Eric Dane

Early life

Eric William Dane was born on November 9, 1972 in San Francisco, California. When Dane was 7 years old, his father died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He has a younger brother. They were raised in their mother's Jewish faith, and Dane had a bar mitzvah ceremony. He attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California, from 1987 to 1990, and San Mateo High School in San Mateo, California, from 1990 to 1991, where he graduated. Dane was an athlete in high school, playing on the boys' varsity water polo team,

Career

In 1993, Dane moved 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 as Jason Dean in Charmed. His made-for-television film credits included two biopics, Serving in Silence (1995) (about Margarethe Cammermeyer's experiences in the military), and Helter Skelter (2004), in which he portrayed Charles "Tex" Watson, a member of the Manson family.

Dane's first major feature film appearance was in The Basket. He also appeared in Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane, Sol Goode, Feast, X-Men: The Last Stand, and starred in Open Water 2. In 2005, Dane guested as Dr. Mark Sloan in "Yesterday", the eighteenth episode of the second season of the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Positive audience reaction to the character led to Dane 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 resigned from the show after the end of season 8 but appeared in the first two episodes of season 9. In 2021, Dane reappeared on the show for the first time in nine years since his character was killed off.

In December 2006, he starred in the A&E television film Wedding Wars as the brother of a gay man (played by John Stamos) who goes on strike in support of same-sex marriage. Dane, alongside Grey's costar Patrick Dempsey, appeared in the same big-screen project, the 2010 romantic comedy Valentine's Day. The Garry Marshall-directed film followed five interconnecting stories about Los Angelenos anticipating (or in some cases dreading) the holiday.

In October 2012, Dane joined the main cast of the Michael Bay-produced TNT drama series The Last Ship. Dane starred as Tom Chandler, and the show ran from 2014 to 2018.

Dane starred as Cal Jacobs in Euphoria, which premiered in 2019. In 2023, he discussed his experience on being in a show like Euphoria where he had to regularly wear a prosthetic penis, describing the scenes as being "very difficult to shoot".

Personal life

Dane married actress Rebecca Gayheart on October 29, 2004. They have two daughters together. In February 2018, Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane after 14 years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences". On March 7, 2025, Gayheart reportedly filed to request a dismissal of the divorce petition against Dane after 7 years of separation.

In 2009, Dane made headlines when he was in a video that featured him, his wife, and Kari Ann Peniche nude and using drugs.

In June 2011, Dane entered a California treatment center to recover from a dependency on prescription drugs he had developed after suffering an injury.

In April 2017, The Last Ship halted production through Memorial Day to allow Dane to deal with the depression he was battling.

In April 2025, Dane announced his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He started experiencing symptoms in early 2024; by June 2025, he had completely lost function of his right arm and hand; by September 2025, his speech became slurred; by October 2025, he began using a wheelchair full time.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

References

1. "Eric Dane Biography". [[TV Guide]].
2. Lee, Luaine. (June 15, 2014). "'I've a tendency to complicate things'". [[Gulf Times]].
3. Keck, William. (May 15, 2007). "Star couple give a hand on Skid Row". [[USA Today]].
4. (April 6, 2001). "Eric Dane: Acting for real". CNN.
5. Gladstone, E.C.. (2006). "All Grown Up". Atlanta Peach Magazine.
6. "Jews in the News: Celebrity Scoop: James L Brooks, Eric Dane and Gwyneth Paltrow". Letmypeoplegrow.org.
7. Miller, Gerri. (June 11, 2014). "Hollywood Now: Eric Dane on Last Ship and Kunis & Franco". [[InterfaithFamily]].
8. Soll, Lindsay. (February 9, 2007). "8 things you don't know about Eric Dane".
9. (May 15, 2007). "The towel scene still wears well with Eric Dane". ScrippsNews.
10. "Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) Bio - Grey's Anatomy". American Broadcasting Company.
11. Oldenburg, Ann. (October 4, 2006). "Dr. McSteamy scrubs in as cast regular". USA Today.
12. Ausiello, Michael. (July 26, 2012). "Grey's Anatomy Exclusive: Eric Dane Checks Out!". TV Guide.
13. Andreeva, Nellie. (April 1, 2021). "Eric Dane On Touching Reunion In 'Grey's Anatomy' Return & More – Q&A". Deadline Hollywood.
14. Matt Mitovich. (July 8, 2009). "Grey's Stars Dempsey and Dane Celebrate Valentine's Day". TV Guide.
15. Berkshire, Geoff. (October 10, 2012). "Eric Dane's 'Grey's Anatomy' rebound: Starring in Michael Bay's TNT pilot 'The Last Ship'".
16. Wagmeister, Elizabeth. (April 30, 2017). "'The Last Ship' on Production Hiatus as Eric Dane Battles Depression (EXCLUSIVE)".
17. Maglio, Tony. (August 27, 2024). "After the NBA Drama, TNT Turns Back to Drama".
18. Lenker, Maureen. (June 16, 2019). "Eric Dane talks filming that 'intense' full-frontal scene in 'Euphoria'".
19. Framke, Caroline. (June 13, 2019). "TV Review: HBO's 'Euphoria' Starring Zendaya".
20. (2023-12-12). "Celebrities Who Wore NSFW Prosthetic Body Parts On Screen: Eric Dane, Adam Demos and More".
21. "Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart Debut Baby Daughter!". Us Weekly.
22. Vulpo, Mike. (February 16, 2018). "Rebecca Gayheart Files for Divorce From Eric Dane". [[NBCUniversal]].
23. (March 7, 2025). "Rebecca Gayheart Files to Dismiss Eric Dane Divorce 7 Years After Breakup".
24. Valentine, Nicky. (August 18, 2009). "Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, and Kari Ann Peniche's uncensored sex tape is here". Buzz Patrol.
25. "Ministry of Gossip". [[Los Angeles Times]].
26. (30 April 2017). "'The Last Ship' on Production Hiatus as Eric Dane Battles Depression (EXCLUSIVE)".
27. (April 10, 2025). "Eric Dane Announces He Has Been Diagnosed with ALS (Exclusive)".
28. "Eric Dane says he has lost use of his right arm amid ALS battle". [[Good Morning America]].
29. Shafer, Ellise. (June 16, 2025). "Eric Dane Tears Up Discussing ALS Diagnosis, Says He Only Has ‘One Functioning Arm’". [[Variety (magazine).
30. Whitney Vasquez. (2025-09-15). "Eric Dane shows ALS signs in first sighting since missing ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Emmys 2025 tribute". [[New York Post]].
31. Joshua Haigh. (2025-10-17). "Heartbreaking photos of Eric Dane, 52, emerge as he struggles to get into wheelchair amid ALS battle". [[New York Post]].