Patrick Dempsey is currently the romantically inclined Dr. Derek Shepard on the popular ABC-TV show, "Grey's Anatomy". His portrayal of the dreamboat "Dr. McDreamy" has earned him both a 2006 Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama and a 2006 Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series.

In a year that is proving to be very busy and exciting, Dempsey has signed onto two feature film projects. Having recently wrapped Freedom Writers,he will next star opposite Amy Adams in the Disney film Enchanted.

Dempsey became well known as the unlikely love object of such classic '80s nostalgia films as, Can't Buy Me Love and Loverboy.

His other theatrical credits include, Sweet Home Alabama, Scream 3, With Honors, Outbreak, Hugo Pool, The Treat, The Palace, Thief, Heaven Help Us, Happy Together, Some Girls, Coupe De Ville, and In The Mood.

In television, Dempsey garnered an Emmy nomination in 2001 for his portrayal of Aaron Brooks, Sela Ward's psychologically unbalanced brother in the critically acclaimed television program, Once & Again. In 2003, Dempsey made a memorable guest appearance on NBC's hit show, Will & Grace, as Will's love interest. In 2004, Dempsey co-starred in the acclaimed HBO production, Iron Jawed Angels, opposite Hilary Swank and Anjelica Huston.

Dempsey also starred in the NBC movie based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment opposite Ben Kingsley. He also appeared in the television miniseries, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Michael Caine. He co-starred with Oliver Reed in the biblical epic, Jeremiah. Other television movies and miniseries include JFK: Reckless Youth, A Season in Purgatory, Blood Knot, The Right to Remain Silent, Shallow Grave, and Blonde.

Dempsey was born and raised in Lewiston, Maine. He first appeared onstage as David in the San Francisco production of Torch Song Trilogy. Other early stage work included On Golden Pond for the Maine Acting Company, the international touring production of Brighton Beach Memoirs which was directed by Gene Saks and The Subject Was Roses at the Roundabout Theatre in New York. He recently took the stage in The Pasadena Playhouse run of The Importance of Being Earnest as Algernon Moncrieff.