Patrick Dempsey :: Character Guides

Nicknamed “McDreamy” by the interns, Dr. Derek Shepherd, a world renowned brain surgeon, moved to Seattle from New York and is currently a resident surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital. During the pilot episode, Derek slept with Meredith after meeting her at a bar, and fell for her shortly after. Though he finally convinced Meredith to start a relationship with him, despite her early objections, their blossoming relationship was ill-fated, especially after the arrival of his wife, Dr. Addison Montgomery Shepherd.

Derek is good at what he does, and he knows it. At work, Derek is in line to be the next Seattle Grace chief-of-staff, competing with fellow surgeon Dr. Preston Burke. Despite the obvious rivalry between the two, Derek and Preston remain good friends.

With Addison in the picture, Derek made the tough decision to break it off with Meredith and try to make his marriage work. However, his decision devastated Meredith, and though he tries to get his marriage back on track, he still has obvious feelings for Meredith and has a hard time getting her off of his mind. As season 2 ended, Derek and Meredith secretly rekindled their relationship and now Derek waits in the balance as Meredith must choose between him and Dr. Finn Dandridge.