Shonda Rhimes was born in University Park, Illinois on Jan. 13, 1970 as the youngest of six siblings.
She did well in school, earning a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College in English literature and creative writing. Later, her career led her to University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts program, where she received an MFA in writing for screen and television.
She began working as a screenwriter, which led her to write “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2005. The show is now on its fourteenth season, and even won Rhimes a Golden Globe for Best Television Series—Drama.
Because of “Grey’s Anatomy,” she also became the first African American woman to create and executive produce a Top 10 network series.
Later on, her shows “Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder” featured strong, female African American leads and won massive popularity with audiences.
Recently, she has also worked with Time’s Up initiative which has created a legal defense fund for victims of sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood and all other industries.