McDreamy himself is making a major transition from heartthrob to horror hound with Thanksgiving.
Patrick Dempsey was always known for far more than Grey’s Anatomy, of course, but his role as Doctor Derek Shepard will forever be his crowning jewel. He was a staple of the series for a full decade, serving as one of its most important characters from the very start. That’s on top of his plethora of iconic rom-com roles, from the Enchanted series to Sweet Home Alabama and Can’t Buy Me Love, not to mention his genre-crossing appearances in nearly 40 years worth of film and television shows.
Just as important to him as his acting career is Dempsey’s passion for sports cars and racing. He’s participated in quite a few races over the years — even placing high in a few — and his team, Dempsey Racing, boasts some pretty impressive sponsors. He spent a good chunk of the 2010’s dedicating as much time as he could manage to the sport, before stepping back and focusing in on his most important pursuit: his family. He still acts from time to time, of course — and I’m sure he’ll never fully leave racing behind — but Dempsey finds plenty of time, these days, for his wife and kids.
Patrick Dempsey’s kids
Dempsey is in his mid-50s, with nearly four decades of award-winning performances behind him. He was a heartthrob by the early ’90s, in the wake of Can’t Buy Me Love, and that leading man label only stuck more following Sweet Home Alabama. By the time he debuted as McDreamy Dempsey was topping lists of most eligible male celebs — except he wasn’t eligible. The man’s been married since 1999 to the same woman, after spending more than a half decade with his first wife — who was more than twice his age. Its rare you see the predatory Hollywood relationship flipped, but Dempsey is living proof that it happens. Thankfully, following his first marriage, Dempsey found a partner for life.
He’s been married to his current wife, Jillian Fink, since 1999. The pair share three children between them, two boys and a girl. His daughter, Talula Fyfe, was born in 2002, and twin sons, Darby Galen and Sullivan Patrick, in 2007. Those same kids are edging in on adulthood, these days, just in time to celebrate their dad’s new status as 2023’s Sexiest Man Alive.