George O'Malley

Lore & Background

George O'Malley is introduced as a fellow surgical intern along with Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens and Alex Karev; the 5 of them working under resident Miranda Bailey. On his first day as an intern, O'Malley is chosen by cardiothoracic surgery chief Preston Burke 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 shows a natural talent for trauma surgery, and Owen Hunt, 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.

In Their Own Story

George O'Malley dates nurse Olivia Jankovic, 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. During a camping trip, O'Malley discovers that Torres had a sexual encounter with the chief of plastic surgery, Mark Sloan 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. 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, Meredith's half-sister. When they discover O'Malley failed his exam by just one point, he confronts Richard Webber, 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.

Reader's Guide

George O'Malley was a surgical intern who worked his way up to the level of surgical resident at Seattle Grace Hospital. He was one of five original interns introduced in the series, working under resident Miranda Bailey. His major relationships included a marriage to Callie Torres, from whom he later separated to pursue a relationship with Izzie Stevens. He also briefly entertained romantic interests with Meredith Grey and Olivia Jankovic. His defining character arc included earning the nickname '007' after freezing during his first surgery, later showing a natural talent for trauma surgery under Owen Hunt. O'Malley decided to join the U.S. Army to serve in Iraq, but died after being severely injured in a bus accident, ultimately flatlining and being declared brain-dead. His organs were donated, and he was buried a week later.

Did You Know?

• George O'Malley earned the nickname '007' after freezing during his first surgery, a reference to James Bond's 'license to kill.'
• T. R. Knight signed on for the pilot expecting the role might be short-lived because he appreciated the character's multi-faceted nature.
• Knight received a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2007 for his portrayal of O'Malley.
• O'Malley's identity after the bus accident was confirmed by Callie Torres through a freckle on his hand.
• Knight cited a 'breakdown in communication' with Shonda Rhimes, reduced screen time, and his decision to come out as gay as reasons for his departure from the show.