Monday, January 13, 2014

Favorite Birthday Boy #2 for January 13th:

Patrick Dempsey
From: Favorite Hunks & Other Things
 Although I prefer Justin Chambers and Eric Dane, the still cute Patrick Dempsey turns 48.


 Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver, best known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd ("McDreamy") on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to Grey's Anatomy he made several television appearances and was nominated for an Emmy Award. He has also appeared in several films, including Sweet Home Alabama, Made of Honor, Valentine's Day, Enchanted, With Honors, Flypaper, Freedom Writers, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.


Dempsey, who maintains an exclusive sports and vintage car collection, also enjoys auto racing in his spare time. He has competed in prestigious pro-am events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race, and Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 off-road race. Prior to the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Dempsey declared that he would "walk away" from acting if he could and dedicate himself full-time to motor sports.


Dempsey was born in Lewiston, Maine, and grew up in Buckfield, Maine. His mother, Amanda (née Caisson), was a school secretary, and his father, William, was an insurance salesman. He attended Buckfield High School and St. Dominic Regional High School. He was an adept juggler, tying for second in a national juggling competition. He was also an accomplished skier and while in high school won the Maine state slalom championship.

As a child, Dempsey attended Camp Wekeela located in Hartford, Maine.


Dempsey was diagnosed with dyslexia at age twelve. He told Barbara Walters on her 2008 Oscar special that he thinks dyslexia made him what he is today. "It's given me a perspective of—you have to keep working," Dempsey told Walters. "I have never given up."


 Dempsey was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 12. As a result, it is necessary for him to memorize all his lines in order to perform, even for auditions where he was unlikely to get the part.


Entertainment Weekly put Dempsey's hair on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list," saying, "What made Grey's Anatomy a mega-medi-hit? It could have something to do with creator Shonda Rhimes' scalpel-sharp writing…or McDreamy's impossibly luxurious man hair. Just saying." In 2005, People magazine ranked him second in its annual list of "Sexiest Men Alive" and again in 2006.


At a bankruptcy auction on January 3, 2013, an investment group led by Dempsey had the highest bid of US$9.15 million to buy Tully's Coffee. A bankruptcy court judge approved the deal at the end of January 2013. On June 1, 2013, Dempsey was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Bowdoin College.

 Dempsey has been married twice. In 1987, he married actress and acting coach Rochelle "Rocky" Parker (born February 26, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York), who was also the mother of his best friend (Corey Parker) with an age gap of 26 years. She appeared with Dempsey in the film In the Mood. The couple divorced in 1994.


On July 31, 1999, Dempsey married Jillian Fink. The couple have three children, daughter Tallulah Fyfe (born February 20, 2002) and twins Sullivan Patrick and Darby Galen (born February 1, 2007).


In 1997, Dempsey's mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her cancer has relapsed five times over the past fifteen years. In response to his mother's bouts with cancer, Dempsey helped start the Patrick Dempsey Center at Central Maine Medical Center in his home town of Lewiston, Maine. In October 2009 when Dempsey introduced the first Dempsey Challenge, registration was closed after reaching the goal of 3,500 cyclists, runners and walkers. The event raised more than $1 million for the cancer center. His mother was in the crowd as Dempsey finished his 50-mile ride. The Challenge has since become an annual October event presented by Amgen in the Lewiston–Auburn area.

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