Alex
Arizona
Callie
Cristina
Derek
Izzie
Lexie
Mark
Meredith
Miranda
Owen
Richard
Richard Webber
JAMES PICKENS, JR.
POSITION:
Chief of Surgery
STRENGTHS:
Intelligent; calm; level-headed; driven; caring
WEAKNESSES:
Carries lots of baggage over past indiscretions with Ellis Grey.
Richard SAYS
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Callie Torres
to Richard:"I am excellent. Any other hospital would be thrilled to have me. I build arms and legs out of nothing, I am a god. I am a superstar."
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Arizona Robbins
to Richard:"I am mad at you. And, I'm crying because you're the boss. My boss. Which brings up issues of authority and my dad, who you kind of remind me of."
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Miranda Bailey
to Richard:"I am not your son or daughter. You don't get to pin all your hopes and dreams on me, sir."
CHARACTER BIO
LIKES:
Fly-fishing; his career; being the hospital's top dog
DISLIKES:
Losing control of his hospital; being ranked #12; members of staff keeping secrets from him; sexually-charged doctors; striking nurses; alcohol (he is a recovered alcoholic)
NOTABLE RELATIONSHIPS:
Had an affair with Meredith's mom, Dr. Ellis Grey. He eventually ended their relationship. Webber's marriage somehow survived, despite Adele's knowledge of his affair.
Richard's marriage to Adele has weathered all sorts of storms, from his affair with Ellis to his drinking problem. But it seemed their relationship wasn't as strong as Richard thought when Adele asked him to choose between her and his job. Not rushing into a decision, Richard took his time and seemingly lost his wife.
OTHER:
A mentor to his entire staff, Dr. Webber worked in New York for a number of years pioneering cutting edge surgery. He eventually returned to Seattle Grace, the hospital where, more than three decades ago, he was himself an intern.
ACTOR BIO
If he were an ‘80s Lakers player, he’d be A.C. Green: always reliable, the virtual glue of the team.
We’ll explain further…
Aside from his Grey’s role, we all know we’ve seen James Pickens, Jr. elsewhere, but we didn’t realize the scope of his prestigious career.
The Cleveland native started acting at the Karamu House, distinguished as the oldest African-American theater in the U.S. After an impressive theater run that included performing alongside Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson, James moved to the West Coast in 1990 and began an impressive run of film and television performances.
On the big screen, he has been directed by some of the film industry's finest, including Steven Soderbergh in Traffic, Oliver Stone in Nixon and Warren Beatty in Bulworth, and he appeared in four Barry Levinson films—Sleepers, Sphere, Jimmy Hollywood and Liberty Heights. He portrayed slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Ghosts of Mississippi (directed by Rob Reiner), and he played Angela Bassett's ex-husband in How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Other films include Menace II Society, Home Room, Gridlock'd and the upcoming Just Wright, starring Queen Latifah and Common.
James is well known to television audiences for his recurring roles on hit series including NYPD Blue, The X-Files, The Practice, Philly, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Six Feet Under, The West Wing, Rosanne and Beverly Hills 90210. He starred opposite Rob Lowe in The Lyon’s Den (NBC) and also starred with William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman in A Slight Case of Murder (TNT). He has received a Screen Actors Guild Award and four NAACP Image Award nominations for his role on Grey's Anatomy.
A man of wide ranging interests and passions, James came full circle with his beloved Karamu House when he served as executive producer of Otis Sallid’s hit musical revue, “Gospel, Gospel, Gospel,” which opened to rave reviews in Los Angeles. He is a member of the United States Team Roping Championship, roping cattle on horseback at events across the country.
Pickens recently delivered the keynote address to graduates at his alma mater, Bowling Green State University, and was honored by the Cleveland Cavaliers during their annual Black Heritage Celebration.
He and his wife, Gina, a singer, live in the San Fernando Valley. They have a son and a daughter.
GET TO KNOW THE CHARACTERS
WHAT'S RICHARD UP TO?
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Good Mourning; Goodbye
September 24, 2009The Chief faces the board and because of economic issues, he's forced to accept the merger of SGH and Mercy West.
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Now or Never
May 15, 2009Richard refuses to watch Izzie Stevens die and personally violates her DNR in a desperate attempt to save her. But can he?
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No Good at Saying Sorry (One More Chance)
May 01, 2009After clashing with Meredith over an abused mother and daughter, Richard apologizes for not defending her when she was a girl.
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Stand By Me
March 20, 2009The Chief goes out to the woods to get Derek back, telling his friend that he's been there and worse, and that you can come back from anything.