Ellen Pompeo is an actress, producer, and director. She is best known for playing Meredith Grey in ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ although she began her acting career back in 2001. She is now one of the highest-paid television actresses globally and has an estimated net worth of $80 million (updated November 2022). Here is an overview of Ellen Pompeo’s net worth and how she made her money.
Ellen Pompeo: Her Early Life
Born in Massachusetts on November 10, 1969, Ellen Pompeo is the youngest of six children. She had a difficult childhood as her mother died of an overdose when she was just five. After her mother’s death, her father quickly remarried.
In her late teens, Pompeo moved to Miami and worked as a barmaid. It was then that she met and began dating fashion photographer Andrew Rosenthal. According to Wikipedia, the pair moved to New York City, and Pompeo planned to pursue a career as a model.
The Beginnings of Pompeo’s Career
Although she had initially intended to work as a model, Pompeo was picked up by a casting director who got her some work appearing in a range of commercials. These included ads for L’Oreal and Citibank. She also got some small roles in independent films.
Her television debut was in a 1996 episode of ‘Law & Order.’ She made her film debut three years later with a small part in ‘Coming Soon.’ Other small roles during her early career included appearances in ‘Friends,’ ‘Strong Medicine,’ and ‘Strangers with Candy.’
By 2001, Pompeo moved to Los Angeles to focus on her acting career, which led to her landing her first significant role the following year. She was chosen by director Brad Silberling to play the lead female role opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Moonlight Mile.’ She received praise for performance, and this helped to give her career the kickstart it needed.
Between 2002 and 2005, Pompeo landed several other film roles, and her credits include ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ ‘Old School,’ and ‘Daredevil.’
Ellen Pompeo’s Role in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
The turning point in Pompeo’s career came when she landed the lead role of Meredith Grey in the ABC medical drama series ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ which was written by Shonda Rhimes. Her character is the main protagonist and the titular character.
In the beginning, she plays a surgical intern. The storylines follow the lives of Meredith and her fellow interns as they struggle with the ups and downs of pursuing their surgical careers. Others in the original ensemble cast included Sandra Oh, Justin Chambers, Katherine Heigl, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr, T.R. Knight, and Patrick Dempsey.
When the series began in 2005, Pompeo received critical acclaim for her performance, and the series was an instant hit. It is from this series that Pompeo began making money from her acting career.
Although her salary was modest at the beginning of her time on the series in comparison to what many other actors in dramas receive, the value she added to the series was soon recognized. By 2011, she had signed a deal worth $200 thousand per episode. Her determination to succeed as an actress was finally becoming financially lucrative.
By 2012, Ellen Pompeo was the eighth highest-paid television actress in the world. Her estimated net worth at that time was around $9 million. Her salary then continued to increase, and the 2013 renewal of her deal was worth $335 thousand per episode of Grey’s Anatomy. This figure has continued to grow with each contract renewal.
Ellen Pompeo has won multiple awards for her role as Meredith Grey. She has won three People’s Choice Awards, two Satellite Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe, and a Women in Film Lucy Award. Pompeo and her female castmates were the recipients of this award at the 2007 event.
Other Ventures That Contribute to Ellen Pompeo’s Net Worth
Although she is best known for acting in Grey’s Anatomy, Pompeo has also directed and produced multiple episodes of the medical drama series. Ellen Pompeo has also founded her own production company called Calamity Jane. Since launching her production company in 2011, Pompeo has also completed several projects, including several that she has sold to ABC.
Pompeo has also been involved in several other ventures, including appearing in a music video. She appeared in the music video for Taylor Swift’s single ‘Bad Blood,’ and the video premiered at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards.
For now, Pompeo is happy to focus on her role in Grey’s Anatomy, and she has committed herself to appearing in two more seasons. However, she has said that when the hit medical drama has run its course and come to an end, she does not intend to continue working as an actress. She has enjoyed her time in the role but cannot see herself continuing down that path by looking for alternative acting roles.
Instead, she intends to focus on other projects behind the camera via her production company. Therefore, Pompeo fans should make the most of the time she is spending on screen. She has given hints that her time as an actress is likely to be short-lived.
Ellen Pompeo’s Net Worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Ellen Pompeo’s net worth is $80 million (updated November 2022). She has earned this money from her career as an actress, producer, and director.
Ellen Pompeo’s net worth will likely continue to grow as she is currently one of the world’s highest-paid actresses. She signed a deal with the American Broadcasting Corporation in 2017 that is worth $20 million annually. It is worth noting that Pompeo also receives additional funds from the syndication of Grey’s Anatomy.
Ellen Pompeo: Her Personal Life
Ellen Pompeo is married to Chris Ivery. The couple met in 2003 in a grocery store in Los Angeles. At first, they were just friends, but they began dating six months later before marrying in 2007. Their first daughter was born two years later. She was followed five years later by a second daughter born to a gestational surrogate. Ivery and Pompeo announced the birth of their son in 2016.
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