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Patrick Dempsey

Born Patrick Galen Dempsey on Jan. 13, 1966 in Lewiston, to parents Amanda and William Dempsey, Dempsey grew up in Lewiston, attending St. Dominic Regional High School in the nearby town of Auburn.

Surprisingly he was diagnosed with dyslexia as a teenager, Dempsey struggled with the misunderstood learning disability, but managed to shift focus from his weaker subjects to his talent for dance and acting.

He developed his own act and toured with the New England Vaudeville Circuit by age 15. Exhibiting a natural gift for performance, Dempsey won the Talent America Contest in 1981, catching the eye of an agent, who offered to audition the gangly youngster for the San Francisco production of “Torch Song Trilogy.” Portraying the role of David, Dempsey toured with the company for several months.

He went on to perform with the Maine Acting Company in “On Golden Pond” and the international touring production of “Brighton Beach Memoirs.”

Patrick Dempsey succeeded in doing what few former teen stars never manage to do, he disappeared off the radar for several years before reappearing as the resident hunk on one of the most popular TV shows. Almost 20 years after his last role as the lawnmower wannabe lady killer Ronald Miller in “Can’t Buy Me Love” (1987), Dempsey landed the part of Dr. Derek Shepherd  other wise known as Mcdreamy on the huge hit, “Grey’s Anatomy” .

Hitting a career high with this role, Dempsey became a national obsession with females around the world, all of whom agreed that the actor lived up to his infamous moniker, “Dr. McDreamy.”

 
Hoping to break out from his teen idol image, Dempsey began to take on different roles. He portrayed one of three brothers reunited for a cross-country road trip in “Coupe de Ville” (1990); co-starred alongside Christian Slater and Richard Grieco as gangster Meyer Lansky in the horrid mafia flick, “Mobsters” (1991), and portrayed a law student on the run opposite Kelly Preston in the aptly titled, “Run” (1991).

Returning to his roots on the stage, Dempsey made his off-Broadway debut in a production of “The Subject was Roses” at the Roundabout Theatre. He went on to turn in a compelling performance as John F. Kennedy in the ABC miniseries “JFK: Reckless Youth” (1993) and went behind the camera to co-direct the family film, “Ava’s Magical Adventure” (1994) with real-life wife Parker.

Unfortunately, Dempsey’s directorial debut went mostly unnoticed and he and Parker ended their seven-year marriage in 1994. Though Dempsey was able to find regular acting work during this time, the popularity he experienced in his early 20s had dwindled to an almost embarrassed acknowledgement from fans who had naturally moved on the next hunk-of-the-month. His struggle with dyslexia made the process of auditioning even more arduous for the actor.

In the first of his adult-hunk roles, Dempsey surprised many by effectively portraying a closeted sportscaster and love interest to Eric McCormack’s up-tight Will on a three-episode arc of “Will & Grace” (NBC, 1998-2006).

Viewers of both sexes could not help but notice that Dempsey was maturing nicely. Next, he gave a touching performance as Sela Ward’s schizophrenic brother, Aaron on the award-winning ABC drama, “Once and Again” (1999-2002) – a role that earned Dempsey an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. His career on a sudden upswing, he continued to effectively emanate sex appeal as Reese Witherspoon’s fiancé in the big screen romantic comedy, “Sweet Home Alabama” (2002).

In a less showy part, he appeared as Washington Post cartoonist Ben Weissman opposite Hilary Swank and Anjelica Houston in the HBO suffragette drama “Iron Jawed Angels” (2004).

Still hoping to revisit the success he had experienced almost 20 years prior, Dempsey found the break he was looking for in 2005. Up for leads on two network medical dramas (he auditioned for the role of Dr. Gregory House on Fox’s “House,” which later went to Hugh Laurie), Dempsey landed the role of Dr. Derek Shepherd on the midseason hit “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC, 2005- ).

In that rare bit of a luck few former teen idols experience a second time ‘round, Dempsey and his impressive head of hair quickly found himself back in the spotlight and back in the hearts of adoring female fans – some new, some old school torch carriers – this time as he approached age 40.

Portraying the show’s lead Ellen Pompeo’s conflicted love interest, Dempsey’s character was dubbed “McDreamy” on the series, and with good reason. Dempsey’s affecting charm and charismatic performance on “Grey’s” earned him Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series.

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