Patrick Dempsey through the years: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and more

Patrick Dempsey is best known for his portrayal of Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd – the neurosurgeon with the perfect head of hair – on Grey’s anatomy.

However, Dempsey’s career began twenty years before the medical drama premiered. He got his first major film role at the age of 21 in the 1987 film In the mood. Dempsey played real-life American teenager Sonny Wisecarver, who became infamous in the 1940s for his affairs with older women.

The actor has played numerous heartthrobs and leading men over the years. Despite Dempsey’s reputation as one of the brightest stars in Hollywood, he wasn’t always seen as ‘McDreamy’ by his peers.

‘I was really a little boy growing up and so I was ‘the amoeba.’ That was my nickname,” Dempsey said during a 2016 performance Nightline. “It’s not your normal nickname. But I was a late bloomer.”

Keep scrolling for a look back at Dempsey’s life and career over the years: