Shonda Rhimes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shonda Rhimes
Rhimes in 2016
Born	Shonda Lynn Rhimes (1970-01-13) January 13, 1970 (age 55) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	Dartmouth College (BA) University of Southern California (MFA)
Occupation	Television producer screenwriter
Years active	1995–present
Children	3

Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television producer and screenwriter. She is also the founder of her own production company, Shondaland. Shonda Rhimes is a very important person in the TV world. She has been added to both the Television Hall of Fame and the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Rhimes became famous as the first showrunner for the medical drama Grey's Anatomy, which started in 2005 and is still on TV. A showrunner is the main person in charge of a TV series, like the creator, head writer, and executive producer all in one. She also created its spin-off show, Private Practice (2007–2013), and the political thriller Scandal (2012–2018). She was the first woman to create three TV dramas that each reached 100 episodes, which is a big achievement!

She has also worked as an executive producer for other popular shows. These include the ABC thriller series How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020), the Netflix historical drama Bridgerton (2020–present), and its spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023). She also produced the drama Inventing Anna (2022). Shonda Rhimes has been nominated five times for a Primetime Emmy Award. She won a Golden Globe Award and received special honors at the British Academy Television Awards and International Emmy Awards.

In 2017, she became a special member of the executive committee for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. She is also part of the USC Film Council and a committee that works for more inclusion in writing.

Time magazine has named Rhimes one of the 100 most influential people in the world three times: in 2007, 2013, and 2021. As of 2023, she is one of the wealthiest women entertainers in America. In 2015, she published her first book, a memoir called Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person. In 2016, Rhimes started The Rhimes Family Foundation. This foundation helps support arts, education, and activism.

Early Life and Education

Shonda Rhimes was born in Chicago, Illinois, on January 13, 1970. She was the youngest of six children in her family. Her mother, Vera P. Rhimes, was a college professor. She earned her PhD while raising her family. Shonda's father, Ilee Rhimes Jr., was a university administrator. He later became the chief information officer at the University of Southern California.

Rhimes grew up in Park Forest South, Illinois, which is now called University Park, Illinois. She lived there with her two older brothers and three older sisters. She has shared that she loved telling stories from a very young age. When she was in high school, she volunteered at a hospital. This experience made her interested in hospital settings, which later inspired some of her TV shows.

Rhimes was raised Catholic. She went to Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois. After high school, she attended Dartmouth College. There, she studied English and film. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1991. At Dartmouth, she was part of the Black Underground Theater Association. She spent her time directing and acting in student plays, and also writing stories. She also wrote for the college newspaper.

After college, she moved to San Francisco with one of her older siblings. She worked in advertising at McCann Erickson. Later, she moved to Los Angeles to study screenwriting at the University of Southern California. She was one of the top students in her class at USC. She earned a special writing award called the Gary Rosenberg Writing Fellowship. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

While at USC, Rhimes worked as an intern for Debra Martin Chase. Chase is a well-known African-American producer. Rhimes believes that mentors like Chase helped her succeed early in her career. Chase later mentored Rhimes again on the movie The Princess Diaries 2. Rhimes also worked at Denzel Washington's company, Mundy Lane Entertainment.

Building a Career in Television

Early Projects: 1995–2004

After finishing college, Shonda Rhimes was a scriptwriter in Hollywood who didn't have a job yet. To earn money, she worked different day jobs. She was an office administrator and then a counselor at a job center. This center helped people who didn't have stable housing or who had mental health challenges learn job skills. During this time, Rhimes also worked as a research director for a documentary. This documentary was called Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream (1995). It won a Peabody Award in 1995.

In 1998, Rhimes made a short film called Blossoms and Veils. This film starred Jada Pinkett-Smith and Jeffrey Wright. It is her only time working as a film director. A movie studio called New Line Cinema bought one of her movie scripts. Rhimes was then asked to help write the HBO movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999). This movie won many awards for its star, Halle Berry.

In 2001, Rhimes wrote the movie Crossroads. This was the first movie for pop singer Britney Spears. Even though critics didn't like the movie much, it still made over $60 million around the world.

Rhimes then worked on writing the sequel to Disney's popular movie The Princess Diaries (2001). The sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), didn't make as much money at the box office. However, Rhimes later said she really enjoyed the experience. She especially liked getting to work with the movie's star, Julie Andrews. In 2003, Rhimes wrote her first TV pilot for ABC. It was about young female war reporters, but the network decided not to make it into a series.

Creating Hit Shows with ABC

Shonda Rhimes is the creator, executive producer, and head writer of Grey's Anatomy. This popular medical drama first aired on March 27, 2005. The show is about the doctors and staff at a made-up hospital in Seattle, Washington. The main character is Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo. She often tells the story through narration in many episodes.

In 2007, Rhimes created and produced a spin-off series from Grey's Anatomy called Private Practice. It started on September 26, 2007, on ABC. This show follows Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) as she leaves Seattle Grace Hospital. She moves to Los Angeles to join a private medical practice. The show also has many other actors, including Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman, Audra McDonald, and Taye Diggs. The first season was shorter because of a writers' strike. The series ended on January 22, 2013.

In 2010, Rhimes created another pilot for ABC called Inside the Box. This was a drama focused on women working at a news office in Washington, D.C. It was about an ambitious news producer and her colleagues. They would do anything to get a story, while also dealing with their personal problems. However, ABC did not pick it up as a series.

In 2011, Rhimes was an executive producer for the medical drama Off the Map. This show was created by a writer from Grey's Anatomy, Jenna Bans. It was about a group of doctors working in a clinic deep in the Amazon jungle. ABC officially canceled the series on May 13, 2011.

In May 2011, ABC decided to make Rhimes' pilot script Scandal into a full series. Kerry Washington starred as Olivia Pope, an expert in managing political crises. This character was partly based on a real person, Judy Smith, who worked for the Bush administration. The series first aired on April 5, 2012.

In 2012, Rhimes also developed a pilot for a historical drama called Gilded Lilys. But this show was not picked up to become a series either.

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 main character in February 2014. The show was officially picked up as a series on May 8, 2014.

In March 2016, ABC started showing The Catch. This was a comedy-drama created by Rhimes, based on an idea by British author Kate Atkinson. It starred Mireille Enos and Peter Krause. Later that month, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and Grey's Anatomy were all renewed for new seasons. The next year, it was announced that Scandal would end after its seventh season. The Catch was canceled after its second season.

Working with Netflix

On August 14, 2017, Netflix announced a big deal with Shonda Rhimes. This deal meant that all her future TV shows would be Netflix Original series. Netflix had already bought the rights to stream old episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal in the U.S. Ted Sarandos, a top executive at Netflix, said that Rhimes was a "true Netflixer at heart." He explained that she loves TV and movies, cares deeply about her work, and always delivers for her audience. This deal was a huge win for Netflix. It was also seen as a way for Netflix to compete with Disney, ABC's parent company, which was planning its own streaming service.

As of October 2020, Shonda Rhimes was working on more than 12 projects for Netflix. In July 2021, she extended her deal with Netflix. Her first show for Netflix was Bridgerton, which came out in 2020. It quickly became the most-watched series ever on the platform. This success led to the production of three seasons by 2024. In 2021, Rhimes also produced the drama miniseries Inventing Anna. In April 2022, it was announced that Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, an idea by Rhimes, would be produced as a spin-off of Bridgerton.

Personal Life and Activism

Shonda Rhimes is a mother to three daughters. She adopted her first daughter in June 2002. She adopted another daughter in February 2012. In September 2013, Rhimes welcomed her third daughter through gestational surrogacy.

In 2014, Rhimes gave a commencement address at her old college, Dartmouth College. During this event, she also received an honorary doctorate, which is a special degree given to honor someone's achievements.

In September 2015, Rhimes shared that she had lost 117 pounds. She achieved this through exercise and healthy eating.

Activism and Community Work

In 2017, Rhimes and Katie McGrath started an organization called Time's Up. They both donated money to hire the first seven employees for this organization.

In 2019, Rhimes became a co-chair for the organization When We All Vote. This group was created to encourage people to vote before the 2020 general election.

Shondaland

Shondaland is the name of Shonda Rhimes's production company. It's also used to refer to the TV shows Rhimes has produced and sometimes to Rhimes herself. Here are some of the shows included in Shondaland:

• 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)

Film and TV Work

Awards and Recognitions

Shonda Rhimes won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama in 2006 for her show Grey's Anatomy. She also received the International Emmy Founders Award and a special award at the British Academy Television Awards. Her work has been honored at many other events too. These include the Costume Designers Guild Awards, Directors Guild of America Award, ICG Publicists Awards, Writers Guild of America Award, and Producers Guild of America Awards.

See also

In Spanish: Shonda Rhimes para niños