Claim: Ellen Pompeo acts on television.

Ellen Kathleen Pompeo -LRB- -LSB- pʌmˈpɛoʊ -RSB- , born November 10 , 1969 -RRB- is an American actress and producer . Born in Everett , Massachusetts , Pompeo moved to New York City at 26 where she was discovered by a casting director who signed her for an advertisement campaign for L'Oreal . She made her screen debut with NBC 's legal drama Law & Order , and then guest-starred in other television shows , including the comedy Strangers with Candy , the medical drama Strong Medicine and the sitcom Friends .   Pompeo 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 success initially . A turning point came in her career in 2002 , when she gained wide recognition for her starring role in Brad Silberling 's drama Moonlight Mile . Pompeo then starred in ABC 's popular medical drama Grey 's Anatomy -LRB- 2005 -- present -RRB- , and garnered worldwide recognition for her portrayal of the title character Dr. Meredith Grey . The role on the long running series earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Television Series Drama nomination , and the Screen Actors Guild Award . The character became widely popular , making Pompeo one of the most popular television actresses .   In 2015 , Pompeo was ranked fourth in the list of highest paid TV actresses by Forbes , with the earnings of $ 11.5 million , a spot that she held on to the following year with the earnings of $ 14.5 million . Pompeo 's other notable film roles include the comedy Old School -LRB- 2003 -RRB- , the superhero film Daredevil -LRB- 2003 -RRB- , the caper film Art Heist -LRB- 2004 -RRB- , and the comedy drama Life of the Party -LRB- 2005 -RRB- . In October 2007 , she was honored with Special Achievement in Entertaining by the National Italian American Foundation for her achievement in the entertainment industry . Pompeo married producer Chris Ivery in 2007 and the couple have three children together .