55 Famous Actors You Probably Forgot Were on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

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As patient Mary Portman, Moore was present for one of the most dramatic episodes in Grey’s history (and that’s saying a lot): the Seattle Grace Mercy West shooting. She returned the following season for a surgical procedure; her character died after slipping into a coma. (Season 6 and 7.)

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She played the first female surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital, Dr. Margaret Campbell. After botching a surgery — and then repairing it — she decided to retire. (Season 5.)

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After accidentally running over her husband and bringing him to the hospital, a pregnant Jen (also the character’s name) collapsed and later had a seizure due to an aneurysm. She went into surgery, during which she was given a blood transfusion that put her pregnancy at serious risk. Ultimately, she died and the baby lived. (Season 5.)

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The House of Cards and Entourage actress played Dr. Cahill, a physician brought in to make the hospital run more efficiently. (Season 9.)

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She played a paramedic who had to keep her hand on a wound lest she detonate a bomb that was inside the patient. Yes, really. (Season 2.)

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As Beth Monroe, she came to the hospital with an inoperable tumor and was the first patient to survive Derek and Meredith’s clinical trial. Her boyfriend, Jeremy, was also part of the trial; he died. (Season 4.)

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He was the head of the bomb squad and died trying to carry the bomb out of the hospital. (Season 2.)

The Little Miss Sunshine and Scream Queens star played a little girl who was immune to feeling any pain. (Season 3.)

The Mad Men and Handmaid’s Tale star played an overprotective and slightly unhinged daughter, whose mother suffered from a condition that caused bone to grow at the sight of an injury. The mom died in surgery. (Season 3.)

The Friday Night Lights alum played Jake Burton, a young man with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. The bone disorder, “lionitus,” causes calcium to build up in the skull, leading to facial disfiguration. In Jake’s case, the growth moved inward as well, and Derek was tasked with removing the resulting brain tumor. Jake died in surgery. (Season 2.)

FNL star Gilford played a lieutenant in the U.S. Army who came to the hospital with terrible leg pain, asking for an amputation. Even though she could find nothing wrong with the leg, Callie Torres agreed to perform the surgery so he could return to active duty. (Season 5.)

The Scrubs actress played the mother of a sick boy who Jo Wilson wrongly diagnosed with strep throat. The kid in fact had a rare heart condition, Kawasaki disease, which Jo caught just in time to prevent permanent damage — mostly thanks to the boy’s persistent mom. (Season 9.)