Teddy Altman

Theodora Grace Altman, M.D., F.A.C.S is a fictional character from the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by Kim Raver. She was introduced as a recurring character in season 6, but is later upgraded to series-regular in the same season after Katherine Heigl's departure from the series. Altman was conceived as the third major cardiothoracic surgeon attending in the series, following Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) and Erica Hahn's (Brooke Smith) exits. In the storyline, Altman is a gift for Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), recommended by Oh's character's love-interest, Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), to practice Cardiothoracic Surgery in her residency, after failing to receive practice from Hahn after Burke's departure. Yang discovers there is more than meets the eye with Owen and Teddy as friends, leading to a brief love-triangle. Other storylines include Altman's relationship with a psychologist and later marrying a patient to take care of his health care, eventually falling in love with him. Raver's first tenure in the show lasted 3 consecutive seasons (2009–2012), with her final appearance being the season 8 finale. Altman is mentioned for the first time again 5 years later when Owen discovers his sister, Megan is still alive and Altman reportedly bears witness in identifying her in the season 13 finale. Raver reappears in 5 episodes of season 14, then is upgraded again to series-regular in the season 15, following a storyline involving her pregnancy with McKidd's character. Since her second promotion to series-regular, her storylines have included being caught in 2 love-triangles with Owen and his ex-wife Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), and Owen and Tom Koracick (Greg Germann). The character is also later revealed to be bisexual, with secret lover Allison who died in 9/11, shown to be a romantic partner in a flashback. She later becomes Chief of Surgery, succeeding Meredith Grey in the position. Storylines Teddy attended the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She completed her surgical residency at George Washington University Medical School and her fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Florida. As an attending physician, Teddy worked at Columbia, but after her best friend and lover Allison was killed during the collapse of the second tower on September 11, 2001, she left and joined the army, meeting trauma surgeon Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) during her tour in Baghdad.