Eric Dane

Eric Dane
Dane in D.C. to support the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), March 2015
Born	(1972-11-09) November 9, 1972 (age 44) San Francisco, California, United States
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1991–present
Known for	Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy
Spouse(s)	Rebecca Gayheart (m. 2004)
Children	2

Eric Dane (born November 9, 1972) is an American actor. After appearing in television roles throughout the 2000s, he became known for playing Dr. Mark Sloan on the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, as well as films, co-starring in Marley & Me (2008), Valentine's Day (2010), and Burlesque (2010). He currently stars as Captain Tom Chandler in the apocalyptic drama The Last Ship.

Dane was born in San Francisco, California to a homemaker mother, Leah, and an interior designer/architect father. When Dane was seven years old, his father died of a gunshot wound. Dane has a younger brother, and they were raised in their mother's Jewish religion (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, but decided to pursue a career in acting after appearing in a school production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons.

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. But 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 film credits included two biopics, Serving in Silence (about Margarethe Cammermeyer's experiences in the military), and Helter Skelter, in which he portrayed Charles "Tex" Watson, a member of the Manson family.