Patrick Dempsey

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Biography

Recent Role:
Dr. Derek Shepherd on Private Practice
Gender:
Male
Born:
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 ReeseMore 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.

From the Forums

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  • Patrick Dempsey Quips and Quotes

    TV.com has set a ceiling on the number of quotes that can be submitted to an editorless guide to ten (10). I've set mine to fifteen (15). If you think your potential quote submission is more interesting and/or more up-to-date, PM me first before replacing any existing quote on the guide. More I've transferred some of the excess quotes from the Quotes Section of the guide. Please feel free to add on quotes to this thread. Patrick : (talking about his twin boys before they were born) We have names for them, but we're not telling anyone, because usually, someone has an association with the name that you pick. It's a dog or a cat, or an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend that they don't like anymore, so it certainly ruins the whole thing for you. But Apple is a good name. It's fresh. It's crunchy. I'm sorry, that was very rude of me. But fruits are good names. Like Banana. Banana and Peach! I'm just testing the waters here to get a reaction. Patrick : I'm just enjoying life more than I ever have. I've worked hard to get to this point in my relationship and my career. I understand how fortunate we are to have the phenomenon that's happening with Grey's Anatomy . I'm trying to enjoy the moment while it's here and be able to provide for my family so that I can step away and enjoy raising them away from all this. For me, being a dad is the meaning of life. Patrick : (on his wedding ceremony) There was no big disaster. We just had the photographers. They got really drunk and gave us one picture from the whole experience. But we gave everybody Instamatic Cameras and those were some of the best shots. We had a great time. Patrick : (on his popularity affecting his wife) If someone acts inappropriately or suggestively towards me, it grates on her. I mean, I'm a married man and the last thing you need in that situation is to be considered a sexy individual. I'm trying to just have a calm family life, to make my marriage work. Patrick : (on racing) It's a very Zen experience. You're so in the moment. For me, it's the only place where I really can relax and calm down. Patrick : (about opening a center for cancer patients in Maine) Celebrity in itself is not that fabulous, but if you can use it to help make a change, it's great. Maine is part of the core of who I am, and I want to give back to that community. My mom is not a person who talks about her feelings a lot, but I think she's quietly very proud of me. Patrick : (endorsing his new fragrance from Avon) At the heart of Unscripted is the idea of living your life on your own terms, and not by a written script. It's about loving what you do, and doing it in your own unique way, rather than being defined by rules. Patrick : (on his good looks) I look in the mirror and wonder what they're all seeing. If anything, I see what I don't like about my face.

    2 comments, last one Dec 2, 2009
  • Person Submission Guidelines

    Kindly read these Person Submission Guidelines prior to submission. Thanks.

    1 comments, last one Jun 17, 2009
  • Patrick

    I've only got one thing to say: "DOCTOR MCDREAMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    22 comments, last one Sep 23, 2008
  • What do you love most of Patrick?

    well, i really love his eyes...=3 they could say more than words do..

    5 comments, last one Aug 30, 2008
  • Patrick Dempsey

    The Rolex 24 At Daytona is attracting racing stars from across the world to compete in the Jan. 26-27 twice-round-the-clock sports car challenge. But the kickoff event to the international motorsports calendar is also attracting a star from Hollywood -- actor Patrick Dempsey, the star of the hitMore ABC show "Grey's Anatomy." http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/news/rolex_24_at_daytona/542957.html http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/news/rolex_24_at_daytona/

    3 comments, last one Dec 31, 2007
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Patrick Dempsey News

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    4 Poor
    Summary: I think Patrick Dempsey is okay, but nothing to get excited about. hide show

    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.

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    10 Perfect
    klinssan hide show

    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!

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    9 Superb
    Best looking character on the show hide show

    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.

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    10 Perfect
    Oh my Dempsey, this man is amazing. hide show

    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.

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    10 Perfect
    I wish he was for real hide show

    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!!!!!!!

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