Shonda Rhimes: Summary

Recent Role:: on Grey's Anatomy

Gender:: Female

Birthplace:: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Although she is best known as the Creator and Executive Producer of ABC's popular medical drama Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, Rhimes is a versatile writer, who had already achieved a significant level of success before the show was conceived. Most notably, Rhimes wrote the screenplay for the HBO biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. This TV movie was nominated for numerous awards and earned Halle Berry a Golden Globe and an Emmy for Best Actress in a Miniseries for her portrayal of Dandridge. Rhimes has also written the screenplays for several teen oriented films. These include Crossroads, starring Britney Spears and Zoe Saldana, and the Disney feature film Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement, starring Julie Andrews.

A versatile talent, Rhimes served as research director on the documentary, Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream. This documentary was nominated for an Emmy and an Academy Award and won a Peabody Award and the NAACP Image Award.

Shonda attended Marian Catholic High School, Dartmouth College. In 1991, she graduated from Ivy League Dartmouth College in New Hampshire with a a BA in English Literature. While a student, she was active in the theater community, serving as director of the Black Underground Theatre and Arts Association. She later received her MFA from the USC School of Cinema-Television, where she was awarded the prestigious and coveted Gary Rosenberg Writing Fellowship. Although she is best known as the Creator and Executive Producer of ABC's popular medical drama Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, Rhimes is a versatile writer, who had already achieved a significant level of success before...

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Shonda Rhimes is Working on Another Medical Show
Plus: Smallville welcomes back Mom, ABC announces more vanilla pilot pickups, and even Mariska Hargitay slams NBC's leadership.
- 01/20/10 10:17 AM
- 21 comments
Grey's finale aftermath: someone is dead
Oh Grey's Anatomy… you and your drama. Whether it's onscreen with ghost sex or brain tumors or off-screen with homophobic comments or whining, there's never a dull moment with the medical drama. But the real fireworks happen when the off-screen and on-screen drama collide.
- 05/28/09 10:34 AM
- 65 comments
Grey's creator: Heigl, Knight aren't leaving
Remember those reports that flooded the entertainment press regarding Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight leaving Grey's Anatomy? Well, they may have been a little… not so true. According to Shonda Rhimes, who should know what's going on with the show since she runs the darned thing, the rumors lack truthiness.
- 02/13/09 2:53 PM
- 50 comments
T.R. Knight finalizing Grey's Anatomy discharge
Oh poor Grey's Anatomy. Once a reliable (if slightly hokey) hospital drama for ABC, over the past two seasons the program has been a little shaky onscreen and very shaky offscreen. Now, things are getting worse as one of the fan favorites is trying to leave the show.
- 12/09/08 12:50 PM
- 50 comments
Grey's Anatomy creator responds to axing
Late yesterday, news broke that one of the characters from ABC's popular medical drama Grey's Anatomy had been cut out of the show rather suddenly. (In an effort to keep this paragraph spoiler-free, details are posted in the full story--click below to read.) And sources say the grounds for the dismissal could be a hot topic.
- 11/04/08 5:08 PM
- 30 comments

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JDIVA60
member since: Jul 12, 2007
Shonda Rocks! ...Continue »
Grey's Anatomy is so totally innovative and creative. I admire the talent that Shonda Rhimes possesses. To me the woman is utterly ingenious to create such a show that exudes so much class and entertainment. It is amazing to me that the show is still funny, dramatic and fresh after all this time. I have yet to see a bad episode. All of the writers seem to have grasped the concept that Shonda intended for the show and have brought it along episode by episode without losing that conception. My hat is off to the actors and director as well.
07/12/07 12:21am | report abuse
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afrie772
member since: Feb 2, 2007
I love this show! ...Continue »
I was watching last night's episode(February 1), and couldn't believe it when I heard Callie's full name, specifically her middle name. I never thought in a million years I would hear Iphigenia used by anyone else. That is my middle name(I have the documentation to prove it). I used to feel the same way Callie feels until I was told what that name means and the history behind it.

Thank you, Ms. Rhimes, for a wonderful show. Calliope Iphigenia Torres is my girl!

Alicia Iphigenia (Richey) Frierson
02/02/07 07:02am | report abuse
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msash
member since: Sep 10, 2005
I love Shonda Rhimes! ...Continue »
Grey's Anatomy is my FAVORITE show, and thus how can I not love the person who created it. I wait for this show each week, and I am deeply moved after watching each episode. Shonda takes such a huge pride in her show and actually listens to what the fans say. She writes on the ABC writer's blog about what was going on behind the scenes and what she was thinking. There is also a FAQ section, where she answers all of our burning questions. I don't know of many other tv sites where the creator of a show does that. And then there are the spoilers, she doesn't let any of them out. I myself am a huge fan of spoilers, but somehow I appreciate the fact that she doesn't let things leak. I like tuning in each week, and being totally shocked and surprised by what happens.
I also give her huge props for having a diverse cast. There is actually a black chief of staff on this show. Shonda Rhimes is awesome, and I love the fact that she is a huge tv fan herself and thus appreciates the people who love her show.
08/10/06 08:38am | report abuse