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Tuesday character profile: Mark Sloan
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Name: Mark Sloan
Played by: Eric Dane
Debut Episode: Season Two, Episode 18 "Yesterday"
Occupation: Plastic surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital
Family: Mark grew up lonely as an only child with parents who didn't pay much attention to him, but was unofficially adopted into the family of his best friend, Derek Shepherd.
Romantic History: Mark first came to Seattle at the request of his former lover, Addison Montgomery. Back when they both lived in New York, Addison and Mark had once had an affair that almost ended her marriage to Derek. Addison soon left Mark to chase after Derek in Seattle. She spent months trying her best to save her marriage, but Derek had already fallen in love with Meredith Grey. When Addison realized she'd lost Derek to Meredith, she invited Mark to come to Seattle.
Mark thought he'd won Addison back for good, but even after her divorce from Derek, she was reluctant to enter into a relationship with Mark, who she'd always known to be a notorious womanizer. She eventually moved to Los Angeles, leaving Mark alone and frustrated. He dealt with the pain by returning to his womanizing ways, sleeping with most of the Seattle Grace nursing staff and anyone else who was interested. He eventually fell into a friends-with-benefits arrangement with the newly-divorced Callie Torres.
Mark and Callie were drawn to each other by lust, but their odd relationship yielded surprising results. While he was casually sleeping with Callie, Mark also became attracted to her friend, Dr. Erica Hahn- who wanted nothing to do with him. Mark constantly chided Callie and Erica about how he'd like to get both of them in bed, together. But it didn't take long for Mark to realize his dirty jokes were striking a nerve with the two women. They were clearly developing feelings for each other, and Mark surprised everyone by graciously stepping aside and encouraging Callie, who he'd begun to care for as a true friend, to pursue Erica.
Mark was left alone once again, but it wouldn't be for long. To his horror, he began to feel attracted to Lexie Grey, the half-sister of Derek's girlfriend, Meredith. Derek warned Mark to stay away from the young, naive intern, but Lexie wouldn't be denied. He tried his best to fight the attraction, but Lexie pursued him, even going so far as to show up uninvited at the hotel where he lived and stripping her clothes off in front of him. Her seduction was succesful, and so was her ultimatum when she eventually told Mark she'd stop seeing him unless he agreed to go public with their relationship. For the first time since arriving in Seattle, Mark had a legitimate girlfriend, and he took to the commitment better than anyone ever could have expected. At the end of season five, he'd even decided to buy a condo, expecting Lexie would want to move in with him. But Lexie shocked him by confessing that she wanted to focus on her medical career, and had no desire to take their relationship to the next level until she'd finished her residency. Now the tables have turned, and in season six, Mark will be faced with the daunting task of getting the woman he loves to commit to him.
Friendships: Mark's friendship with Derek has always been one of the most important parts of his life. Mark considers Derek to be the only family he has, and despite betraying Derek by sleeping with Addison, Mark has never let go of that loyalty. The friends have fueded at times, most notably after Mark's confession that he'd broken his promise not to sleep with Lexie, but in the end they've always managed to make amends and forgive each other, like true brothers always do.
Mark's other best friend in Seattle is Callie Torres. Though thier relationship started out as a shallow sexual arrangement, Mark and Callie eventually began to view each other as a friend and confidante. After Mark played a crucial role in helping Callie make sense of her feelings for Erica, their friendship was cemented.
Career Milestones: As a renowned plastic surgeon, Mark enjoys the challenges of trying new techniques and attempting daring surgeries,. He constructed a new face for amnesiac Ava after she was crushed in a ferry accident. He played a crucial role in an (ultimately unsuccessful) attempt to seperate a pair of conjoined adult twins, and more recently, completed a succesful face transplant.
Memorable Moments:
Seaon Two, Episode 18 "Yesterday": Mark arrives for his first visit to Seattle, is dubbed "McSteamy" by Izzie, and promptly gets punched in the face by Derek.
Season Three, Episode Two "I Am A Tree": In his first appearance as a series regular, Mark makes a memorable surprise entrance- emerging from the shower in Addison's hotel room in a towel, surrounded by steam.
Season Three, Episode 17 "Some Kind of Miracle": Mark proves his loyalty to Derek- and ends their fued- by rushing to his friend's side after Meredith nearly dies from drowning.
Season Four, Episode 14 "The Becoming": Mark's habit of seducing nurses causes legal trouble for the hospital when they threaten a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Season Four, Episode 18 "Freedom (Part Two)": Mark proves how much he's grown as a person by helping his sex-buddy Calie realize she needs to act on her feelings for Erica.
Check back on Tuesdays and Thursdays for more 'Grey's Anatomy' character profiles. In the meantime, check out our past profiles of Callie Torres, Chief Richard Webber, Miranda Bailey, George O'Malley, Alex Karev, Izzie Stevens, Cristina Yang, Derek Shepherd and Meredith Grey.
Photos: ABC
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