohue Television film 1997 The Ice Storm Dorothy Franklin 1997 Ellen Foster Abigail Montford Television film 1998 Celebrity Cheryl 2000 The Opportunists Rest Home Sister 2002 Unfaithful Tracy 2002 Swimfan Carla Cronin 2002 Obsessed Sara Miller Television film 2003 The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer Connie Posey Television film 2003 The Paper Mache Chase Martha Short film 2005 Stay Mrs. Letham 2005 Empire Falls Cindy Whiting Television film 2006 Sherrybaby Marcia Swanson 2007 Lovely by Surprise Helen 2008 What Just Happened Dr. Randall 2008 Quid Pro Quo Merilee 2008 Max Payne Nicole Horne 2009 The Kings of Appletown Aunt Birdy 2009 Spooner Alice Spooner Remember Me Janine Consent Susan 127 Hours Aron 's Mom 2011 Puncture Senator O'Reilly 2012 Liberal Arts Susan 2012 2 Days in New York Bella 2012 Mariachi Gringo Anne 2013 Adam Shaw Dr. Wilson 2014 Barefoot Mrs. Wheeler 2014 Shiva and May Martha 2015 Bleeding Heart Martha 2015 Martyrs Eleanor Television Year Title Role Notes Great Performances Alice Episode : `` Alice in Wonderland '' 1984 Ellis Island Vanessa Ogden Miniseries < br > 3 episodes 1985 Evergreen Agatha Bradford Episode : `` 1.2 '' 1987 -- 1988 Spenser : For Hire Randy Lofficier 2 episodes American Playhouse Agnes Bolton O'Neill Episode : `` Journey Into Genius '' 1992 Law & Order Sister Bettina Episode : `` Sisters of Mercy '' 1992 Home Fires Anne Kramer 6 episodes 1993 Brooklyn Bridge Susan Lowenberg Jones Episode : `` Keeping Up with the Joneses '' 1994 Monty Fran Richardson 13 episodes 1994 All My Children Dr. Renee Peters Unknown episodes 1995 ABC Afterschool Special Brenda Gardner Episode : `` Notes for My Daughter '' Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children 's Special 1997 -- 2004 The Practice A.D.A. Susan Alexander 9 episodes 2001 -- 2009 Law & Order Erica Gardner 4 episodes 2001 100 Centre Street Sheila Byrne Episode : `` My Brother 's Keeper '' 2001 Law & Order : Criminal Intent Stephanie Uffland Episode : `` The Pardoner 's Tale '' The West Wing Sarah Brainerd Episode : `` Slow News Day '' 2005 Judging Amy Dr. Sheri Jordan Episode : `` Silent Era '' 2005 American Masters Voice of Novels Episode : `` Ernest Hemingway : Rivers to the Sea '' 2005 Numb3rs Anthropologist Episode : `` Bones of Contention '' 2005 -- 2006 Rescue Me Rose 6 episodes 2005 -- 2017 Grey 's Anatomy Ellis Grey 24 episodes Nominated -- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series ( 2006 -- 07 ) 2006 Justice Sarah Miller Episode : `` Death Spiral '' 2007 Supreme Courtships Justice Suzanne Mary Lynch Unsold TV pilot 2008 Medium Bonnie Barrister Episode : `` To Have and to Hold '' 2009 Eleventh Hour Gepetto / Miranda Cochran Episode : `` Pinocchio '' 2009 Washingtonienne Joy Episode : `` Pilot '' 2009 -- 2012 The Good Wife Victoria Adler 3 episodes The Deep End Grace Graham Episode : `` Pilot '' 2011 Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Annette Cole Episode : `` Bully '' 2011 Criminal Minds : Suspect Behavior Deirdre Norris Episode : `` Smother '' 2011 The Closer Kate Wycoff Episode : `` Forgive Us Our Trespasses '' 2011 -- 2017 Grimm Marie Kessler 3 episodes 2012 Made in Jersey Lorraine Beckett Episode : `` Cacti '' 2012 -- 2017 Veep Barbara Hallowes 3 episodes 2012 -- 2018 Scandal Vice President Sally Langston 42 episodes Nominated -- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series ( 2014 ) 2013 Revolution Dr. Jane Warren Episode : `` The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia '' 2014 Rake Holly Phillips Episode : `` Hey, Good Looking '' 2015 Extant Fiona Stanton 6 episodes 2016 Madam Secretary Maureen McCord - Ryan 2 episodes 2018 This Is Us Barbara 2 episodes 2018 This Is Us Ellis Grey 7 episodes ) References Jump up ^ Team TVLine ( 2013 - 12 - 12 ). `` Kate Burton in ' Scandal ' : ' A Door Marked Exit ' -- Performer of the Week ''. TVLine. Retrieved 2013 - 12 - 16. Jump up ^ The Broadway League. `` Kate Burton IBDB : The official source for Broadway Information ''. IBDB. Retrieved 2013 - 12 - 16. Jump up ^ `` Kate Burton Film Reference biography ''. Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Yale School of Drama Board of Advisors drama.yale.edu ''. drama.yale.edu. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Biographies of Alumni Trustees ''. Brown Alumni Association. Retrieved January 23, 2016. Jump up ^ Pogrebin, Robin ( November 6, 2001 ). `` A Sudden Breakout Moment, And Kate Burton Is Loving It ''. The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Kate Burton Performer ''. Playbill Vault. Retrieved January 18, 2016. Jump up ^ `` HISTORY ''. Tony Awards. Retrieved January 18, 2016. Jump up ^ Hernandez, Ernio ( June 14, 2006 ). `` Hath No Fury : Kate Burton and Tony Goldwyn Open The Water 's Edge Off - Broadway ''. Playbill. Retrieved January 18, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Kate Burton Huntington Theatre Company ''. www.huntingtontheatre.org. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 18. Jump up ^ `` Kate Burton, Blake Bashoff to Join Broadway 's Spring Awakening ''. TheaterMania.com. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 18. Jump up ^ `` Nielsen Joins Broadway 's Spring Awakening March 4 ''. Playbill. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 18. Jump up ^ Hetrick, Adam ( June 2, 2010 ). `` Gurney 's The Grand Manner, with Gaines, Burton, Steggert and Wehle, Arrives Off - Broadway ''. Playbill. Jump up ^ Viagas, Robert ( December 9, 2016 ). `` Kate Burton Will Join Kevin Kline in Broadway 's Present Laughter ''. Playbill. Retrieved April 29, 2017. Jump up ^ Jarrott, Charles ( 1969 - 12 - 18 ), Anne of the Thousand Days, retrieved 2016 - 01 - 20 Jump up ^ Browning, Kirk ( 1983 - 10 - 03 ), Alice in Wonderland, retrieved 2016 - 01 - 20 Jump up ^ Ellis Island, 1984 - 11 - 11, retrieved 2016 - 01 - 20 ^ Jump up to : `` Kate Burton ''. IMDb. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 20. Jump up ^ Warren, Larkin ( November 18, 2001 ). `` Finding Her Inner Hedda ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 20, 2016. Jump up ^ `` ' Grey 's Anatomy 's ' Kate Burton on Her 16 Famous ' Children ' ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Daytime Emmy Awards ( 1996 ) ''. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Fall 2008 Newsletter - `` Forget - Me - Not '' Gala Acknowledges ``. www.alznyc.org. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 23. ^ Jump up to : `` Kate Burton Television Academy ''. Television Academy. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 23. Jump up ^ `` ' Scandal ' : ' Grey 's Anatomy ' veteran Kate Burton joins Shonda Rhimes ' new show - Zap2it ''. Blog.zap2it.com. 2011 - 09 - 26. Retrieved 2013 - 12 - 16. Jump up ^ `` Bailey Noble, who played Adilyn Bellefleur on `` True Blood, '' toplining with `` Pretty Little Liars '' star Troian Bellisario. Kate Burton ( Stay, Big Trouble in Little China ) and Blake Robbins ( Rubber ) round out the cast of Martyrs ``. Jump up ^ Catsoulis, Jeanette ( January 21, 2016 ). `` Review : ' Martyrs, ' a Slashing Remake, Centers on Two Friends ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2016. Jump up ^ Giuntoli, David ; Hornsby, Russell ; Tulloch, Elizabeth ; Mitchell, Silas Weir ( 2017 - 03 - 31 ), The End, retrieved 2017 - 04 - 01 Jump up ^ `` Audioeditions ''. Audioeditions. 2012 - 07 - 09. Archived from the original on 2010 - 02 - 04. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Times Daily - Google News Archive Search ''. news.google.com. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Michael Ritchie '' ( PDF ). Center TheatreGroup of Los Angelies. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on August 18, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2016. Jump up ^ Pincus - Roth, Zachary. `` Kate Burton and Michael Ritchie : L.A. 's Theater Power Couple Keeps the Drama Onstage ''. L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Ritchie ' 10 enters family trade with major acting ' debut ' ''. Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 23. Jump up ^ Douglas, Hillary. `` Richard Burton 's lookalike grandson plants his Hollywood star ''. Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 23. Jump up ^ Hetrick, Adam ( 2007 - 07 - 03 ). `` Kate Burton Makes Williamstown 's The Corn Is Green a Family Event ''. Playbill. Philip S Birsh. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Kate Burton Biography ''. Yahoo Movies. Archived from the original on 2012 - 10 - 20. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 20. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kate Burton ( actress ). Kate Burton on IMDb Kate Burton at the Internet Broadway Database Kate Burton at the Internet Off - Broadway Database BIBSYS : 13046344 BNF : cb141604367 ( data ) ISNI : 0000 0000 6656 3456 LCCN : n84017155 SNAC : w69x3d1g SUDOC : 189885025 VIAF : 7597078 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kate_Burton_(actress)&oldid=856841706 '' Categories : 1957 births 20th - century American actresses 21st - century American actresses American film actresses American people of Welsh descent American expatriates in Switzerland American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Brown University alumni Daytime Emmy Award winners Living people People from Geneva Richard Burton Yale School of Drama alumni Hidden categories : Pages to import images to Wikidata Articles with hCards Articles with IBDb links Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia تۆرکجه Cymraeg Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Italiano Nederlands Русский 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 27 August 2018, at 21 : 24 ( UTC ). 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Question: who plays ellis grey in grey's anatomy
Answer: Katherine "Kate" Burton