Grey’s Anatomy Dr. Derek Shepherd: Where is McDreamy Now?
The actor's career seems to be getting back on track.
One of the most popular medical television series, Grey's Anatomy, already has 20 seasons. In 2019, it broke the duration record previously set by ER – 427 episodes against 332. More than three thousand actors have already participated in the show, not many of them are remembered by the viewers, but there is one character who died back in season 11, but is still loved by fans – Dr. Derek Shepherd.
Why Did Patrick Dempsey Leave Grey's Anatomy?
Grey's Anatomy was left without everyone's favorite Dr. Shepherd after Patrick Dempsey had a falling out with showrunner Shonda Rhimes. As it turns out, Dempsey had been complaining about his character's storyline for a long time, implying that he didn't have enough screen time.
The situation was aggravated by the fact that the actor cheated on his wife with one of the assistant producers of Grey's Anatomy. Their affair added to the tension on the set, as many of Dempsey's co-stars knew his wife. Apparently, Rhimes' patience eventually ran out, and Dr. Shepherd tragically died in a car accident.
Patrick Dempsey's Career in the Post-Grey's Anatomy Era
Two years after Grey's Anatomy premiered, Patrick Dempsey was invited to join another medical procedural, the spin-off Private Practice, where he appeared in the second and fifth seasons.
In 2007, Patrick took part in the drama Freedom Writers in an acting duet with Hilary Swank, and a year later he starred in the romantic comedy Made of Honor, in which he played the main character Tom, who is in love with Hannah – Patrick's character decides to confess his love, but unexpectedly learns that Hannah is marrying someone else.
In 2016, the actor appeared in one of the lead roles in the third part of the sequel to the cult romcom Bridget Jones 's Diary, titled Bridget Jones's Baby, where he played one of Bridget's suitors alongside Colin Firth.
Patrick Dempsey's Career Has Taken Off Recently
In recent years, Dempsey has appeared in many major projects. In 2020, the series Devils was released, which tells about a group of traders at a large investment bank who discover a global financial conspiracy. Patrick played one of the main characters, Dominic Morgan. The show lasted two seasons and received high ratings from viewers.
The actor's most recent big-budget project was Michael Mann's biopic Ferrari, released in 2023 and starring Adam Driver. Dempsey played a small but significant role as racing driver Piero Taruffi, and had to completely bleach his black hair for the role.
As fans know, the actor himself is a racer in real life, who even formed his own team, Dempsey Racing.