Jessica Capshaw


Jessica Brooke Capshaw is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jamie Stringer in The Practice and Arizona Robbins on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. She was introduced in Grey's Anatomys fifth season as an attending surgeon and the new head of pediatric surgery. Originally contracted to appear in three episodes, Capshaw's contract was extended to the remainder of the fifth season, with her becoming a series regular in the sixth season.

Early life

Capshaw was born August 9, 1976 in Columbia, Missouri, the daughter of actress and producer Kate Capshaw, and Robert Capshaw, a sales manager, marketing director, business executive, and high school principal. She is the stepdaughter of director Steven Spielberg, whom her mother married when Capshaw was fifteen years old. Her father is from a Jewish family, whereas her mother converted to Judaism.
Capshaw graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles in 1994. She then enrolled at Brown University, where she appeared in productions of Arcadia and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She graduated in 1998 with a B.A. in English. During summers, she attended classes at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, where she appeared as Puck in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Career

Capshaw had a minor role in the drama The Locusts, co-starring her mother, at age nineteen. She subsequently had a role in Adam Rifkin's independent film Denial.In the 2001 slasher film Valentine, Capshaw played Dorothy Wheeler. She then had a minor role in Minority Report, and a lead role in Edward Burns's The Groomsmen.
In 2009, she became a regular on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. It was first reported in December 2008 that Capshaw would be joining the cast of Grey's Anatomy as pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins, for a multi-episode arc. Initially scheduled to appear in three episodes of the show's fifth season, series creator Shonda Rhimes later extended Capshaw's contract to appear in all of the season's remaining episodes, becoming a series regular in the sixth season.
She was established as a love-interest for orthopedic resident Callie Torres. Series creator Shonda Rhimes was pleased with the chemistry between Robbins and Torres, citing the addition of Capshaw to the cast as an element of the season of which she was most proud. Speaking of the new addition, Rhimes said: "I love Jessica Capshaw, and when I say love I mean love. She couldn't be a more wonderful person, and I feel like the chemistry Arizona and Callie have feels like the Meredith and Derek chemistry to me. I find them delightful to watch." Initial media reaction to the character was positive. Matt Mitovich of TV Guide described her as a "fan favorite", and Chris Monfette for IGN praised the addition of "fresh, new characters", such as Robbins over the course of the season. In March 2018, Capshaw exited Grey’s Anatomy, with the producers citing creative reasons. Capshaw posted a statement on Twitter, highlighting the significance of her character: "She was one of the first members of the LGBTQ community to be represented in a series regular role on network television. Her impact on the world is permanent and forever."

Personal life

Capshaw married Christopher Gavigan on May 22, 2004, at her family's East Hampton estate. The couple have a son and three daughters.

Filmography

Film

Television