‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Patrick Dempsey has been married to his wife, Jillian Fink following his failed marriage to Rocky Parker. Details about his love life explored.
American actor and motorsports racing driver Patrick Dempsey is named People Magazine’s ‘sexiest man alive’ for 2023.
Born Patrick Galen Dempsey on January 13, 1966, he is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd in Grey’s Anatomy and his role in the Disney Enchanted films.
He had early success as an actor, starring in several films in the 1980s, including Can’t Buy Me Love (1987) and Loverboy (1989), per his profile on IMDb.
Also, Patrick Dempsey is known for his love of racing cars and is often seen at pro-am events. He has a huge collection of cars, including vintage and sports cars. Dempsey co-owns the Vision Racing IndyCar Series team and owns Dempsey Racing as well.
Following being crowned the 2023 sexiest man by the popular outlet, fans want to know more about his personal life, like, who he is married to and who he has ever dated before.
Who is Patrick Dempsey married to?
Patrick Dempsey has been married twice to high-profile women. His first wife was Rocky Parker and his current spouse is Jillian Fink.
At age 21, he had his first marriage to Rocky Parker (real name: Rochelle Parker), his manager, actress, and acting coach. At the time, she was 48 years old.
The couple’s wide age gap caused mixed reactions among fans.
Dempsey and Parker first met on set in 1984 when he was 18 years at the time and she was 44. They became friends and then got into a romantic relationship, per Mamania.
She also appeared with Dempsey in the film In the Mood and also played his aunt in a play.
Parker was a well-established actress, acting coach, and theatre performer and Dempsey was just breaking into the industry.
Three years later, they married on August 24, 1987.
The former couple had known each other for a decade through which they were married for 7 years and divorced on on April 26, 1994. They had no children together.
While it has been reported that Dempsey married his best friend’s mother, he has said that he became best friends with Parker’s son only after he became romantically involved with Parker.
About his marriage to his second and current wife, the couple have been together since 1999.
On July 31, 1999, Dempsey married Jillian Fink. The couple have three children.
In January 2015, Fink filed for divorce, but the couple reconciled later in the year. They called off their divorce on November 12, 2016.
Who was Rocky Parker, Patrick Dempsey’s first wife?
Rocky Parker was born on February 26, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York, USA, to parents Shirley Parker and Bernard Parker.
She was an actress and director, known for Can’t Buy Me Love (1987), In the Mood (1987), and Happy Together (1989).
As a coach, Rocky worked on 75 television and movie sets. She has coached many actors, including Melanie Griffith, Joan Chen, Heather Thomas, Brad Garrett, Bre Blair, Kelly Preston, Jennifer Coolidge, and Little Richard.
Aside from her marriage to Patrick Dempsey, she was married to John David Haas and Sheldon Leonard Stein and had three children: Corey Parker, Noelle Parker, and David Parker.
Speaking about her marriage to Dempsey in an interview on September 17, 2013, she said:
“I met Patrick Dempsey on the international tour of Brighton Beach. I was together with him for 10 years, and 6 of those years we were married. I started talking to him about acting. We would work after the show. He started getting auditions then. During the time that we were together, I went with him everywhere, to sets, anywhere he had to go. If there was going to be a camera there, I would make sure I was there for him. I did script analysis and coached Patrick onset for Some Girls, In the Mood, Can’t Buy Me Love, Happy Together, Fast Times, Run, In a Shallow Grave, Mobsters, the JFK TV movie, and Restless Youth.
I got to act in his films, and I also got a small part in Jennifer Lynch’s film Boxing Helena. Then the Patty Hearst story directed by Paul Schrader. I was in Justina, which aired on Showtime.
Patrick and I attended NYU film school together. I then directed a movie called Ava’s Magical Adventure. I rewrote it. We had an elephant in that movie and I loved it. I loved directing, I loved being on that set. It was a great experience. It’s very special to have an elephant on your set every day.”
6 months after her interview, Rocky Parker passed away. She died on April 19, 2014, in Los Angeles, California, United States. She battled stage 4 cancer in her throat and lungs. She had smoked cigarettes daily since the age of 18.
Who is Jillian Fink, Patrick Dempsey’s current wife?
Jillian Fink is the current spouse of American actor and motorsports racing driver, Patrick Dempsey.
By profession, Jillian Fink is a celebrity hairstylist and makeup artist, and the founder of Clean beauty-line. Per her Instagram bio, she is a family and animal lover.
Jillian and Dempsey met when he paid a visit to a salon she was working at in the mid-90s. Three months after their first date, they reportedly moved in together, and by July 1999, they were married.
Fink and Dempsey have since welcomed three kids together – daughter Talula in 2002, and twins Darby and Sullivan in 2007.
In 2015, Dempsey and Fink announced they were separating.
But by 2016, they confirmed they were back together and not separating.
Reflecting on the decision to get back together, Dempsey said to PEOPLE: “Our marriage was not something I was prepared to let go of. I didn’t feel like we had done all the work. And we both wanted to do that work. That’s where it started.”
He later said their time apart made him realise all they needed was quality time and better communication in order to get back to a happy place together.
“Getting quality time together in a relationship – especially with three children, everyone is running around trying to get them to sporting events or school activities, getting them prepped for college or all that – couples have to figure to get date nights. That is what it is about,” he said.