Born on January 13th, 1966 in Lewiston, Maine

Buckfield High School
St. Dominic Regional High School

Patrick Dempsey, a renowned actor, philanthropist, and sportsman, grew up in the nearby towns of Turner and Buckfield. His mother Amanda was a school secretary and his father William was an insurance salesman. Patrick attended Buckfield High School and St. Dominic Regional High School. In his youth, Patrick was an avid skier and juggler, even achieving second place at the International Jugglers' Association Championship in 1981 in the Juniors category.

Patrick left Maine to pursue his love of acting. He is best known for his portrayal of Dr. Derek Shepherd on the hit series Grey's Anatomy and his multiple film roles including Enchanted and Bridget Jones's Baby, but his story truly began in those small towns in Maine where he grew up juggling and ski racing -- even winning a Maine state slalom championship while in high school.

Patrick was diagnosed with dyslexia at age twelve. As a result, it was necessary for him to memorize all his lines in order to perform, even for auditions where he was unlikely to get the part. 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." Of all the qualities of greatness in athletics and beyond, this attribute of tenacity and perseverance most times separates out those who have a chance to be the very best.

In recent years, Patrick coupled his passion for acting with his great love for motorsports. He has been competitively driving and operating his race and championship-winning Dempsey Racing team for nearly a decade. In 2013 Dempsey starred in the docu-series, "Patrick Dempsey: Racing Le Mans" for Velocity Channel, produced by Dempsey's production company, Shifting Gears. The series followed Dempsey as he served as both owner and driver for an auto racing team tackling the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans -- the world's oldest automotive endurance race.

Off the track, Dempsey is an active philanthropist, and plays a major role in the Dempsey Center, a cancer support center in Lewiston he founded in response to his mother Amanda Dempsey's multiple bouts with cancer. Patrick established the Dempsey Center as a way to give back to the community where he grew up and where she first received treatment. In 2009 Dempsey helped launch the first Dempsey Challenge, an annual run, walk, and cycle fundraising experience, which has raised millions of dollars to support the work of the Dempsey Center. He returns to Maine each fall to cycle in the event with his family. The Dempsey Center improves the quality of life for individuals, families and communities impacted by cancer through free support, education, complementary therapies, and prevention.

Patrick is married to Jillian Fink and the couple has three children, daughter Talula and twin sons Sullivan and Darby.