Eric Dane

Eric Dane (born Eric William Dane on November 9, 1972 in San Francisco, California) is an American actor. After appearing in a high school production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, Dane decided to pursue a career in acting. He relocated to Los Angeles, where he played small roles in the television series Saved by the Bell, The Wonder Years, Roseanne, and Married With Children, among others. In 2000, he was signed for a recurring role in Gideon's Crossing, and followed this with a two-season run in Charmed. His made-for-television movie credits included two biopics, Serving in Silence (about Margarethe Cammermeyer's experiences in the military), and Helter Skelter, in which he portrayed a member of the Charles Manson clan. In 2005, Dane guested as Dr. Mark Sloane (nicknamed "McSteamy") in several episodes of the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Positive audience reaction to the character led to Dane's becoming a regular in the show's third season. His first appearance in the season, in which he walked out of the bathroom soaking wet and wearing only a strategically placed towel, was labeled a "watercooler moment" . Dane's first major feature film appearance was in the The Basket (1999). He also appeared in the Australian production Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane, Sol Goode, Feast, Open Water 2, and X-Men: The Last Stand. In 2001, Dane briefly became involved with actress Lara Flynn Boyle when the two met while filming crossover episodes of their respective drama series Gideon's Crossing and The Practice, both produced by David E. Kelley. He married actress Rebecca Gayheart on October 29, 2004.