Dr. Callie Torres is hanging up her scrubs, at least for now. Sara Ramirez, the actress who has played Dr. Torres on “Grey’s Anatomy” for 10 seasons, announced that she was leaving the ABC medical drama. In a note posted on Twitter after Thursday night’s Season 12 finale, the actress said she was “taking some welcome time off.” “I look forward to always being a part of the Shondaland family!” she added. “Shondaland” refers to the prime-time empire of Shonda Rhimes, the creator of “Grey’s Anatomy.” The show, which debuted in 2005, was Ms. Rhimes’s first series and remains one of ABC’s highest-rated shows. Ms. Rhimes went on to create “Private Practice” and “Scandal,” and is an executive producer on “How to Get Away With Murder” and “The Catch.” She remains the showrunner of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal.” Ms. Rhimes wrote on Twitter on Thursday: “I will miss Callie tremendously, but am excited for what the future holds for Sara. She will always have a home at Shondaland.” Ms. Ramirez will also be familiar to younger viewers (and their parents) as the voice of Queen Miranda on Disney’s “Sofia the First.” She is also a Broadway veteran, having appeared in “A Class Act” and “Spamalot,”among other productions. It is unclear whether Ms. Ramirez plans to return to “Grey’s Anatomy” at some point, or to join another of Ms. Rhimes’s shows. ABC did not respond to a request for comment. “Grey’s Anatomy” has lost key stars before, including Katherine Heigl; Sandra Oh; and most notably, Patrick Dempsey, who played Dr. Derek Shepherd, known as McDreamy, who was killed off in a car crash last season. Season 12 found the show refocusing on the title character, Dr. Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo. Ms. Pompeo also paid tribute to Ms. Ramirez on Thursday: Source
