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 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 the level of surgical resident. His relationships with his colleagues Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) were a central aspect of the series. O'Malley married Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), from whom he later separated to pursue a relationship with Stevens. He also briefly entertained romantic interests with Grey and Olivia Jankovic (Sarah Utterback). Knight auditioned for the role, initially expecting it to be a one-season stint. In 2009, following the conclusion of Season 5, it was confirmed that Knight would not return for Season 6. The actor cited a "breakdown in communication" with Rhimes, his character's reduced screen time, and his decision to come out as gay as reasons for his departure. Knight received positive reviews for his portrayal of O'Malley, garnering him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2007. Despite this, the character's death received mixed reactions from both critics and audiences.
Storylines George O'Malley is introduced as a fellow surgical intern along with Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers); the 5 of them working under resident Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). O'Malley and Stevens move in with Meredith, for whom he has unexpressed romantic feelings due to his fear of rejection and the fact that she and attending neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) share mutual interest. On his first day as an intern, O'Malley is chosen by cardiothoracic surgery chief Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) to perform the first surgery among the interns. He freezes in the operating room, earning the nickname "007" after almost killing a patient during a routine procedure—a reference to James Bond's "license to kill." O'Malley dates nurse Olivia Jankovic (Sarah Utterback), but the relationship ends when he contracts syphilis from her, which she unknowingly contracted from Karev. Tensions rise between O'Malley and Karev after they become trapped in an elevator with a patient who begins to bleed out. While Karev freezes, O'Malley steps in and saves the patient. Eventually, O'Malley admits his feelings to Meredith, and the two have a one-night stand. However, Meredith confesses that it was a mistake, leading O'Malley to avoid her and pursue a relationship with orthopedic surgeon Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez). During a camping trip, O'Malley discovers that Torres had a sexual encounter with the chief of plastic surgery, Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) and also uncovers that Burke is suffering from tremors in his hand. O'Malley's father is later diagnosed with esophageal cancer and a leaking aortic valve. O'Malley refuses to let Burke perform the surgery, instead opting for Burke's rival, Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith). His relationship with Torres becomes strained over the revelation about Sloan, but he allows her to support him as his father's health deteriorates. His father ultimately dies from complications, leading O'Malley to elope with Torres in Las Vegas as a way to cope with his grief. However, O'Malley soon realizes the marriage may have been a mistake and sleeps with Stevens while intoxicated. Stevens confesses her love for him, and O'Malley considers transferring to another hospital to avoid his feelings, though he is ineligible after failing his intern exams. O'Malley decides to repeat his intern year and confesses his infidelity to Torres, leading to their separation. He briefly pursues a relationship with Stevens, but they soon realize they lack real chemistry. O'Malley moves in with new intern Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), Meredith's half-sister. When they discover O'Malley failed his exam by just one point, he confronts Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), the Chief of Surgery, and successfully retakes the exam. Although Lexie develops feelings for O'Malley, he begins to distance himself from her. O'Malley provides support for Stevens when she is diagnosed with melanoma and walks her down the aisle as she marries Karev. O'Malley shows a natural talent for trauma surgery, and Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), the attending of trauma surgery, encourages him to pursue it as his specialty. O'Malley then surprises everyone by deciding to join the U.S. Army to serve in Iraq. While his friends at the hospital plan an intervention to convince him to stay, they work on a severely injured John Doe, a victim of a bus accident who saved a woman's life by pushing her out of the way. John Doe writes "007" on Meredith's hand, and she realizes that the disfigured patient is actually George. The team rushes to operate, but George ultimately flatlines and is declared brain-dead. Callie confirms his identity through a freckle on his hand. His organs are donated, and George is buried a week later.
Development
Casting and creation
T. R. Knight signed on for the pilot of Grey's Anatomy as George O'Malley, expecting that the role might be short-lived because he appreciated the character's multi-faceted nature. In October 2006, news surfaced that Isaiah Washington had insulted Knight with a homophobic slur during an argument with co-star Patrick Dempsey. Shortly after the details of the incident became public, Knight disclosed that the slur prompted him to come out as gay. Reflecting on the experience, Knight said, "I was under no delusions. My friends on the set knew. We talked about it. Publicly it's not my thing to call up People Magazine and be like, 'Hey, you want to know something about me?'... I could've just let it slide and not said anything, but it became important. It became important to make the statement." The situation seemed somewhat resolved when Washington issued a public statement apologizing for his "unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on-set."
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