Famous Actor’s Latest Role ‘Helps Me Promote Maine’s Dempsey Center’

Maine native Patrick Dempsey says his latest acting role is a secret way to publicize a cancer center in his home state.

Dempsey, who became an acting legend on Grey’s Anatomy, is now starring as a contracted killer battling early onset Alzheimer’s in a Fox psychological thriller.

But Dempsey said fans still associate him with his long run on Grey’s, even with his new role in another series.

“It gives me a platform to help talk about the Dempsey Center and the work that is being done there,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

“Grey’s Anatomy was “a blessing because it gives me visibility and platform.

“When I started, I came from a very small town in Maine, and I’m continuing to be an employed actor, which is a miracle in itself” he added. “I have seen so many people who I started with who have either given up on the business or unfortunately are no longer around.”

Dempsey also reminisced about Eric Dane, his alter ego on Grey’s, who died recently from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“You realize how quickly your life goes by, how fragile it is, and then, what do you do with it?” he said. “At the end of the day, are you of service? Are you doing something that is positive? I think this is the lesson he’s taught me through his struggle.”

Dempsey, 60, was born in Lewiston and grew up in the nearby towns of Turner and Buckfield.

He attended Leavitt Area High School, Buckfield High School and St. Dominic Regional High School.

In response to his mother’s bouts with cancer, Dempsey helped start the Patrick Dempsey Center at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.