Last Thursday, we began our 'Grey's Anatomy' character profiles with Meredith Grey. Today, we'll take a deeper look at her "knight in shining whatever", Dr. Derek Shepherd.
Name: Derek Shepherd
Played By: Patrick Dempsey
Debut Episode: Season One, Episode One: "A Hard Day's Night"
Occupation: Head of Neurosurgery at Seattle Grace Hospital
Family: Derek was raised in a loving family but suffered a trauma at a young age when his father was killed in a mugging. Derek still has a close relationship with his mother and sister who occasionally visit him in Seattle.
Romantic History: When Derek first met Meredith Grey at Emerald City Bar, he didn't know she was an intern at the hospital 
he'd just begun working at. And she didn't know that he was married. Derek dated Meredith for several months without telling her he was separated from his wife, Dr. Addison Montgomery, who had cheated on him with his best friend, Mark Sloan. The secret only came out when Addison arrived in Seattle with her heart set on winning Derek back. Derek tried his best to forgive Addison and make the marriage work, but could not get over his feelings for Meredith. When those overwhelming feelings led to physical intimacy, Derek came clean to Addison and the couple divorced. Derek reunited with Meredith, but often struggled with her fear of commitment and reluctance to open up to him. These problems caused a second break-up. Derek moved on with a nurse named Rose, but eventually grew close to Meredith again when they worked together on a clinical trial at the hospital. After their hard work in the clinical trial paid off, the former lovers rediscovered their belief in each other and started over together for a third time. This has been their most successful attempt at a relationship yet. Even when the death of a patient caused Derek to suffer a crisis of faith, Meredith stood by him until he'd worked through his issues. Derek realized that Meredith was finally in it for the long haul with him, and decided to propose. But when the wedding day came, the couple stepped aside to allow their cancer-stricken friend Izzie Steven to have the wedding of her dreams. Both Derek and Meredith were relieved not to have to go through with the big, fancy wedding Izzie had planned for them, and later exchanged handwritten vows on a Post-It note instead.
Friendships: Derek has been best friends with fellow surgeon Mark Sloan since childhood. Their friendship suffered a major blow when Mark had an affair with Addison, but they eventually healed from the rift and grew close again. Since moving in to Meredith's house, Derek has struggled at times to be patient with the constant presence of her friends Cristina, Alex and Izzie, but usually maintains a cordial, if slightly distant relationship with them. Whenever he's not getting along with Mark or wants the advice of someone more mature than everyone else in his life, Derek seeks the company of his mentor Dr. Richard Weber or his friend Miranda Bailey.
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Career Milestones: Derek was already a world-renowned neurosurgeon when he began working at Seattle Grace. At the end of the show's third season, he was offered the position of Chief of Surgery, but declined the job because he suspected that the current chief, Richard Weber, wasn't really ready to step down. In season five, Derek graced the cover of a national medical journal for creating "The Shepherd Method", the surgical technique that he and Meredith created in their clinical trial. Some of the other patients whose lives he's saved included Bailey's husband, Joe the Emerald City bartender, and Addison's brother.
Memorable Moments:
Season Two, Episode 17 "As We Know It": Derek defies the Chief's orders and completes a life-saving surgery on Bailey's husband while there is a live bomb in the hospital.
Season Two, Episode 18 "Yesterday": Derek greets Mark Sloan, the best freind who betrayed him, with a punch in the face.
Season Four, Episode 17 "Freedom, Part Two": Derek finally saves the life of one of his clinical trial patients, and realizes he is meant to be with Meredith.
Season Five, Episode 16 "An Honest Mistake": Derek loses control faith in himeslf after a careless surgical mistake leads to the death of a pregnant patient.
Season Five, Episode 19 "Elevator Love Letter": Derek proposes to Meredith in an elevator decorated with mementos of all the surgeries they've worked on together.
Photos: ABC
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