Patrick Dempsey who plays handsome Dr. Derek Shepherd on ABC’s hit show “Grey’s Anatomy” is getting ready to be a daddy again. Dempsey and wife Jillian (already the parents of four-year-old Tallula Fyfe) are expecting their second child.
Jillian is Dempsey’s second wife. He married his first wife, Rocky Parker in 1987, when he was 21 and she was 48. With that marriage, he became the stepfather to his best friend Corey Parker, who is a year older than him. Dempsey and Parker divorced in 1994. He met Jillian in 1994 at her hair salon and the two were married in 1999.
Even though Dempsey is now best known now for his role in “Grey’s Anatomy,” he has been in showbiz for years. His breakout role was in 1987’s Can’t Buy Me Love as Ronald, the high school nerd who pays a cheerleader to date him in an attempt to gain popularity. That role, in addition to 1989’s Loverboy, made a 80s heartthrob out of Dempsey, but it was short lived. After suffering through roles in Coupe de Ville, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!,Bank Robber , and Hugo Pool, he had a comeback role in Sweet Home Alabama that garnered him recognition as Reese Witherspoon’s fiancé.
For his role on “Grey’s Anatomy,” Dempsey has earned nominations for both a Screen Actors Guild award and a Golden Globe award. The third season of “Grey’s Anatomy” premieres on September 21. It seems that a doctor role was inevitable for Dempsey. Before he got the role of Dr. Shepherd, he auditioned for the role of Dr. Robert Chase on “House, M.D.”
Patrick Dempsey Quick Facts:
Dempsey drove a Panoz GTS racecar in the 2004 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
He likes to collect antiques and also enjoys remodeling homes.
He has tried his hand at directing, having directed 1994’s Ava’s Magical Adventure.