T. R. Knight
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T.R. Knight is headed to the Great White Way!

The ex-Grey's Anatomy star, who earlier this month confirmed that he was leaving the ABC drama, has signed on to star in the upcoming Broadway revival of Lend Me a Tenor.

Knight will play the role of Max in the classic farce, which is being directed by Stanley Tucci and is scheduled to open in February 2010. Sounds like a great role for him.

Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

Prior to joining the cast of Lend Me a Tenor, Knight will headline a production of Jason Robert Brown's Tony-winning play Parade at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum.

Glad to see T.R. returning to the stage. We wish him the best!

Pregnant actress Ellen Pompeo and her former Grey's Anatomy co-star T.R. Knight headed over to the L.A. Design Center on Western Avenue in Los Angeles late last week. Cute!

The original Grey's Anatomy pair shopped around for furniture for Ellen’s new home. Some pieces for the new nursery, perhaps? That baby bump is really beginning to show!

Last month, Ellen and T.R. were spotted lunching at Milk together in Los Angeles. It's nice to see that even after T.R. left the show, the two stars' friendship is as strong as ever.

T.R. Knight has booked his first role since negotiating an early release from ABC's Grey's Anatomy. He will star in a Los Angeles theater production of the musical Parade.

The show opens October 4 at the Mark Taper Forum in L.A.

Parade, penned by Alfred Uhry, is a true story of Leo Frank, an Atlanta pencil-factory manager who was convicted of raping and killing a 13-year-old female employee in 1913.

When doubt was cast on his guilt, Frank's death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Soon after, he was kidnapped from prison and lynched by a group of citizens.

We'll sure miss T.R. Knight and all he brought to Grey's Anatomy.

In his first role after exiting the Grey's Anatomy cast following five great seasons, T.R. Knight will star as Frank, while Lara Pulver (Robin Hood) will play his wife, Lucille.

"I am very fortunate to return to the theater playing Leo Frank in this incredible, acclaimed production of Parade," Knight said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

"After a five-year break, it feels great to be on stage again."

T.R. Knight's previous plank work includes Broadway's Tartuffe.

After months of speculation surrounding the fate of Grey’s Anatomy’s George O’Malley, T.R. Knight, who plays the lovable doctor, is breaking his silence about his departure.

“The decision to leave Grey’s Anatomy was not an easy one for me to make,” T.R. Knight said in a statement today. “I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play this character and will miss my fellow cast and crew very much."

"I continue to wish them the very best, and wholeheartedly thank all of the Grey's Anatomy fans who have supported me and the show with such passion and enthusiasm.”

T.R. Knight was an integral Grey's Anatomy cast member for five seasons.

Producer Shonda Rhimes simultaneously released her own statement, saying:

“I think I speak for the entire Grey’s Anatomy family when I say we wish T.R. Knight the best in his future endeavors. He is an incredibly talented actor and a person whose strength of character is admired by all of us.”

While T.R. Knight may be happy to depart from the show following a season of sparse screen time for George, co-star James Pickens, Jr., says the actor will be missed.

“He’s a good man, and a great actor,” Pickens, who plays Chief Richard Webber, says. “We have lots of laughs. I’m going to miss his sense of humor.”

The official confirmation comes just hours after word leaked that Knight's co-star and real-life BFF Katherine Heigl will be sticking around next season.

Knight is currently in talks to headline a Broadway revival of Lend Me a Tenor.

All of us here at Grey's Anatomy Insider would like to say thank you to T.R. Knight for his contributions to our favorite show over five seasons and over a hundred episodes. Best of luck wherever the future takes you, T.R.!

The sixth season premiere is still months away, but one of last season's bigger Grey's Anatomy cliffhangers has already been resolved. Sources have confirmed to Entertainment Weekly the following: T.R. Knight's wish to be released from his contract has been granted.

He will not return to the show.

The official decision, according to Michael Ausiello, came down in the past few days, just as many of his castmates began receiving their formal pickup letters from ABC.

The actor's exit closes yet another rocky chapter for the embattled show, one that opened with Isaiah Washington-gate and worsened when, amid rumors that Knight was clashing with series creator Shonda Rhimes, George O'Malley was back-burnered.

Finally, Knight grew so fed up with his character's lack of storyline that he asked if he could check out three years before his deal expired. After that, indications were that he would be let go, although Rhimes didn't make a final decision until recently.

Contractually speaking, she had until June 30 to make up her mind.

Last month, Rhimes said George's relatively light storyline this year was the result of the normal "ebbs and flows" of ensemble television. But Shonda did acknowledge that he was intentionally written lighter during the last half of the season.

That way, viewers wouldn't think it odd that he was absent from the season finale - something that was necessary to preserve the episode's biggest twist: that George O'Malley was actually the disfigured John Doe who had been hit by a bus (above).

"I really wanted you to not notice that he wasn't there for most of this episode," she said. "I don't think anybody noticed because of the way we laid it out this season."

TR Knight's departure would seem to indicate George's demise as a character, however, some fans have wondered if Rhimes is planning to pull an Elizabeth Reaser (Jane Doe/Rebecca from Season Three) and have him live, only to be replaced by another actor.

That's "hilarious, ridiculous," the boss has said.

However, rumor has it that Rhimes was indeed interested in having Knight appear in next season's first three episodes, but a short-term deal could not be brokered.

Reps for Knight and ABC declined to comment.

Now that the question of George O'Malley's future seems to have been answered, albeit sadly, another puzzler moves to the forefront: What's going to happen to Katherine Heigl and Izzie, whose life also hung in the balance in last May's capper?

Sound off on both topics below ...

Is he staying? Is he going?

The debate goes on (and on, and on). But you can count Justin Chambers among those who don't want T.R. Knight to leave the cast of Grey's Anatomy.

"T.R. is an amazing actor and I want him to be there as long as I'm on there," said Chambers, who plays Dr. Alex Karev on Grey's Anatomy, to E! Online the other night at the Salvatore Ferragamo benefit for L'Aquila Earthquake victims. "He's wonderful to work with."

Besides, T.R.'s character, Dr. George O'Malley, has so much growing to do.

"That's one of the great things about the show," Justin Chambers said.

"All the characters have so much left to explore. From the beginning of the series, the audience followed these young interns coming into this hospital and now they're residents ... but they still have much more to learn as far as surgery, social skills and manners."

For her part, former Grey's Anatomy guest star Melissa George said she's not convinced that Knight is leaving the show he's been on since its 2005 premiere.

No matter what happens, she said, "He'll go on to bigger and better things."

Reports of George O'Malley's demise have circulated since the season finale of Grey's Anatomy May 14, and seemed all but official after a report that circulated last week. However, nothing is official just yet ... we think. This from E!'s spoiler Q&A today ...

Q: What will happen on Grey's Anatomy next season? Are George and Izzie goners?

A: E! Online's Marc Malkin has an inside source who says that T.R. Knight will not be returning to Grey's Anatomy due to issues with executive producer Shonda Rhimes. Sources tell TVGuide.com, "That story is utterly false. Nothing at all has changed in T.R.'s status."

Shonda Rhimes has also gone on record debunking new rumors that an entirely different actor would play George thanks to plastic surgery. However, we all know how Shonda toed the lines of truth last season and stops at nothing to keep the audience guessing.

Guess we'll have to keep on ... guessing.

Original cast member T.R. Knight has been a Grey's Anatomy fixture since George's early, longer-haired days. His future has been the subject of great speculation for months now.

Citing multiple sources, E! Online reports that T.R. Knight, whose future has been the subject of great debate, will not be returning to Grey's Anatomy next season.

Knight's departure shouldn't come as too much of a shock.

Not only was George flatlining at the end of the season finale earlier this month, but the 36-year-old actor has reportedly wanted off the hit ABC series for some time.

According to reports, tension between T.R. Knight and Grey's Anatomy creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes became unbearable for both in recent months.

Knight, an original member of the Grey's Anatomy cast, was said to have become increasingly frustrated by his character's lack of storyline and camera face time.

In December, he asked to be let out of his contract.

Grey's Anatomy insiders say Knight made no secret that he wanted off the show. No word on any future projects for Knight, but he will be free to pursue other things.

Reps for Knight and ABC declined to comment.

Knight's best friend, co-star Katherine Heigl, whose character was also in limbo as the season ended, is supposedly still waiting to learn her fate with Seattle Grace.

Rhimes suppposedly began contemplating an early death for Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens in July after Heigl took herself out of the running for last year's Emmy Awards.

Her reasoning was that the writers failed to give her good enough material to work with, igniting a storm of criticism and speculation that she wanted off the show.

For what it's worth, Entertainment Weekly recently reported that Heigl will submit her name for Emmy consideration this year for her work as cancer-stricken Izzie.

Was that really Meredith and Derek's wedding last night? Is Arizona Robbins sticking around Seattle Grace? Will Izzie and/or "John Doe" a.k.a. George survive?

All these burning questions linger after last night's season finale (see our recaps of Part I and Part II). Fortunately, Shonda Rhimes is providing some answers.

Some answers.

The Grey's Anatomy creator and executive producer spoke to Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly about all these issues and much more, including the "ghost sex" controversy, Katherine Heigl's Emmy chances, and T.R. Knight's alleged unhappiness.

Here's the text of EW's interview with Shonda ...

EW: Rumors have been swirling all year that Katherine and TR wanted off the show. The season ends with both their characters' lives hanging in the balance. Purely coincidental?

Shonda Rhimes: I don't think there are any coincidences. I think Katherine's stated publicly that she's happy to stay. I think that there have been lots of rumors about T.R., but T.R.'s never said anything. Take from it what you will.

EW: This kind of cliffhanger almost seems tailor-made to capitalize on some of those headlines and generate buzz.

Shonda Rhimes: You have to remember, I have two shows. It's not as if I spend a lot of time reading the press. We talk about stuff in the writers' room that other people have read, but, mostly, we were really moving on character. Every year at the beginning of the season I pitch what the end of the season is going to be. And I literally sat down and pitched the last 10 minutes of this season at the beginning of the season, so we were headed towards the place that we knew we were going to go.

EW: Do you know which one of them lives and which one of them dies?

Shonda Rhimes: Yes. And I don't know that you should be saying "which one of them lives and which one of them dies." I know what happens to the characters.

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What is the future of T.R. Knight on Grey's Anatomy?

According to a reliable source, not even Shonda Rhimes herself knows that answer right now.

Knight's displeasure at his reduced screen time on the show has been well-documented. As a result, rumors have been circulating that George will be written out of the show.

As previously reported, the storyline that takes George away from Seattle Grace will revolve around his departure to the Army. Inspired by Dr. Hunt, the character will head overseas.

Once there, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello confirms, George will be wounded in battle. But will it be a fatal blow? No one knows for sure.

"T.R. doesn’t know whether George lives or dies," said a source close to the show. "And, as a result, he doesn't know whether or not he has to come back next season."

Is that really possible? Legally speaking, yes.

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