Born: January 13, 1966

Noted for playing quirky and charmingly shy young men, contemporary American actor Patrick Dempsey became a rising star in Hollywood during the late '80s and '90s. A state downhill skiing champion in high school, he began performing nonprofessionally as a juggler, magician, and puppeteer. In 1981, the multi-talented youth placed second at the 1981 International Jugglers Competition, leading to a stage career in which he worked with different troupes around the U.S. Dempsey made his feature film debut playing a bit part in Heaven_Help_Us (1985). This led to his being cast as a regular on the short-lived TV series Fast_Times the following year (based upon the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High). Dempsey then returned to feature films, where he worked steadily for several years. Although primarily a comic actor, he showed considerable talent for drama in the 1991 film Mobsters, and later received an Emmy nomination for his performance as Sela_Ward's schizophrenic brother on ABC's Once and Again in 2001. Returning to his comedy roots, he starred as Reese_Witherspoon's big city fiancé in 2002's Sweet_Home_Alabama. Rovi

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