Kathleen Erin "Kate" Walsh was born on October 13, 1967 in San Jose, California and grew up in Tucson, Arizona. She attended University of Arizona and there involved herself in regional theater. She later moved to Chicago where she began working with the Piven Theatre Workshop. She performed on National Public Radio in the production of the radio play Born Guilty. She also joined the comedy troupe Burn Manhattan and appeared on several off-Broadway plays. In 1997 Walsh's first major television appearance was on The Drew Carey Show as Carey's girlfriend, Nicki. Later she was given the role of Carol Nelson in HBO's The Mind of the Married Man, and also played Norm MacDonald's romantic interest in the sitcom The Norm Show. She also made a notable guest appearance on
CSI as Mimosa, a transsexual. In 2005, she was cast for the ABC hit
Grey's Anatomy where she played Dr. Addison Montgomery. In 2007, Walsh left Grey’s Anatomy for her own spin off, Private Practice which focuses on Addison Forbes Montgomery leaving the Seattle Grace Hospital and joining the team comprising the Oceanside Wellness Group.
Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery is played by Kate Walsh on the television series Private Practice. Addison is a neonatal surgeon and obstetrician-gynecologist who specializes in maternal fetal medicine. She is a difficult woman who often compromises, however, she also has a softer side, as she is known for becoming emotionally attached to a lot of her patients. She used to me married to Derek Shepherd, but later separated because of her infidelity to him. When Addison leaves Seattle Grace Hospital for the Oceanside Wellness Groups, she finds out that she can no longer conceive because her antral or ovarian follicle count was only two.
(Photo courtesy of ABC)