Patrick Dempsey has had the long career that younger Sexiest Man Alive winners can only dream of. He first burst on the scene (and into hearts) as a young actor in movies like 1987’s “Can’t Buy Me Love,” 1988’s “Some Girls,” and 1989’s “Loverboy.” He continued to work through out the ’90s and 2000s, but he really made a blast when he joined “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2005 as Derek Shepherd — aka McDreamy — and made Meredith and Derek one of our favorite TV couples of all time. He also starred in 2007’s “Enchanted” (and 2022’s “Disenchanted”).
Since leaving “Grey’s” in 2015, he’s continued to act while also pursuing one of his other loves: race car driving. That’s how he ended up in this year’s “Ferrari.” He told People, “I’d been following the movie for years, so I called [director Michael Mann] and said, ‘I want to discuss being a part of this,'” he recalled. “That taught me if you really want something, you have to do it yourself.”
Dempsey has been married to wife Jillian since 1999, and they share three kids. At 57, Dempsey is the second-oldest Sexiest Man Alive honoree.