Izzie Stevens

Isobel Katherine "Izzie" Stevens, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and was portrayed by actress Katherine Heigl from 2005 to 2010. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Izzie worked her way up to resident level, while her relationships with her colleagues Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) and George O'Malley (T. R. Knight) formed a focal point of the series. Heigl garnered widespread critical acclaim for her performance as Izzie and received numerous awards and nominations for her role, winning Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2007. Her win was particularly notable in the history of Grey's Anatomy, as Heigl remains the only cast member to have won an individual Primetime Emmy Award for acting for her performance in the series. Although the series itself has received and won multiple Emmy Awards across various categories, none of its other principal cast members have won an individual acting Emmy. She was critical of the character's development during the show's fourth season, particularly her romance with her on-screen best friend George. She declined to pursue a nomination for the 2008 Emmy Awards, citing insufficient material in the role. After speculation that Izzie would be killed off in the fifth season, the character was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic melanoma. She married Alex in the series' 100th episode, and afterwards, her tumor was successfully removed. Heigl made her final series regular appearance as Izzie in the sixth season, leaving Seattle after Alex refused to resume their marriage. The actress requested to be released from her contract...