Shonda Rhimes

Rhimes was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of six children. Her mother, Vera P. (née Cain), was a college professor who earned a PhD in educational administration in 1991 while raising the family. Her father, Ilee Rhimes Jr., served as a university administrator and later became the chief information officer at the University of Southern California, a position he held until 2013. Rhimes lived in Park Forest South (now University Park, Illinois), with her two older brothers and three older sisters. She has said she exhibited an early affinity for storytelling. While in high school, she served as a hospital volunteer, which inspired an interest in hospital environments. Raised Catholic, Rhimes attended Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois. At Dartmouth College, she majored in English and film studies and earned her bachelor's degree in 1991. At Dartmouth, she joined the Black Underground Theater Association. She divided her time between directing and performing in student productions, and writing fiction. She also wrote for the college newspaper. After college, she relocated to San Francisco with an older sibling and worked in advertising at McCann Erickson. She subsequently moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California and study screenwriting. ==Career==

Career beginnings: 1995–2004 After graduation, Rhimes was an unemployed scriptwriter in Hollywood. Despite being panned by critics, the film grossed more than $60 million worldwide. Rhimes next worked on writing Disney's sequel to its popular movie The Princess Diaries (2001). Although The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) did not score as well at the box office, Rhimes later said that she treasured the experience, if only for the opportunity to work with its star, Julie Andrews. In 2007, Rhimes created and produced the ''Grey's Anatomy spin-off series Private Practice'', which debuted September 26, 2007, on ABC. The show chronicles the life of Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) as she leaves Seattle Grace Hospital for Los Angeles to join a private practice. The series also features an ensemble cast, including Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman, Audra McDonald and Taye Diggs among others. The first season was shortened because of a writers' strike; it has nine episodes. In May 2012, ABC picked up Private Practice for the 2012–13 television season with 13 episodes. The series finale aired January 22, 2013. In 2010, Rhimes created a new pilot for ABC called Inside the Box, a female-centric ensemble drama set in a Washington, D.C., network news bureau. The lead character is Catherine, an ambitious female news producer who, with her colleagues, pursues "the story" at all costs while juggling their personal animosities and crises of conscience. It was not picked up by the network. In 2011, Rhimes served as executive producer for the medical drama, Off the Map, which was created by ''Grey's Anatomy'' writer, Jenna Bans. It focuses on a group of doctors who practice medicine at a remote clinic in the Amazon jungle. The series was officially cancelled by the ABC network on May 13, 2011. In May 2011, ABC ordered Rhimes's pilot script Scandal to series. Kerry Washington starred as Olivia Pope, a political crisis management expert. The character is partially based on former Bush administration press aide Judy Smith. The series debut aired on April 5, 2012. In 2012, Rhimes developed a pilot for a period drama, Gilded Lilys, but it was not picked up to series. In December 2013, ABC ordered a pilot for a new Rhimes series, How to Get Away with Murder. Actress Viola Davis joined the cast as the lead character in February 2014. It was officially picked up to series on May 8, 2014. In March 2016, ABC premiered The Catch, a comedy-drama led by Rhimes based on a treatment by British author Kate Atkinson. It stars Mireille Enos and Peter Krause. Later that month, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder and ''Grey's Anatomy were respectively picked up for their sixth, third and 13th seasons. The following year, it was announced that Scandal would conclude after its upcoming seventh season, while The Catch was cancelled after its second. The service had already purchased American streaming rights to past episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal''. Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos described Rhimes as being a "true Netflixer at heart" since "she loves TV and films, she cares passionately about her work, and she delivers for her audience". As of October 2020, she was working on more than 12 projects for Netflix. In July 2021, Rhimes extended her deal with Netflix. The first production was Bridgerton, which was released in 2020 and became the most-watched series ever on the platform, leading to the production of four seasons by 2026. In 2021, Rhimes produced the drama miniseries Inventing Anna. In April 2022, the production of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story conceived by Rhimes was announced, as a spin-off of Bridgerton. Rhimes won her first competitive Emmy Award at the 52nd Daytime Creative Arts & Lifestyle Emmy Awards, where she took home the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program for Black Barbie: A Documentary (2023). ==Personal life==

Rhimes adopted her first daughter in June 2002 and adopted another daughter in February 2012. In September 2013, Rhimes welcomed her third daughter via gestational surrogacy. In 2014, Rhimes gave a commencement address at her alma mater, Dartmouth College, where she received an honorary doctorate. In September 2015, Rhimes revealed she had lost via exercise and dieting. In 2024, Rhimes was bestowed an Honorary Commander of the British Empire award for her contribution to US–UK relations and the positive economic impact of the Bridgerton series of over a quarter of a billion pounds. Activism In April 2017, Rhimes joined the national board of Planned Parenthood. Later that same year, Rhimes and Katie McGrath co-founded Time's Up, and both of them donated the funds to hire its first seven employees. In 2019, Rhimes joined the organization When We All Vote as a co-chair. This organization was founded to get out the vote prior to the 2020 general election. ==Shondaland==

Shondaland is the name of Rhimes's production company. Shondaland and its logo also refer to the shows Rhimes has produced and to Rhimes herself. Shows included in Shondaland are: • ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–present) • Private Practice (2007–2013) • Off the Map (2011) • Scandal (2012–2018) • How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020) • The Catch (2016–2017) • Still Star-Crossed (2017) • For the People (2018–2019) • Station 19 (2018–2024) • Bridgerton (2020–present) • Inventing Anna (2022) • Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023) • The Residence (2025) ==Filmography==

Winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama in 2006 for ''Grey's Anatomy'', Rhimes won the International Emmy Founders Award and the Special Award at the British Academy Television Awards. She also received special honorees for her works at the Costume Designers Guild Awards, Directors Guild of America Award, ICG Publicists Awards, Writers Guild of America Award and Producers Guild of America Awards. ==References==