Patrick Dempsey

Dempsey was married to actress, manager, and acting coach Rochelle "Rocky" Parker from 1987 to 1994. He has been married to makeup artist Jillian Fink since 1999, and they have three children: daughter Tallulah and twin sons Darby Galen and Sullivan Patrick. Fink filed for divorce in 2015, and the couple reconciled later that year before calling off the divorce in 2016.

Dempsey was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 12. He has said that he memorizes his lines, including material for auditions, because of the condition.

Before becoming an actor, Dempsey toured as a juggler and magician. As a teenager, he placed second in the junior category at the 1981 International Jugglers' Association Championship. At 17, he successfully auditioned for the stage production of Torch Song Trilogy, beginning a period of touring theater work. He later appeared in Brighton Beach Memoirs, On Golden Pond, and an off-Broadway revival of The Subject Was Roses with John Mahoney and Dana Ivey.

His early film roles included Heaven Help Us, Meatballs III: Summer Job, Can't Buy Me Love, Some Girls, In the Mood, Loverboy, and Happy Together. His performance as Ronald Miller in Can't Buy Me Love helped establish him as a teen heartthrob, while Loverboy further connected him with romantic comedy audiences.

Dempsey moved into television during the 1990s, appearing in productions including JFK: Reckless Youth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Will & Grace, and Once and Again. In Once and Again, he played Aaron Brooks, a role that earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2001.

He also portrayed Meyer Lansky in the 1991 film Mobsters, played Detective Kincaid in Scream 3, and appeared in the HBO production Iron Jawed Angels opposite Hilary Swank and Anjelica Huston. Dempsey later reunited with Swank in Freedom Writers.

In 2005, Dempsey began playing Dr. Derek Shepherd on ABC's medical drama Grey's Anatomy. The character, known as "Dr. McDreamy," was a neurosurgeon whose relationship with Dr. Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo, became one of the show's central storylines. Dempsey also played Shepherd in two episodes of the spin-off series Private Practice.

His performance brought Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations, along with a Screen Actors Guild Award for ensemble performance and People's Choice Awards recognition. He left Grey's Anatomy in 2015 after more than a decade on the series, then returned as Derek Shepherd in the opening of season 17 in 2020.

Dempsey expanded his film work with Robert Philip in Disney's Enchanted and later reprised the role in Disenchanted. His other notable film roles include Andrew Hennings in Sweet Home Alabama, Tom Bailey in Made of Honor, Harrison Copeland in Valentine's Day, Dylan Gould in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Jack Qwant in Bridget Jones's Baby, Sheriff Eric Newlon in Thanksgiving, and racing driver Piero Taruffi in Ferrari.

He played Harry Quebert in The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair and Dominic Morgan in the financial thriller series Devils. He also portrayed police captain Aaron Spencer in Dexter: Original Sin and Angelo Doyle in the Fox crime drama Memory of a Killer. Dempsey served as a producer on projects including Flypaper, The Art of Racing in the Rain, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, and Ways & Means.

Dempsey has competed in sports-car racing events including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Rolex 24 at Daytona, as well as the Baja 1000 off-road race. He formed Dempsey Racing and also co-owned the Vision Racing IndyCar Series team. His racing activities have included the Rolex Sports Car Series, the American Le Mans Series, the United SportsCar Championship, and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

At the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, he finished ninth in the GT2 class with Team Seattle and Advanced Engineering. He returned in 2013 and 2014, then finished second in class at the 2015 race with Dempsey-Proton Racing. In the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship, he recorded a class win and finished sixth in the season standings.

After his mother Amanda's repeated battles with cancer, Dempsey helped establish the Patrick Dempsey Center at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. He introduced the first Dempsey Challenge in 2009, an event that brought together cyclists, runners, and walkers to raise funds for the cancer center.

The Dempsey Challenge became an annual October event in the Lewiston-Auburn area. Dempsey received honorary doctorates from Bowdoin College and Bates College for his philanthropic work, and in 2023 he helped raise funds for families affected by the Lewiston shooting.