Actor Patrick Dempsey named People magazine's 'sexiest man alive'

LOS ANGELES – Grey’s Anatomy actor Patrick Dempsey was named People magazine’s sexiest man alive for 2023 on Tuesday, taking over the title from 2022 honouree and Marvel star Chris Evans.

Dempsey, 57, said he was completely shocked when he heard the news and thought it was a joke, noting “I’ve always been the bridesmaid”.

“It’s nice to have the recognition, and certainly my ego takes a little bump, but it gives me the platform to use it for something positive,” Dempsey told People for the cover story.

He has grown in popularity over the years, starring in nearly 250 episodes of the award-winning television series Grey’s Anatomy (2005 to 2021) as heart-throb neurosurgeon Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd to being a modern-day Prince Charming in the 2007 musical film Enchanted.

Dempsey, married to make-up artist and beauty line founder Jillian Fink, is most interested in how his children – daughter Talula, 21, and twin sons Sullivan and Darby, both 16 – will react to his new status.

“They’re just going to make fun of me and pick on me and figure out every reason why I shouldn’t be,” he said. “Which is good, they keep me young.”

In December, Dempsey will be seen in the biopic Ferrari, directed by Michael Mann, portraying Italian Formula One driver Piero Taruffi opposite Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz.

When Dempsey found out the movie was being made, he took a risk and called Mann to ask for a part.

“I’d been following the movie for years, so I called Michael,” he recalled. “That taught me if you really want something, you have to do it yourself.”

Another of his passion projects is the Dempsey Center, which he founded in honour of his late mother to support cancer patients and their loved ones. REUTERS