Dawn Bailey-Grimes: Scott Grimes’ First Wife, Children, and Family Story
Dawn Bailey-Grimes is Scott Grimes’ first wife and the mother of their two children, Madison and Jackson Richard. They married on May 5, 1997, raised their family during a major stretch of Scott’s television career, and were divorced by 2007. After the split, they shared custody and lived only a few blocks apart, keeping both children close to each parent.
In this article, you’ll learn about Dawn Bailey-Grimes’ marriage to Scott Grimes, their children Madison and Jackson, the family years that overlapped with Party of Five, Band of Brothers, ER, and American Dad!, and the close co-parenting setup Scott later described. It’s a simple, family-centered look at the years behind some of his best-known work.
Her Marriage to Scott Grimes Began in 1997
Dawn Bailey-Grimes married Scott Grimes on May 5, 1997. At the time, Scott was already an experienced actor. He had started working on screen as a child and was then appearing as Will McCorkle on Party of Five.
The marriage began before several of his best-known adult roles. Scott later played Donald Malarkey in HBO’s Band of Brothers, joined ER as Dr. Archie Morris, and became the voice of Steve Smith on American Dad!.
The couple’s family was growing while his career was changing quickly. Their marriage covered about a decade of television work, parenting, and daily family life, including the years when some of his best-known adult roles arrived.
Their Daughter Madison Arrived in 1999
The couple welcomed their first child, Madison, in 1999. She was born about two years after her parents married.
Madison grew up during a busy time in her father’s career. Party of Five was still on television when she was young, and Band of Brothers followed soon after.
UPI later identified Madison as one of the two children Scott shares with Dawn Bailey-Grimes. In a 2019 report, the outlet listed Madison as 19 and her brother Jackson as 17.
Madison had a few screen credits when she was younger, but she did not build the same long public career as her father. Most later coverage mentions her as part of the Grimes family rather than as a full-time performer.
Jackson Richard Joined the Family in 2001
Their second child, Jackson Richard, was born in 2001. His arrival came during the same year Band of Brothers premiered.
Scott played Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey in the HBO miniseries. The role became one of the projects most often linked to his career.
At home, the family now had two young children. That made Dawn Bailey-Grimes part of a very different side of his life from the work viewers saw on television.
Jackson has stayed even farther from entertainment coverage than his sister. He is mainly mentioned in family profiles and reports about Scott.
A Busy TV Career Ran Alongside Family Life
The marriage covered one of the most active periods of Scott’s career.
Party of Five ran through 2000. Band of Brothers premiered in 2001. Scott joined ER in 2003 and stayed on the medical drama for years. In 2005, he began voicing Steve Smith on American Dad!.
Those roles came one after another while Madison and Jackson were still young.
For Dawn Bailey-Grimes, this was the main shape of family life during the marriage. Her former husband worked in television, film, music, and voice acting while they raised two children.
She did appear with him at public events from time to time. Even so, she did not turn those appearances into her own entertainment career.
The Marriage Ended by 2007
By November 2007, Dawn and Scott were divorced.
A Ventura County Star interview with Scott from that month gave a close look at their family setup after the marriage ended. The story focused mainly on his role in ER, but it also described his home life.
Scott was living in Woodland Hills, California. He had shared custody of Madison and Jackson, and Dawn lived only a few blocks away.
That arrangement kept both parents close to the children. Scott even said he would have preferred for the two homes to be across the street from each other if that had been possible.
The comment says a lot about the way they handled parenting after the split. The marriage was over, but the children still needed both homes to work together.
Co-Parenting Stayed Close to Home
The 2007 interview described an ordinary morning in Scott’s house. He was doing chores and trying not to wake the children.
It was a small scene, but it showed how different his home life was from his TV work. He could spend the week filming ER and still return to school-age children, housework, and a shared-custody schedule.
Dawn Bailey-Grimes living nearby made that routine easier.
The two children could move between parents without long drives or major travel. Scott’s wish that Dawn lived even closer also showed that practical family life mattered more than distance after the divorce.
The nearby homes gave Madison and Jackson a practical way to stay connected to both parents. The marriage had ended, but family life continued through shared custody and two households in the same area.
Madison and Jackson Remained Their Shared Link
After the divorce, Madison and Jackson remained the clear link between Dawn and Scott.
Scott continued working and later entered other relationships. He married Megan Moore in 2011. Years later, his relationship and marriage with The Orville co-star Adrianne Palicki also drew media attention.
Dawn Bailey-Grimes did not move into that same public cycle. Her name still appeared when reports discussed Scott’s family and his two older children.
In 2019, UPI again identified Dawn as the mother of Madison and Jackson while covering Scott’s engagement to Palicki.
That detail shows why people still search for her. Scott’s career kept bringing new viewers to his work. Each new show or public relationship led some fans back to his earlier family life.
Dawn Was Part of the Party of Five and ER Years
When Dawn and Scott married, Party of Five was one of the shows most closely tied to his name. He played Will McCorkle throughout the series.
By the time the marriage ended, ER had become another major part of his career.
The Ventura County Star reported in 2007 that what began as a one-episode ER role had grown into years on the series. Scott’s character, Archie Morris, developed from comic relief into a more important doctor on the show.
That professional growth happened while Dawn Bailey-Grimes was raising Madison and Jackson with him.
Their marriage stretched from the later Party of Five years into the period when ER became a major part of Scott’s career. At the same time, Dawn and Scott were raising Madison and Jackson.
Band of Brothers Added Another Major Chapter
Band of Brothers premiered in 2001, the same year Jackson was born.
The HBO miniseries became one of the most praised projects of its era. Scott’s role as Donald Malarkey also introduced him to viewers who may not have watched Party of Five.
For the family, 2001 was therefore a year with two very different milestones. One happened on screen. The other happened at home.
Public attention followed Scott’s work, while Dawn’s days were tied to the family they were building at the same time. The premiere and Jackson’s birth placed those two sides of life unusually close together.
The Family Connection Continued After Hollywood Headlines Changed
Scott’s later career reached new audiences through American Dad!, The Orville, and other projects.
As that happened, his personal life also changed. New relationships drew new headlines, but Dawn remained part of the earlier family story.
She is the woman he married before Band of Brothers and ER became major parts of his adult career. She is also the mother of his two children.
That place in the timeline has not changed, even as Scott’s career and later relationships moved forward.
Why People Still Search for Dawn Bailey-Grimes
Search interest usually starts with Scott Grimes.
Some people know him from Party of Five. Others know him from Band of Brothers, ER, American Dad!, or The Orville.
Once readers look at his family, Dawn Bailey-Grimes appears early. Their 1997 marriage came before many of his best-known adult roles, and they had two children together.
Her story is rooted in the family chapter that ran beside Scott’s work. The marriage, the births of Madison and Jackson, and the later shared-custody arrangement form the main timeline.
They married, became parents, and later shared custody while living only blocks apart. That gives the story a clear beginning, middle, and change after divorce.
Life After the Divorce Stayed Low-Key
After the marriage ended, Dawn did not become a regular figure in entertainment news.
Scott remained public because acting was his job. He kept appearing in television and film and continued recording voice work.
Dawn Bailey-Grimes followed a quieter path. Current mainstream coverage still mentions her mainly in connection with Madison and Jackson.
Her place in the family story is clear. She shared nearly a decade of marriage with Scott, raised two children with him, and stayed close enough after the divorce for shared parenting to work in daily life.
Her Place in the Grimes Family Story
Dawn Bailey-Grimes was part of Scott Grimes’ life during a major period of growth.
They married in 1997. Madison arrived in 1999. Jackson followed in 2001. By 2007, the marriage had ended, but both parents stayed close to their children.
Scott’s work kept changing. Party of Five gave way to Band of Brothers, ER, American Dad!, and later projects. The family connection stayed much simpler.
For readers trying to understand who Dawn is, that is the heart of the story. She is Scott Grimes’ first wife and the mother of Madison and Jackson. Their marriage covered an important part of his career, and their co-parenting setup kept family life close even after the relationship ended.
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