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The crew at Grey Sloan Memorial Sanatorium (formerly Seattle Grace Sanatorium…and Seattle Grace Mercy West Sanatorium) is ever-altering. As Grey’s Anatomy barrels along thru its second decade on the air, it be most effective pure that the actors who arise its solid delight in modified. Yes, some characters delight in left Seattle and been replaced by original ones, however the longer the actors preserve on the novel, the more they exchange themselves (every other time, a actually pure thing—that is merely how time works). Here’s a look aid on the Grey’s Anatomy solid of their first seasons on the novel and of their final. Withhold scrolling to the very discontinue to appear how the prolonged haul solid contributors—stars cherish Ellen Pompeo and Chandra Wilson, who were with the novel since season one—delight in modified of their 16 years and counting on the novel.
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Sandra Oh — Season 1
In season 1, Sandra Oh’s Cristina Yang used to be merely an ambitious young intern, making ready to preserve over the cardiology department and change into an world-successfully-known heart surgeon.
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Sandra Oh — Season 10
In season 10, Cristina left Seattle and is now kicking world ass as the Chief Clinical Officer, and Director of Cardiothoracic Surgical treatment on the Klausman Institute for Clinical Be taught in Zurich. The character’s handsome and begin-ended exit is a testomony to Oh’s sizable relationship with Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, who is notorious for giving less-chuffed endings to characters when she would now not procure along with the actors who play them.
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Katherine Heigl — Season 1
Heigl used to be a member of the OG Grey’s Anatomy class of interns, playing Izzie Stevens, who paid her capability thru medical college by modeling.
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Katherine Heigl — Season 6
Heigl left the series in season 6, following several rounds of highly-publicized drama within the aid of the scenes. Segment of why she left used to be (reportedly) to pursue her movie occupation, but that did now not wander so successfully.
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T.R. Knight — Season 1
Rounding out the distinctive neighborhood of interns on the heart of the novel used to be T.R. Knight as George O’Malley.
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T.R. Knight — Season 5
Knight left the series in season 5 and his character, George, had a tragic-but-heroic exit.
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Isaiah Washington — Season 1
Washington used to be one in every of Grey’s Anatomy‘s long-established solid contributors, playing Head of Cardiothoracic Surgical treatment, Preston Burke, within the novel’s earliest days.
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Isaiah Washington — Season 3
Washington used to be on the heart of Grey’s Anatomy‘s first high-profile within the aid of-the-scenes scandal, when he historic a homophobic slur for the duration of a fight with Patrick Dempsey on plight. The actor used to be written off the novel in season 3 when he unceremoniously left Cristina Yang on the altar.
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Isaiah Washington — Season 10
Despite the indisputable truth that his time as a normal member of the Grey’s solid ended in season 3, Washington made a guest appearance on the novel in season 10 to present some closure to his character’s relationship with Cristina when Sandra Oh left the novel.
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Patrick Dempsey — Season 1
Patrick Dempsey joined the solid of Grey’s Anatomy in Season 1 as Derek Shepherd (a.k.a. McDreamy), a neurosurgeon and Meredith Grey’s treasure interest.
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Patrick Dempsey —Season 11
Derek and Meredith’s treasure memoir used to be decrease fast in season 11 when Dempsey’s character used to be killed off.
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Kate Walsh — Season 1
Kate Walsh made her first appearance as Derek Shepherd’s ex-companion, Dr. Addison Sir Bernard Law in Grey’s Anatomy season 1.
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Kate Walsh — Season 3
Walsh used to be a series normal all over seasons 2 and 3 of Grey’s Anatomy sooner than leaving to head up her skedaddle-off series, Personal Observe.
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Kate Walsh — Season 8
Despite the indisputable truth that season 3 marked the discontinue of Walsh’s time as a series normal on Grey’s, the actress endured to procure guest appearances thru season 8.
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Sara Ramirez — Season 2
Sara Ramirez’s Callie Torres began out as a routine character (a senior orthopedic resident) in season 2 of Grey’s Anatomy.
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Sara Ramirez — Season 12
After a decade playing the successfully being middle’s Head of Orthopedic Surgical treatment, Ramirez left in season 12.
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Eric Dane — Season 2
Introduced in season 2 as a hot foil to Dempsey’s McDreamy, Eric Dane played Mark Sloan (a.k.a. McSteamy), the plastic surgeon Derek’s ex-companion, Addison, had an affair with.
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Eric Dane — Season 9
Mark Sloan went thru masses of character development for the duration of his seven seasons on Grey’s Anatomy, and used to be solidly a fan current when Dane left the series for honest in season 9.
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Brooke Smith — Season 2
Brooke Smith’s Erica Hahn first seemed on Grey’s Anatomy in season 2, when Izzie lied about Denny Duquette’s situation to successfully capture a heart from one other transplant affected person who used to be being treated by Dr. Hahn.
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Brooke Smith — Season 5
Despite the indisputable truth that she worked at Seattle Presbyterian when she used to be first equipped, Dr. Hahn at final moved to Seattle Grace bulky-time and even began a romantic relationship with Callie Torres. On the other hand, when she learned the truth about Izzie’s lie relating to Denny’s situation, she stop , leaving the successfully being middle (and the novel) for honest.
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Chyler Leigh — Season 3
The foremost of Meredith Grey’s secret siblings, Lexie Grey (played by Chyler Leigh) began her time at Seattle Grace in season 3.
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Chyler Leigh — Season 8
Leigh ended her arc on Grey’s in season 8, in a single in every of the series’ most iconic (and devastating) episodes ever, Flight, by which she dies in a airplane fracture.
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Jessica Capshaw — Season 5
Jessica Capshaw joined the solid of Grey’s in season 5 as pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins.
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Jessica Capshaw — Season 14
Capshaw stayed with the series except season 14, when Arizona moved to Fresh York to reunite her family. Callie Torres, with whom she shared her daughter, Sofia, left about a seasons prior.
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Sarah Drew — Season 6
Sarah Drew joined the solid of Grey‘s Anatomy in season 6, as one in every of the residents brought over for the duration of the merger between Seattle Grace Sanatorium and Mercy West Sanatorium.
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Sarah Drew — Season 14
Drew left the series in season 14, after Shonda Rhimes took her character, April Kepner, thru one in every of the twistiest (and now and then divisive) arcs within the series’ history.
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Jason George — Season 6
Jason George began his wander on Grey’s Anatomy as a routine character: Benjamin Warren, Miranda Bailey’s treasure interest.
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Jason George — Season 14
George’s characteristic within the solid has modified several times, from routine to guest star to routine every other time and at final to series normal. After a stint as a normal from season 12 to season 14, George dropped his Grey’s commitment aid to routine character when his skedaddle-off, Region 19 premiered.
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Jason George — Season 16
George nonetheless on occasion makes appearances on Grey‘s. Here he’s in season 16.
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Kim Raver — Season 6
Kim Raver joined the Grey’s solid for the first time in season 6, as Teddy Altman, a cardio surgeon and military light who shares a deep history with Cristina Yang’s treasure interest Owen Hunt.