“Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo was honored Tuesday with star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.
HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES — “Grey’s Anatomy” actress Ellen Pompeo is one of TV’s shining stars, and she has been for two decades now. On Tuesday, she received her very own shining star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Pompeo has been the longtime leading lady of the hit medical drama. Aside from playing Meredith Grey, she also serves as an executive producer for the show, which recently got picked up for its 22nd season.
The award-winning actress said she thought about the meaning of this moment.
“The business and this town is changing so much and I just hope, for the sake of that, for the spirit of that, that we can continue traditions like this and we can sort of try to keep this city alive and this industry alive in this city because it is, literally, the boulevard of dreams,” she said at Tuesday’s unveiling ceremony.
Pompeo has spent 21 seasons on “Grey’s Anatomy,” and she emphasized her gratitude toward the fans.
“I mean, the fans know how much we appreciate them. I speak for everybody on ‘Grey’s.’ We all are forever indebted to our fans. We’re so grateful for them,” she said.
Those who’ve also been on the journey understand the impact she’s had along the way.
“Millions of young girls around the world have gone to college and become involved, invested, in the medical profession because of you,” said actress Debbie Allen, who spoke at the ceremony.
“You are a living, breathing icon and while you don’t need a star to tell you that, it sure is nice to see the truth written in stone,” said “Grey’s Anatomy” creator Shonda Rhimes, who also spoke at the event.
Before she struck gold with “Grey’s Anatomy,” we saw Pompeo on an episode of “Friends,” plus in such films as “Daredevil,” “Old School,” and with Leonardo DiCaprio in “Catch Me If You Can.”
In 2007, Pompeo received a Golden Globe nomination for her role and was awarded the 2007 Screen Actors Guild Award for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Television Drama.”
At her ceremony, Pompeo took us back to her early days.
“Dash Mihok, I’m looking at you. I slept on his couch when I came here. I had no money and he said, ‘Ellen, you could stay at my house,'” Pompeo described.
“There were some cook-offs. I mean, she’s Italian. She’s from Boston. I’m from New York. So there’s a little clashing going on, but she’s just a giver, always has been, and, you know, that’s the greatest thing about our friendship,” Mihok said.
Pompeo and her “Grey’s” castmates are gearing up for a big season finale. You’ll see it on May 15 on ABC.
Catch up on all the storylines and watch previous seasons of “Grey’s Anatomy” on Hulu.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC, Hulu and this ABC Station.
