Patrick Dempsey: Summary

Recent Role:: Himself on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Gender:: Male

Birthday:: 1-13-1966

Birthplace:: Lewiston, Maine, USA

Birth Name:: Patrick Galen Dempsey

For someone whose acting career was at a virtual standstill for about a decade, Patrick Dempsey may hold the bragging rights to having arguably one of the greatest career comeback stories of his time. Famous for starring in the '80s romantic-comedy hits Can't Buy Me Love, Some Girls, Loverboy, and Happy Together, Dempsey found it difficult to move forward from his pigeonholed teenage characters to more mature roles during the '90s. It was only after his appearance opposite Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama (2002) that his fading career was jolted back into life. In 2005, Patrick once again achieved Hollywood heartthrob status as he portrayed the role of Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in the popular medical drama, Grey's Anatomy.

Patrick, who as a child had his difficulties in school, made up for his academic deficiency by focusing his efforts and energy towards other endeavors. As a teen, he engaged and excelled in skiing, unicycle riding, and juggling, the activity which he considers gave him purpose and led him towards the performing arts. During the early 1980s, Dempsey went to New York to enter a talent competition and eventually found himself an agent. His first professional acting job was playing David in the San Francisco production of Torch Song Trilogy. Skipping acting school altogether, he continued with stage acting and toured playing Eugene Jerome in Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs. In 1985, Patrick first appeared on the big screen with Heaven Help Us followed by a slew of "rom-com" flicks in the late 80s and a starring role as Mike Damone on Cameron Crowe's high school comedy Fast Times.

In the 1990s, apart from the film With Honors (1994), where he starred alongside Joe Pesci, Brendan Fraser, and Moira Kelly as the eccentric yet charming playboy Everett Calloway, Patrick never made a significant stride in his movie career. After a long list of unremarkable made-for-TV movie credits, Dempsey decided to return to Maine, where he bought and restored a farm. In 2000, the resurrection of his career began to take form as he was cast as Sela Ward's schizophrenic brother in the ABC family drama Once and Again, which earned him an Emmy nomination in 2001.

He also made multiple appearances on Will & Grace (2001) as a gay customer in the clothing outlet where Jack McFarland worked, and on The Practice (2004) as "wolf-in-sheep's-clothing" doctor on trial for malpractice. The medical coat seemed to suit Dempsey well as his acting career was fully resuscitated on the Fall of 2005 when he landed the role of a lifetime as the brilliant and charismatic Seattle Grace neurosurgeon, Derek Shepherd, on the award-winning series, Grey's Anatomy, where his romantic onscreen relationship with Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) has drawn phenomenal fan support and fame. For someone whose acting career was at a virtual standstill for about a decade, Patrick Dempsey may hold the bragging rights to having arguably one of the greatest career comeback stories of his time. Famous for starring in the '80s romantic-comedy hits Can't Buy Me Love, Some Girls, Loverboy, and Happy Together, Dempsey found it difficult to move...

Welcome to the TV.com Blog for Patrick Dempsey by SYS 01/31/2007 2:28pm

People's Choice Awards - Winners!
On CBS tonight, one of the only award shows which blame can only be put on the viewers aired. I'm talking of course about the People's Choice Awards, and this year's edition may be the most important for the ceremony--it turned 35 years old tonight. Not only is it a birthday, it also is rebounding from last year's writers strike (which left then host Queen Latifah to fend for herself) and is still building upon its change in voting system--in 2005 it went online to let the "people" choose its winners.
- 01/07/09 6:36 PM
- 31 comments
People's Choice Awards nominees announced
The people have spoken, and they love House, Heroes, and American Idol. The 35th Annual People's Choice Awards has revealed its lengthy list of nominees, and it's full of small-screen favorites.
- 11/10/08 4:51 PM
- 54 comments
More Emmy shortlist leakage
Drama leads for both genders posted online; Breaking Bad's Cranston, BSG's McDonnell get their dues.
- 07/02/08 11:19 AM
- 37 comments
Office writers, others explain their side on YouTube
Writer-producers B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein use strike's main point against producers; Grey's stars also protest.
- 11/08/07 10:47 AM
- 40 comments
64th Annual Golden Globe Awards
The winners for the 64th annual Golden Globe Awards have been announced! The Hollywood Foreign Press Association have made their choices, check them out here!
- 12/31/06 11:53 PM
- 516 comments

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evilgenius2009
member since: Jul 25, 2008
Summary: I think Patrick Dempsey is okay, but nothing to get excited about. ...Continue »
Too much of a pretty boy, seems wimpy too. :-/ He appears to have little substance as a performer. I think he's only a mediocre actor, too, and easily typecast - he'll never be able to play a truly vast array of characters like some actors are capable of. I don't see what all the fuss is about for him, honestly... (Sorry, if you're a fan - however, I'm allowed to have an opinion too, you know.) I know he's known as "McDreamy" and all that, but he's not even THAT good looking - he's okay, though I think he's starting to show his age. He also has an indistinct face (he looks like a stereotype). Anyway, I'm sure he's a nice person and everything, but I'm not overwhelmed by any of his performances, thus far.
05/15/09 11:01pm | report abuse
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klinssan
member since: Apr 11, 2009
klinssan ...Continue »
Mmm... McDreamy ! ! ! The brightest star in the anatomy, charming, sexy, unsurpassed! Go around this guy is impossible to pass! It adds beauty to a serial, this male beauty! Patrick really cool guy! In principle, all actors in the Gray's anatomy is great, great people in the excellent series with a remarkable story! Is there a single person who looked at least one series of anatomy, says that serial sludge? I don't think that such people exist. You can start watching any series of any season and will still be interesting, exciting and want to watch TV series from the beginning!
04/15/09 07:48am | report abuse
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ilovemcdreamyxx
member since: Jan 28, 2009
Best looking character on the show ...Continue »
Patrick Dempsey is sooo good on Grey's Anatomy.Can he and Meredith stop fighting and just have a steady relationship! Anyway for those who haven't watched the show Patrick Dempsey plays the wonderful Derek "McDreamy" Sheperd, cardio theurastic surgeon. In the first episode of Season1 Meredith sleeps with him, not knowing that where she will start work the next day at Seattle Grace Hospital Derek also works there, AS HER BOSS! Throughout the seasons they have a steady relationship, Addison comes in and tries to repair her marriage with McDreamy, Meredith and Derek are back together, they are fighting etc, etc. Patrick Dempsey is a fantastic actor being able to portray such a wide variety of emotions. If he dies in Season 5 (and I i know he can't) the ratings would significantly drop as I would say he is one of the main reasons people watch the show. If he did die (which I know he doesn't) or quit surgery or something I wonder what his spinoff would be like (like Private Practice for Addison)? If you haven't watched Grey's before I urge you to as you will thoroughly enjoy the plotlines and characters, especially McDreamy.
02/04/09 11:24pm | report abuse
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mcdempsey
member since: Jan 2, 2008
Oh my Dempsey, this man is amazing. ...Continue »
Patrick Dempsey is an amazing human being. His career took off at an early age and soon after, his dyslexia started to get in the way and was having a difficult time reading his lines. He went through a major (15-years approx) slump and came back on top thanks to ABC's hit show, Grey's Anatomy. He was reborn. And America (and the world for that matter) loved him once again. The hair, the smile, the charm, the eyes... The awesomeness. He's such a great guy and loves his wife and kids so much. And now that he's been able to have the money to start his 2nd career in race car driving, he's only gotten hotter. I completely respect this man because of all the twists and turns life through at him, but he stuck to acting and ended up on top. He's a real role model. And he does it all while looking great.
08/24/08 02:20pm | report abuse
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blu_bubble
member since: Jul 13, 2008
I wish he was for real ...Continue »
I can mainly judge him from the roles he plays... which all show him as the charming person... i adore the way he acts... i mean his smile for one is more than enough and his eye contact which are the most important things for me... i really loved him as McDreamy because he truely relly is... the way his character talks is perfect it's most girls dream to have someone like him that stalks you in that romantic way... and also in enchanted where he turned out to be PRINCE CHARMING... this shows howmuch he is fit to play that character... i only hope he's really that way away from the lights!!!!!!!
07/12/08 03:27pm | report abuse