Dr. Richard Webber, played by James Pickens Jr. is the Chief of Surgery at the Seattle Grace Hospital. He was once more than close friends with Meredith's mother, Ellis Grey, although both were married. She left her husband, but Richard couldn't leave his wife Adele. Later he confessed that he believed that Ellis had deserved a better guy than him. Also his wife admitted that she had known about the affair, but stayed with him anyway.

Since he knows about the illness of Ellis Grey- she has got Alzheimer's disease, he visits her regularly.