| Patrick Dempsey | ||||||
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 Patrick Dempsey |
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| Birth name | Patrick Galen Dempsey | |||||
| Born | January 13 1966 Lewiston, Maine, U.S. |
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| Spouse(s) | Jillian Fink Dempsey (1999-present) Rocky Parker (1987-1994) |
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Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is a Golden Globe Award-nominated American actor who first became prominent in Hollywood during the late 1980s. He is also known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd (Dr. McDreamy) on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. During the 2000s, he also appeared in several film roles, including The Emperor's Club, Freedom Writers and Enchanted.
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Early life
Dempsey, an Irish American,[1] was born in Lewiston, Maine and grew up in Turner, Maine, the youngest of three children born to Amanda and William Dempsey, an insurance agent.[2] Dempsey attended St. Dominic Regional High School for his senior year, 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.[3] Dempsey also spent some of his school years in the town of Buckfield, Maine, where he attended Buckfield High School in the MSAD (Maine School Administrative District) #39 for his freshman through junior years. His mother was secretary to the high school principal there and still resides in the area.
Career
Early career
Dempsey was discovered by an agent and invited to audition for a role in the stage production of Torch Song Trilogy. His audition was successful, and he spent the following four months touring with the company in San Francisco. Dempsey also appeared on MTV on a show Overnight Success by Teri DeSario, where he dances and juggles. 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 with Beverly D'Angelo in the movie In The Mood, the real life WW2 story about Ellsworth Wisecarver who had relationships with older married women which created a national uproar. This was followed by 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 and Happy Together with actress Helen Slater. Although the teen comedy and romance roles led to Dempsey being somewhat typecast for a time, he was able to avoid playing the same character as his career progressed.
1990s & early 2000s
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. However he received good rewievs as he portraided real-life Mob boss, Meyer Lansky in 1991, when Mobsters were put on the screen. His first major television role in tv series 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. In 1993 he starred as John F. Kennedy in the straight to television film JFK: Reckless Youth. 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. He also had a role as Detective Kincaid on Scream 3. Dempsey's most recent roles include the 2007 Disney film Enchanted, and the Paramount Pictures film Freedom Writers where he reunites with his Iron Jawed Angels co-star Hilary Swank. He also voiced the character Kenai in Brother Bear 2 .
Grey's Anatomy
Dempsey has received significant 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. Gregory House on another medical show, House. Initially a midseason replacement, the show was very well received and has become a highly rated program. Media attention has been focused on Dempsey's character Derek, often referred to as "McDreamy," for his sex appeal, and the character's romance with intern Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo). The intense media attention has included coverage of 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 Washington referring to T.R. Knight as a "faggot."[4] Dempsey was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama at the 2007 Golden Globes for the role. In 2006 Dempsey signed a contract with ABC raising his salary to $200,000 per episode. His success on the show has led to him becoming a spokesman for Mazda.
Personal life
Dempsey has been married twice. From 1987 to 1994, he was married to actress and acting coach Rochelle "Rocky" Parker, who appeared with Dempsey in the film In the Mood. At the time of their marriage, Dempsey was 21 years old, while Parker was 48, with a son, Corey Parker, who was one year Dempsey's senior. Dempsey remarried on July 31, 1999; his second wife is noted make-up artist and founder of Delux Beauty, Jillian Fink Dempsey. The couple have three children: a daughter, Tallulah Fyfe, born in January 2002, and twin boys Darby Galen and Sullivan Patrick, born on February 1, 2007.[5] Dempsey enjoys racecar driving in his spare time, participating in the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the Indianapolis 500, and the Rolex 24 at Daytona, among other events. He is currently the co-owner of IndyCar Series team Vision Racing.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Made of Honor | Tom | |
| 2007 | Enchanted | Robert Philip | |
| Freedom Writers | Scott Casey | ||
| 2006 | Brother Bear 2 | Kenai | voice only |
| 2004 | Iron Jawed Angels | Ben Weissman | |
| 2003 | Lucky 7 | Peter Connor | |
| 2002 | Sweet Home Alabama | Andrew Hennings | |
| 2001 | Blonde | Cass Chaplin | |
| 2000 | Scream 3 | Det. Mark Kincaid | |
| 1998 | Jeremiah | ||
| Denial | Sam | ||
| 1997 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (TV-Movie) | Pierre Arronax | |
| 1995 | Outbreak | Jimbo Scott | |
| Bloodknot | Tom | ||
| 1994 | With Honors | Everett Calloway | |
| Ava's Magical Adventure | Jeffrey | ||
| 1993 | John F. Kennedy | ||
| 1992 | Say I Do | ||
| 1991 | Mobsters | Meyer Lansky | |
| Run | Charlie Farrow | ||
| 1990 | Coupe de Ville | Robert 'Bobby' Libner | |
| 1989 | Loverboy | Randy Bodek | |
| Happy Together | Christopher Wooden | ||
| 1988 | Some Girls | Micheal | |
| In a Shallow Grave | Daventry | ||
| 1987 | Can't Buy Me Love | Ronald Miller | |
| In the Mood | Ellsworth 'Sonny' Wisecarver | ||
| 1986 | Rudy | ||
| A Fighting Choice | Kellin Taylor | ||
| Fast Times (TV Series) | Mike Damone | ||
| 1985 | The Stuff | Underground Stuff buyer #2 | |
| Heaven Help Us | Corbet |
References
- ^ 100 Top Irish-Americans!!!. Rincenatiarna (2006-03-17). Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
- ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/72/Patrick-Dempsey.html
- ^ 1981 Juniors Championship of the International Jugglers' Association (IJA), http://juggle.org/history/champs1981.php
- ^ http://www.etonline.com/tv/news/37424/
- ^ http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20009324,00.html
