Cristina Yang | |
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Grey's Anatomy character | |
The season nine promotional photograph of Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
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First appearance | "A Hard Day's Night" 1x01March 27, 2005 |
Last appearance | "Fear (of the Unknown)" 10x24, May 15, 2014 (as main cast) "She's Leaving Home" 11x22, April 30, 2015 (stand-in) |
Created by | Shonda Rhimes |
Portrayed by | Sandra Oh |
Information | |
Full name | Cristina Yang |
Nickname(s) | Yang Twisted Sister Cardiothoracic Whore Cardio God(ess) |
Occupation | Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Klausman Institute for Medical Research Cardiothoracic surgical Fellow at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital Board Member at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital |
Title |
M.D Ph.D. F.A.C.S. |
Family | Saul Rubenstein (step-father) Helen (mother) |
Spouse(s) | Owen Hunt (divorced) |
Significant other(s) | Colin Marlow Preston Burke (ex-fiancé) Darren Parker Shane Ross |
Religion | Atheist (raised with Judaism) |
Cristina Yang, M.D., Ph.D., is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which has aired for over 12 years on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by actress Sandra Oh. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Yang worked her way up to resident level, eventually becoming a cardiothoracic surgical fellow, while her relationships with colleagues Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), George O'Malley (T. R. Knight), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) formed a focal point of the series. Yang earlier in the series got engaged to Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), in the past had a relationship with renowned surgeon and mentor Colin Marlow, and wed but later divorced Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd).
Oh originally auditioned for the role of Miranda Bailey, although Chandra Wilson was ultimately cast in the part. Oh has received generally positive reviews for her portrayal, with Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald considering her friendship with Meredith to be "the secret core of Grey's". Oh has also garnered numerous awards and nominations for her role as Yang, including Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award wins in 2006. She was additionally nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series each year, from 2005 to 2009. Characterizing the character, ABC noted her competitiveness, ambition, and intelligence as her main traits, while her aggressive, and tactless attitude was highlighted as her main weakness. In May 2012, E! Online reported that Oh had signed on for two more years, along with her fellow cast members. Oh left the show after season 10, and her character Cristina Yang was written out of the storyline as a main cast member.