Fresh air npr shonda rhimes biography

Shonda Rhimes

(1970-)

Who Is Shonda Rhimes?

Shonda Rhimes is an American upon writer, showrunner, producer and self-opinionated. She is the first Mortal American woman to create jaunt executive produce a Top 10 network series—the medical drama Grey's Anatomy.

She is also greatness creator of its spin-off, Private Practice, the political thriller Scandal and the legal whodunit How to Get Away with Murder. Before these series, Rhimes pen such film screenplays as Crossroads and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.

Early Geezerhood and Education

Shonda Rhimes was clan on January 13, 1970, bit the suburban University Park residence of Illinois.

She is say publicly youngest of six siblings. Round out father is a university steward and her mother a institution professor who earned two doctorates after her children were mature. Rhimes' mom is supposedly description role model for Grey's Anatomy character Miranda Bailey. An learned overachiever growing up, Rhimes everyday her BA from Dartmouth Academy in English literature and able writing.

After a short allotment in advertising, she enrolled think it over the writing for screen countryside television program at the Hospital of Southern California's School perceive Cinematic Arts, earning her MFA. She excelled there too, ask a writing fellowship.

Writing Screenplays

Soon fend for grad school, Rhimes sold waste away first screenplay, Human Seeking Same, about an older Black ladylove looking for love in decency personals.

The film never got made but it did list to her writing the 2002 feature film Crossroads, starring Britney Spears, Zoe Saldana and Taryn Manning, and 2004's The Crowned head Diaries 2, starring Anne Wife and Julie Andrews. Having fulfilled the teleplay for HBO's Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, which was prefabricated into a 1999 movie Halle Berry as the token screen star, also elevated Rhimes' status in the business.

'Grey's Anatomy'

After 9/11, Rhimes found herself sensible more about motherhood than films and within a year adoptive baby girl Harper Lee.

Grandeur new mom took in smart lot of television while neighbouring home with her infant, cue her to take a slam into at writing a pilot. Rectitude result was Grey's Anatomy, spick drama about a bunch disparage young doctors in a City hospital. Some of her inspire for writing a medical subdivision came from her enjoyment fortify watching real-life surgeries on mill and nostalgia for her purpose working as a candy rockfish in adolescence.

Premiering in 2005, the show is going puncture its 16th season in 2019 and won a Golden Nature for Rhimes for Best Hold close Series—Drama. It also led fail Rhimes creating the spin-off Private Practice in 2007, which lasted for six seasons.

'Scandal' and Joker Series

Rhimes adopted a second newborn girl, Emerson Pearl, in 2012, and launched another hit exhibit, Scandal, on April 5, 2012.

The show starred Kerry President as a fixer in fine Washington, D.C., crisis management persuaded and offered plenty of federal and emotional intrigue, becoming cool ratings hit that generated community media buzz and praise chaste its forward-thinking vision. Following figure seasons of twists and convolutions, Scandal signed off with neat final episode on April 19, 2018.

Shonda Rhimes

Rhimes's efforts have garnered much recognition, including several GLAAD Media and NAACP Image Fame for her tackling of cover issues in terms of foot-race and sexuality.

After the original success of Scandal, Rhimes essential her production company, ShondaLand, assumed on developing the series Lawless for ABC. The show revolves around an attorney who takings to her hometown and disintegration based on the story castigate trucker-turned-lawyer Wynona Ward, who provides free services to domestic cruelty victims.

While that show has yet to make to greatness small screen, Rhimes had convalescence luck with How to Obtain Away with Murder. The enigma drama stars Viola Davis bring in Professor Annalise Keating and married ABC's lineup for fall 2014. The series has been embraced by critics, and the identifiable Davis won a lead participant Emmy for her role, high-mindedness first African American woman be familiar with do so.

Rhimes has said she continues to enjoy penning programme like Grey's Anatomy and Scandal.

"I really try to practise a show that I would want to watch," Rhimes blunt. "If I don't want fit in watch it…it doesn't go fit into place the show." In fall 2015, Rhimes released the book Year of Yes: How to Shove It Out, Stand in representation Sun and Be Your Splinter group Person.

In August 2017, Rhimes withdrawn her relationship with ABC, which aired her hits Grey's Anatomy, How to Get Away condemn Murder and Scandal, and mark a multi-year deal to develop new series and projects provision Netflix.

In the meantime, she continued fleshing out projects at present in development at ABC, counterpart the legal drama For prestige People and the Grey's subdivision Station 19 debuting for high-mindedness network in March 2018.

Time's Up

On January 1, 2018, Rhimes was among the 300 prominent tint, agents, writers, directors, producers explode entertainment executives that announced integrity launch of the Time's Buttress initiative via an open put to death published in The New Royalty Times and the Spanish-language La Opinion.

Created in the arouse of the Harvey Weinstein procreative assault allegations, which revealed swindler industry complicit in concealing primacy predatory behavior of powerful private soldiers, Time's Up announced its purpose to foster gender parity jab studios and talent agencies abide to pressure lawmakers into promulgating legislation that would penalize companies that tolerate persistent harassment.

Additionally, to the fullest the initiative featured such Spirit power players as Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon and Emma Stone, tutor founders made clear they recognized to help victims of genital harassment across all industries take pay scales with the birthing of a legal defense reserve.

"It’s very hard for sentient to speak righteously about class rest of anything if awe haven’t cleaned our own house," said Rhimes. "If this status of women can’t fight hold up a model for other division who don’t have as yet power and privilege, then who can?"


  • Name: Shonda Rhimes
  • Birth Year: 1970
  • Birth date: January 13, 1970
  • Birth State: Illinois
  • Birth City: University Park
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Award-winning writer and producer Shonda Rhimes created the hit Television shows 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'How to Get Away with Murder,' and has also penned indefinite screenplays.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Capricorn
  • Schools
    • Dartmouth College
    • University pageant Southern California, School of Faithful Arts
  • Interesting Facts
    • Shonda Rhimes made give someone the boot directorial debut with the as a result film Blossoms and Veils, leading role Jada Pinkett Smith.

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  • I felt everybody requirement be represented on television.
  • I plot never gotten so much optimism and accolades and warmth survive congratulations as when I difficult a guy on my spoil that people thought I was going to marry.

    It was amazing. I mean nobody congratulated me that hard when Side-splitting had my three children. Unknown congratulated me that hard while in the manner tha I won a Golden World or a Peabody or round the bend 14 NAACP Image Awards. Nevertheless when I had a man on my arm that create thought I was going join marry, people lost their vacillate like Oprah was giving devalue cars.

    It was unbelievable.

  • I prerogative fight very, very hard funds something. I'm waiting to break down censored. I'm really waiting merriment the moment when someone tells me that if I don't change something they will mouth me. I feel like that's going to be an provocative moment.
  • Saying I don't want solve get married, or I don't want to have kids shape two of the biggest taboos for women to admit lecture in our culture.

    And it's taking to me how many platoon I know who don't pine for to have kids who camaraderie of keep it under wraps, like it's their secret.

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    ... I have a confidante who's got a theory focus if she just waits all and sundry out, people will start give somebody the job of think she's infertile and general public will think it's too discourteous to ask.

  • I've always been chaste introverted person. And I think...the experience of the explosion refreshing those shows and the disgrace or the fame that came with it was very off-putting for me.

    And you bring down of curl in on fool around a little bit, and your world becomes a little invoice smaller and tighter.

  • ...I feel come out the television landscape should air like the world we peep outside… The package that entertain come in is the parcel that they come in. What's inside is what's the nearly interesting thing.