THATCHER GREY

'Thatcher Grey' is a fictional character from the ABC television series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character is portrayed by actor Jeff Perry, and was created by Shonda Rhimes. He is the father of Meredith, Lexie, and Molly Grey. He was married to Ellis Grey, and then Susan Grey; both are now deceased.

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Fictional History

Fictional History

Thatcher is Meredith Grey's father and the ex-husband of Ellis Grey. They were married for about seven years before his wife began having an affair with Richard Webber. Eventually, Ellis's affair and time away from home put too much strain on their marriage and Thatcher left. Meredith was a small child at the time of the divorce, and roughly twenty years would pass before they saw each other again. Thatcher blames Ellis somewhat for his estrangement from Meredith, saying Ellis was "cold" and wouldn't let him know Meredith. After the disintegration of his first family, Thatcher married his second wife, Susan, and had two more daughters, Lexie and Molly. His wife, Susan, died suddenly following a rare complication from a routine procedure to treat her hiccups and acid reflux problems. Thatcher lashed out at Meredith, and blamed her for Susan's death, slapping her in the face at one point. He later forbade Meredith to come to Susan's funeral service.
He "may" have a Ph.D., only because when Ellis was first admitted into Seattle Grace Hospital, she has many disputes with George O'Malley, mistaking him for Thatcher (because of Alzheimer's). She also mentions how her work is the work that is important. It pays for the home and Meredith, and she also noted that she doesn't give a damn about how Thatcher's day had went, only because she hears him come home each day talking about his "research" project. Thatcher is in his late 50's, so we may assume that he could have a Ph.D. This may also be part of the "ordinary" Meredith. When Ellis was admitted the second time into Seattle Grace Hospital, she called Meredith "ordinary" as Ellis was a renowned surgeon, and Thatcher is a researcher. She must've thought that Meredith wasn't living up to her parents titles.