Patrick Dempsey, whose filmography includes a lot of both successful and not very film works, is known to most viewers by the role of Dr. Shepard in the popular series “Anatomy of Passion”. Today we offer a closer acquaintance with this actor, having learned both about the details of his career and about the details of his personal life.
Patrick Dempsey: biography
A future Hollywood celebrity was born on January 13, 1966 in the American city of Lewiston, located in the state of Maine. He was the youngest child, all in all, the family had three children. Patrick's father, William, worked as an insurance agent, and his mother, Amanda, worked as a school administrator. The parents of the future actor were descendants of emigrants from Ireland, in connection with which they constantly maintained contact with their historical homeland. For the rest, the Dempsey family was no different from their American neighbors.
Childhood
Patrick Dempsey was the most ordinary child. However, due to the dyslexia diagnosed in him, which prevented him from concentrating on reading and writing, he did not study very well at school. But the boy was more than compensated for the gap in his studies by his success in sports. From an early age he began to engage in cycling and skiing. In these disciplines, he was able to achieve impressive results, thanks to which the coaches often distinguished Dempsey from other guys.
The first manifestations of talent
In addition to sporting achievements, Patrick Dempsey became famous for his juggling abilities. He even managed to become the winner of the national circus arts championship. Oddly enough, but it was the young man’s talent for virtuoso handling of pins that prompted him for the first time to think about popularity and fame.
The beginning of an acting career
Patrick decided to go to New York to take part in several competitions organized for gifted youth. Here Dempsey even got his own agent. Things were going pretty well. But once Patrick decided to quit and start an actor’s career. Thanks to the efforts of his agent, he was able to get a role in one of the youth theater productions, and, to everyone's amazement, he turned out to be very talented and in a completely new profession for himself. Subsequently, Dempsey toured extensively throughout the country. With this, the actor began a rather long journey to the heights of Hollywood.
Patrick Dempsey: filmography, the beginning of a film career
The first appearance of the actor on the big screen took place in 1985. Patrick Dempsey got a cameo in the film “May Heaven Help Us”. This was followed by participation in several little-known and not particularly successful series. However, after a few years, actor Patrick Dempsey managed to find for himself a truly successful role in an excellent movie, starring in the Canadian melodrama Meatballs-3. He played the main character perfectly, and his name was quickly remembered by filmmakers from North America. This was followed by the main roles in such films as “Some Girls”, “Love Cannot Be Purchased”, “Hero-Lover”, “Under the Mood” and others. All films with Patrick Dempsey of these years are comedies and melodramas. He fit into these genres very organically, thanks to which his acting career was certainly accompanied by success.
Role change
After some time, Patrick Dempsey became weighed down by his commitment to the chosen genres. It seemed to him that he was locked within one role. In this regard, the actor made several attempts to change the situation. So, in 1990, he played the main character in the action movie "Run". Then Patrick, along with Christian Slater, took part in the filming of the criminal picture "Gangsters." The actor later played the role of President Kennedy in the drama Reckless Youth. This experience allowed Dempsey to regain confidence in his own abilities and again begin to positively perceive participation in melodramas.
So, in the 90s, Patrick starred in films of various genres. He was remembered by the viewer for his roles not only in dramas and comedies, but also in action films and even erotic films. The actor’s popularity grew rapidly, and very soon the young man became a real star of film and television.
Continuation of a career, awards, participation in the project “Anatomy of Passion”
For the first time, Patrick Dempsey was nominated for the prestigious Emmy Award in 2001 for the role of the mentally handicapped brother of one of the heroines of the popular TV series Again and Again. However, then another actor was awarded. But Patrick did not have to complain, because his career was already developing more than successfully. So, in the early 2000s, Dempsey shone in such films as The Imperial Club, Scream 3, Stylish Little, as well as in other large films.
Participation in each of the projects was significant in the actor’s career, but the role in the series “Passion Anatomy”, where Patrick played Dr. Derek Shepard, was a truly turning point. This work in the blink of an eye made Dempsey a real superstar on American television. For his role, he was awarded the United States Screen Actors Guild Award, and was also repeatedly awarded with prestigious nominations.
Patrick Dempsey's career today
In recent years, without interrupting his participation in the "Anatomy of Passion", Patrick starred in many other popular and successful projects. These include the films “Friend of the Bride,” “Enchanted,” and “Writers of Freedom.” The actor also played one of the roles in the blockbuster Transformers-3. Dark side of the Moon". This year, it is expected to be released on the screens of the continuation of the film Enchanted and the comedy Beautiful Today, where Amanda Seyfred made up the company on the set. Also in 2014, the tenth season of “Anatomy of Passion” will see the light, where Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey have successfully played the role of doctors and part-time spouses Meredith Gray and Derek Shepard for many years.
Personal life
In 1987, at the age of 21, Patrick married Rocky Parker, the mother of his best friend. She was 19 years older than her young spouse. Thus, Dempsey repeated the fate of the hero he played from the movie "Under the Mood". This marriage lasted 7 years, after which the couple decided to break up.
In 1999, Dempsey married a second time. His chosen one was a stylist and manager named Gillian Fink. Patrick Dempsey and his wife live in Malibu and raise three joint children: the daughter Tallulu (born in 2002) and the twin sons Darby Gaden and Sillivan Patrick (born in 2007). The actor also owns homes in Texas and in his native Maine.
Interesting Facts
Due to congenital dyslexia, Patrick Dempsey is forced to memorize all role texts, including for castings and auditions. The actor himself speaks of his illness as an additional incentive that made him work hard to achieve his goals.
Patrick's main hobby is car racing. So, he was driving one of the safety cars during the famous Indianopolis 500 race. Also, the actor took part in the 24th race in Daytona. Dempsey is one of the co-owners of racing teams such as Vision Racing (IndyCar Championship), as well as Dempsey Racing (GRAND-AM Rolex). He himself is also not averse to driving a GT class car. But a similar opportunity falls to Patrick only in his free time from filming. So, in 2009, he managed to achieve a good result, taking the ninth position in his class in the legendary race “24 hours of Le Mans”.
Patrick Dempsey is actively acting in commercials. So, he was the face of the automobile brand Mazda, the cosmetics corporation L'Oreal, the fashion house Versace, the insurance company State Farm Insurance and the manufacturer of sunglasses Serengeti. Also in collaboration with Avon in 2008, the actor released his own Unscripted perfume. He was very popular, and therefore a year later it was decided to create a new fragrance Patrick Dempsey 2.
The actor’s mother was diagnosed with cancer in 1997. She was forced to undergo a long course of treatment and twice coped with relapses of the disease. In order to support her, as well as other patients with this terrible diagnosis, the actor founded the Patrick Dempsey Center on the basis of the hometown clinic. In 2009, he organized a charity race in Maine, in which more than 3,500 pedestrians, runners and cyclists took part. During the event, the anti-cancer center raised over one million dollars. Such success was seriously inspired by Patrick and the medical staff of the hospital. In this regard, it was decided to hold a similar event every year in order not only to raise money for the center, but also to draw public attention to such a serious disease as cancer, from which tens of thousands of people die every year around the world.