Who Plays Link’s Mom on ‘Grey’s Anatomy'? All About the Long-Time Actor

As one of the longest-running television hits of all-time, ABC’s perennial hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy has had dozens of characters throughout the show’s 21 seasons — including a veteran actor who plays the mother of Dr. Atticus Lincoln.

Premiering in March 2005, Grey’s Anatomy quickly became a ratings juggernaut and a fan favorite, as viewers instantly connected to the interweaving relationships between the doctors at Seattle Grace Hospital.

Maureen Lincoln is portrayed by actor Bess Armstrong, who has been acting for over 40 years in a variety of film and television projects, including her memorable role as Angela Chase’s mother on the '90s cult classic series, My So-Called Life.

She began her role as Maureen Lincoln six years ago in 2019 and has appeared in a total of four episodes since then through 2025.

In an in-depth interview with Medium in August 2022, Bess got candid about her journey in Hollywood and offered advice to the next generation of actors. “Only go into this business if you can’t imagine yourself doing anything else and being happy because it will break your heart over and over again,” she said.

“But if you do go into it, plan to fail often, and fail better. Don’t take rejection and failure personally; just because you don’t get a role, doesn’t mean you’re not good at your craft. If you’re really lucky, for every 50 roles you audition for, you’re going to get one. That’s just the nature of what we do,” Bess continued.

She continued, speaking about the differences between the industry when she began in comparison to now. “I’ve been doing this for a long time. The world has changed a lot, and so has our business. I mean, there were only three networks when I began, and television and features were two separate worlds,” Bess told the outlet.

“That sure has changed! One huge positive change has been the increase in diversity,” she added. “I’m embarrassed and sad to think of how unaware we were decades ago about how underrepresented people of color were in our industry. I applaud that change. I think that women over 50 — maybe even 40 — are still discriminated against. I’m waiting for that to change but not holding my breath.”

Speaking with Deadline, series executive producer and showrunner, Meg Marinis, shared a bit of insight into the couple’s nuptials, including the idea that Jo could have potentially given birth on her wedding day.

“Based on where she was in her pregnancy, those babies would be in trouble medically because of where we’ve said on the air where she is,” Meg said of deciding against Jo giving birth on her wedding day. “We’re not against telling stories of babies needing to stay in the NICU to let their lungs develop. But I didn’t know if I wanted to tell a story, with the wedding at the same time, of, 20-something week-ers.”