McDreamy Actor and Race Car Driver – Patrick Dempsey
Have you ever dreamt of becoming a famous actor living in the limelight but then the idea jumping behind the wheel of a Porsche, taking the checkered flag at Le Mans and the glory that goes with it is calling you? Well, Patrick Dempsey has achieved both and continues to prosper in these endeavors. Not since Steve McQueen and Paul Newman have we seen Hollywood actors stepping out of their comfort zone and taking a win at the race track just like a passage from an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.
Born January 13, 1966 in the town of Lewiston, Maine as Patrick Galen Dempsey, he grew up in a devout Irish Catholic family. His mother’s maiden name was Flanagan and three of his four grandparents hailed from Ireland originally before emigrating to the United States. Dempsey has two older sisters, Mary and Alicia. His mother, Amanda was a school secretary, and his father, William, was an insurance salesman. He attended Leavitt Area High School, Buckfield High School and St. Dominic Regional High School, and after moving to Houston attended Willowridge High School.
Acting Career
Patrick Dempsey‘s acting career got its start in films such as Can’t Buy Me Love (1987) and Loverboy (1989). He went on to star in several romantic comedy box office hits like Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Made of Honor(2008), Valentine’s Day (2010), and Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016). Dempsey has also took on dramatic roles in Outbreak (1995), Scream 3 (2000), Freedom Writers (2007), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Thanksgiving (2023), and Ferrari (2023). He starred in and produced Flypaper (2011), and ode to the family pooch and automobile The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019).
Dempsey spent several weeks in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, Ireland in the summer of 2021 during the filming of Disenchanted, the sequel to 2007’s Enchanted and, by all accounts, Dempsey appeared to love the entire experience. You see Dempsey, like anyone who’s part-Irish, began soaking up the Irish culture, trying the local food, showing up at the pubs in Aran jumpers and peak cap and experimenting with an Irish brogue over pints after each day of filming.
“It’s everything you would imagine it to be,” he said, although he did admit it was a shame to be visiting during lockdown while the pubs were closed and indoor dining wasn’t possible. Dempsey was obviously captured by the spirit of its people and went on to say Ireland’s a “great culture”.
Despite all these successes, Dempsey is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd in the ABC medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy from 2005 to 2015. This is where the hunky Irishman earned his ‘McDreamy’ nickname while playing the role of Dr. Derek Shepherd. The Grey’s Anatomy series went on to become the longest-running primetime medical drama and the sixth-longest-running primetime show in television history. As a result, Dempsey’s net worth is an astounding $85 million.
Racing Career
Dempsey’s father raced on short-track, and he was always a passionate competitor. He and Patrick would sit together to watch Formula 1, Nascar, and Indy 500 as they drove along listening through the radio in their family station wagon. They also lived off of Route 4, and he would always see these exotic cars driving through, but it wasn’t until he arrived in California that he realized people could afford and drive them, and that it was part of a wider car culture.
Dempsey says he started racing before he shot into the limelight as an actor. It had just been after the pilot of Grey’s Anatomy, and so the driving community knew me just as a guy who wanted to race. Over time, they would say, ‘Holy shit! I saw you on TV’ but I’ve always been shown respect. What’s important is how well you do on the track. Like Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, we’re just people who are car fans who also happen to be actors.
It took Dempsey twelve years to get to Le Mans. His first race in 2009 was with team Ferrari, and up till then he’d only been watching races from the stands. But for Dempsey to go as a competitor was a dream come true. His proudest moment. “It wasn’t straightforward: I remember that one of our co-drivers got sick so it was just me and one other person going back in-and-out of the car over the race’s duration. But In 2015, I returned with Porsche and actually made it to the podium. Not long after, my race team, Dempsey Racing won a competition in Japan. That felt pretty special. Now, I’m gearing up for the legendary Panamericana with Porsche—once known as the most dangerous race in the world!”
Dempsey became owner/manager of Dempsey Racing and his team took the wheel of a Porsche 911 RSR and won the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Dempsey says his two sisters, Mary and Alicia always nourished and encouraged him throughout his career. In fact, Patrick movingly dedicated his memoir The Dempsey Way to his sisters in 2012. He wrote, “To my sisters, Mary and Alicia, who have always been there for me, no matter what.”
Dempsey launched The Dempsey Center in 2008 after being inspired by his mother Amanda’s compassion and struggle with ovarian cancer. He established The Dempsey Center in his home state of Maine to uplift and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families. The world needs more celebrities like Patrick Dempsey!
Dempsey stands at 5’10” and married his wife Jillian on July 31, 1999. The couple have three fabulous children together including: Tallula Fyfe Dempsey, Darby Galen Dempsey, Sullivan Patrick Dempsey. The Dempsey clan all reside in Malibu, California.
