Kate Walsh was born in San Jose, California and grew up in Tucson, Arizona. Her father is an Irish immigrant and her maternal grandfather was Italian American. Walsh studied at the University of Arizona where she got involved in regional theatre. She was also a model in Japan during the 1980s and now lives in Los Angeles.
In 2005, she was cast in the ABC hit, Grey’s Anatomy, as Dr. Addison Montgomery, the estranged spouse of Derek Shepherd (”Dr. McDreamy”, played by Patrick Dempsey). The role of Addison was originally conceived as a short-term role (five episodes) but audience response to Walsh, and to the Derek/Meredith/Addison triangle, convinced series creator Shonda Rhimes to expand the role and make Walsh a series regular. As she noted in an interview she’s “The house guest who never leaves” referring to her extended role on both Grey’s Anatomy & The Drew Carey Show.
It was announced in February 2007 that Walsh’s Grey’s Anatomy character Addison would be in a spin-off of Grey’s Anatomy that began airing in September 2007. Taye Diggs, Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman, Chris Lowell and Audra McDonald have been cast in the spin-off, which has been given the name Private Practice. Beginning in September 2007, Walsh has appeared television commercials for the 2008 Cadillac CTS. Her memorable quote in the series: “When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?”
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