George O'Malley
George O'Malley, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on ABC in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and was portrayed by actor T. R. Knight from 2005 to 2009. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, O'Malley worked his way up to resident level, while his relationships with his colleagues Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) formed a focal point of the series. O'Malley married Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) from whom he later separated to pursue a relationship with Stevens. O'Malley also had entertained romantic interests with Grey and Olivia Harper (Sarah Utterback).
| George O'Malley | |
|---|---|
| Grey's Anatomy character | |
The Season 4 promotional photo of T. R. Knight as Dr. George O'Malley | |
| First appearance | "A Hard Day's Night" (1.01) March 27, 2005 |
| Last appearance | "Now or Never" (5.24) May 14, 2009 (as series regular) "You'll Never Walk Alone" (17.04) December 3, 2020 (as guest star) |
| Created by | Shonda Rhimes |
| Portrayed by | T. R. Knight |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | George O'Malley |
| Title | M.D. |
| Occupation | Surgical resident at Seattle Grace Hospital |
| Family | Louise O'Malley (mother) Harold O'Malley (father, deceased) Jerry and Ronnie O'Malley (brothers) |
| Spouse | |
| Significant other | Olivia Harper (one-night-stand) Meredith Grey (one-night-stand) Izzie Stevens (ex-girlfriend) |
| Religion | Catholicism |
| Born | 1980 |
| Died | 2009 |
| Status | Deceased |
Knight auditioned for the show, expecting a 1-season run. In 2009, after the conclusion of the fifth season, it was confirmed that Knight would not be returning for the show's sixth season. The actor stated the reason for his departure was due to a "breakdown in communication" with Rhimes, his character's lack of screen-time, as well as his decision to come out as gay. Knight received positive reviews for his performance as O'Malley, and garnered a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. Despite this, his death received mixed feedback from critics and audiences.