Patrick Dempsey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Patrick Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor. He first became prominent in Hollywood during the late 1980s and is also known for his role on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Dempsey was born in Lewiston, Maine and grew up in Turner, Maine, the youngest of three children born to Amanda and William Dempsey. Dempsey attended St. Dominic Regional High School, where his mother worked as a secretary, but dropped out before he graduated. He was an adept juggler, tying for second in a National Juggling Competition. He once said that as a child, one of his main ambitions was to be a supermodel.
[edit] Career
Dempsey was discovered by an agent and invited to audition for a role in the stage production of "Torch Song Trilogy." Dempsey's audition was successful, and he spent the following four months touring with the company in San Francisco. He followed this with another tour, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," in the lead role, which was directed by Gene Saks. Dempsey has also made notable appearances in the stage productions of "On Golden Pond", with the Maine Acting Company, and "The Subject was Roses", which showed at the Roundabout Theatre in New York.
Dempsey's first major feature film role was at age 21 in the teen comedy Can't Buy Me Love in 1987 with actress Amanda Peterson. In 1989, he had the lead role in the film Loverboy with actress Kirstie Alley. Although the teen comedy and romance roles led to Dempsey being somewhat typecast for a time, he continued to be featured in film and television roles throughout the 1990s. Dempsey made a number of featured appearances in television in the 1990s; he was cast several times in pilots that were not picked up for a full season, including lead roles in the TV versions of the films The Player and About A Boy. His first major television role was a recurring role as Will's closeted sportscaster boyfriend on Will & Grace. He went on to play the role of Aaron Brooks, Sela Ward's psychologically unbalanced brother, on Once & Again. Dempsey received an Emmy nomination in 2001 as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for the role of Aaron. In 2004 he co-starred in the highly acclaimed HBO production, Iron Jawed Angels, opposite Hilary Swank and Anjelica Huston.
Dempsey had a high-profile role as one of the suitors for Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama. Dempsey's most recent roles include the 2007 Disney film, Enchanted. He is also lending his voice for the main character in Brother Bear 2. Dempsey has received signficant public attention for his role as Dr. Derek Shepherd in the drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to landing the role of Derek Shepherd, Dempsey auditioned for the role of Dr. Robert Chase on another medical show, House. Initially a midseason replacement, the show has become a highly rated program. Media attention has been focused on Dempsey's character Derek, often referred to as "McDreamy", and the character's romance with intern Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo).
The intense media attention appears to have led to some backstage friction. News reports surfaced in October 2006 that Dempsey was involved in an argument with co-star Isaiah Washington that appears to have become a physical altercation. News reports have also stated that this argument may have been initiated over an anti-gay slur directed at T.R. Knight.[1]
[edit] Personal life
Dempsey has been married twice. From 1987 to 1994, he was married to actress Rocky Parker. When the couple married, much was made in the media of the age difference between the two (and its parallels to Dempsey's film "Loverboy"); at the time, Dempsey was 21 years old, while Parker was 48. Because of the age difference in his first marriage, his stepson Corey Parker was actually one year his senior. The two remain friends.
Dempsey remarried on July 31, 1999; his second wife is noted make-up artist and founder of Delux Beauty, Jillian Fink Dempsey. The couple has one child, a daughter named Tallulah Fyfe, born in January 2002. In September, 2006, it was announced that Jillian is pregnant. When Dempsey appeared on the show Live With Regis and Kelly on September 19, 2006, he revealed that he and his wife are having twin boys.
Dempsey enjoys racecar driving in his spare time. On June 27, 2004, he participated in race #2 of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, driving a Panoz GTS race car. In 2007 he will race in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
[edit] Selected filmography
- Meatballs III: Summer Job (1986)
- Can't Buy Me Love (1987)
- Mobsters (1991)
- Run (1991)
- Face The Music (1993)
- With Honors (1994)
- Outbreak (1995)
- Scream 3 (2000)
- Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
- The Emperor's Club (2002)
- Iron Jawed Angels (2004)
- Lucky 7 (2004)
- Brother Bear 2 (2006)
- Freedom Writers (2007)
