Having recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its premiere,Grey’s Anatomyhas certainly employed many actors across its over 400 episodes, includingJeffrey Dean Morgan. Morgan appeared on the show in the early years, back when many OG cast members, including Katherine Heigl and Sandra Oh, were still part of the series. Now in its 21st season, the cast looks very different, withMeredith Grey actress Ellen Pompeo stepping away fromGrey’s Anatomyto focus on other projects. However, there were plenty of actors who didn’t want to leave the medical drama.
One of those is Morgan. Of course, most of us know andlove Morgan for his roleasThe Walking Dead’s villain-turned-antihero Negan, who he continues to play inTWDspinoffDead City. Morgan has also played dead CIA officer Joe Kessler inThe Boysand Winchester patriarch John inSupernatural. But while he may have found the most success in horror and fantasy shows, Morgan’s also proven his romantic chops, including playing Alicia Florrick’s love interest Jason Crouse inThe Good Wife. However, his most famous romantic role isGrey’s Anatomy’s Denny Duquette — which Morgan was desperate to hang onto.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Denny Duquette Died Of A Stroke In Grey’s Anatomy Season 2
He Proposed To Izzie Stevens Before His Death
ThoughGrey’s Anatomyhas had a ton of sad patient deaths, perhaps the most heartbreaking is the death of Denny Duquette in season 2, episode 27, “Losing My Religion”. After Denny, who suffered from viral cardiomyopathy, came to the hospital for a heart transplant,he met and fell for Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl). In a desperate bid to get Denny the transplant he needed, Izzie made the risky decision to cut his LVAD wire. Her gamble paid off, or so it would appear, and Denny was given his heart transplant.
Grey’s Anatomy Season 22: Confirmation, Cast & Everything We Know
Perhaps the most famous medical drama of all time, Grey’s Anatomy has already enjoyed a 20-plus-year run on the air, and it continues into season 22.
With Denny seemingly in the clear, he proposed to Izzie, and she accepted. But, as we know, happily ever after was never in the cards for dear Denny and Izzie. Shortly after the proposal, Denny experiences a burst of pain, andquickly succumbs to a fatal stroke from a blood clot. After over 20 seasons ofGrey’s Anatomy, the image of a devastated and shocked Izzie in her prom dress, lying next to Denny’s body, will live rent-free in our minds.
Morgan Begged Shonda Rhimes Not To Kill Him Off Grey’s
He Briefly Returned In The Form Of Izzie’s Hallucinations
In an episode of the popular YouTube talk showHot Ones, Jeffrey Dean Morgan opened up about hisGrey’s Anatomy Death. Morgan told host Sean Evans that he was no stranger to being killed off a project, and in fact, the sheer volume of the actor’s character deaths was a running joke between him and his father. However,when he saw the writing on the wall for Denny Duquette, Morgan was adamant about wanting to remain part of theGrey’sfamily. He said,
Grey’s AnatomyI knew was something special. That’s the one time I saw my death coming and was trying everything I could do to get out of that death. That character Denny and that love story with Izzie kind of took the world by storm. I knew how f**king lucky I was to be there, andI was like, ‘Please don’t kill me! I will do anything!’… and I did, I did. I begged her [Shonda Rhimes].
Whether it was Morgan’s pleading, his popularity withGrey’sfans, or a combination of both,Morgan came back as Denny, despite his character being dead. He showed up in season 3 in the “afterlife” with Meredith following in her drowning, and, more notably, Morgan’s character was part of a controversial season 5 plotline whenDenny appeared in Izzie’s hallucinationsbrought on by her cancer. That would be the end of theGrey’s Anatomyline for Morgan, with his last episode being season 5’s “Here’s to Future Days”.
However, Morgan’s Denny Duquette role proved to be a boon for the actor, as it led to one of his biggest breakout jobs as the Comedian in 2009’sWatchmen. Morgan revealed, “That’s what changed my life. Being Denny, where I never got out of bed, is why Zack Snyder hired me to be the Comedian.” So, even though Jeffrey Dean Morgan may have wanted to stay onGrey’s Anatomya little longer, it looks like his career is doing just fine.
