Preston Burke

Grew up… in Alabama. Preston never considered himself naturally gifted, but he always understood the value of hard work. He once said, “I wasn’t the most talented student in school. I wasn’t the brightest. But I was the best.”

Living… in what may be the tidiest apartment in all of Seattle. Preston is very organized and neat.

Profession… chief of cardio at Seattle Grace Hospital. Preston saves lives on a daily basis, but he also has to deal with the consequences of losing a patient. In surgery, one can’t make any promises. In his words, “The only person than can keep a promise that big is God, and I haven’t seen him holding a scalpel lately.”

Interests… cooking. Preston can handle a chopping knife even better than he can handle a scalpel. His skills in the kitchen have proved useful when he’s trying to seduce a woman.

Relationship Status… single, though Preston has felt a strong pull toward the driven surgical intern Cristina Yang. The two of them have one major thing in common: they want to be the best at what they do.

Challenge… dealing with the most intense group of new surgical interns that he’s ever come across in his long medical career. Here’s how he described them: “Hot-headed, stubborn. They think they know everything. You can only give them so much rope before they hang themselves with it. They lose all rationality, they won’t listen to reason.”

Personality… good and kind, but strict. Preston keeps himself (and his interns) under close watch at all times. He’s not always the easiest person to be, or be with, but he is steady and even noble at times.