Dr. Doug Ross was a fictional medical doctor from the television series ER. He was portrayed by George Clooney.

Personal life

Doug Ross was raised by his mother after his father, Ray Ross, abandoned their family. Not much else is known about Doug's past, except that he has a son. Doug is a womanizer who has an on again-off again relationship with Carol Hathaway , the head nurse of the ER at County. This eventually leads to his fathering twin girls by Hathaway during one of their steady periods, and these daughters are born after Doug leaves Chicago. He's last seen working on his boat behind his house in Washington when Hathaway goes off in search of him.

Career

In the pilot episode, which takes place on St. Patrick's Day 1994, Dr. Ross is brought into the ER not long before his shift to be "treated" for drunkeness by his longtime friend, Dr. Mark Greene. Throughout the next few seasons, Doug is shown to be compassionate, though not always using the best judgement. As a pediatrician, he deals primarily with children. His love for kids is best seen during darker situations, such as when a child is in danger. His lack of judgement leads to him going as far as to assault abusive parents in the ER.

Dr. Ross eventually resigned in the aftermath of a scandal when he showed a mother how to bypass the lockouts on a dispensing machine, and give a lethal dose of medication to her terminally ill son. This event also prompted the closure of Carol's free clinic in the hospital, since it supplied the materials to this mother. As a result, when Doug leaves, he and Carol are on poor terms until she discovers she's pregnant with Doug's children.

Dr. Doug Ross was written out of the series because actor George Clooney wished to pursue a film career.