Eric Dane - Wikipedia

American actor (1972–2026)

Eric Dane
Dane at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Eric William Melvin(1972-11-09)November 9, 1972San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	February 19, 2026(2026-02-19) (aged 53)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1991–2026
Spouse	Rebecca Gayheart ​(m. 2004)​
Children	2

Eric William Dane (né Melvin; November 9, 1972 – February 19, 2026) was an American actor. After multiple television roles in the 1990s and 2000s, including his recurring role as Jason Dean on Charmed, he was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2006–2012; 2021). He went on to appear in films such as X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Marley & Me (2008), Valentine's Day (2010), Burlesque (2010), and Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024).

Dane also played Captain Tom Chandler in the TNT series The Last Ship (2014–2018), Cal Jacobs in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2019–2026), and FBI Special Agent Nathan Blythe in the Amazon Prime Video crime series Countdown (2025). In 2025, he announced that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which led to his death in 2026 at the age of 53.

Early life

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Eric William Melvin[1] was born on November 9, 1972, in San Francisco, California.[2] He had a younger brother.[3] They were raised in their mother's Jewish faith, and Dane had a bar mitzvah ceremony.[4][5][6] When he was seven, his father died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was an athlete in high school, playing on the boys' varsity water polo team.[7] He decided to pursue acting after appearing in a school production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons.[8][9]

Career

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In 1993, Dane moved to Los Angeles,[7] 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 cast in a recurring role on Gideon's Crossing, followed by a two-season run as Jason Dean on 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 of the Manson family.[10]

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, he guest-starred 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 his becoming a series regular in the third season. His first appearance that season—in which he walked out of a bathroom soaking wet and wearing only a strategically placed towel—was described as a "watercooler moment".[11] Dane left the series after the end of season 8 but appeared in the first two episodes of season 9.[12] In 2021, he returned to the show for the first time in nine years, despite his character having been killed off.[13]

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 Anatomy co-star Patrick Dempsey, appeared in the 2010 romantic comedy Valentine's Day, directed by Garry Marshall, which followed five interconnecting stories about Los Angeles residents anticipating—or dreading—the holiday.[14]

In October 2012, Dane joined the main cast of the Michael Bay–produced TNT drama series The Last Ship.[15] He starred as Tom Chandler,[16] and the series ran from 2014 to 2018.[17]

Dane also starred in the 2017 feature film Grey Lady. His wife, Rebecca Gayheart, also appeared in the film.[18]

Dane later starred as Cal Jacobs in Euphoria,[19] which premiered in 2019.[20] In 2023, he discussed the challenges of performing scenes that required him to wear a prosthetic penis, describing them as "very difficult to shoot".[21]

Personal life

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Dane married actress Rebecca Gayheart on October 29, 2004. They had two daughters.[22][1] In February 2018, Gayheart filed for divorce after 14 years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences".[23] On March 7, 2025, she reportedly filed to dismiss the divorce petition after seven years of separation.[24] After their separation, Dane was in a relationship with Priya Jain for several years and at the time of his death was in a relationship with Janell Shirtcliff.[25]

In June 2011, Dane entered a California treatment center to recover from a dependency on prescription drugs that he developed after an injury.[26]

In April 2017, production on The Last Ship halted through Memorial Day because Dane was suffering from depression.[27]

Illness and death

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In April 2025, Dane announced that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).[28] He said his symptoms had begun roughly eighteen months earlier.[29] By June 2025, he had completely lost the use of his right arm, and by October 2025 he was using a wheelchair.[30] Dane died on February 19, 2026, at the age of 53.[31]

Filmography

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†	Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

Film

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Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2000	The Basket	Tom Emery	Film debut	[32]
2003	Sol Goode	Overly Dramatic Actor	[10]
2005	Feast	Hero	[10]
2006	X-Men: The Last Stand	Jamie Madrox / Multiple Man	[10]
	Open Water 2: Adrift	Dan	[10]
2008	Marley & Me	Sebastian Tunney	[10]
2010	Valentine's Day	Sean Jackson	[10]
	Burlesque	Marcus Gerber	[33]
2015	Grey Lady	Detective James Doyle	Direct-to-video film	[32]
2021	The Ravine	Mitch Bianci	[2]
2022	Redeeming Love	Duke	[32]
	American Carnage	Eddie	[32]
2023	Little Dixie	Governor Richard Jeffs	[32]
	Americana	Dillon MacIntosh	[34]
	Dangerous Waters	Derek Stipes	[32]
2024	Bad Boys: Ride or Die	James McGrath	[35]
	One Fast Move	Dean Miller	[36]
2025	Borderline	Bell	[37]
TBA	Family Secrets †	TBA	Post-production; posthumous release	[10]

Television

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Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1991	Saved by the Bell	Tad Pogue	Episode: "The Game"	[10]
1992	Renegade	Jimmy Warren	Episode: "Mother Courage"	[32]
1993	The Wonder Years	Brett	Episode: "Nose"	[10]
1995	Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story	Matt	Television film	[32]
	Married... with Children	Oliver Cole	Episode: "Radio Free Trumaine"	[10]
1996	Silk Stalkings	Justin Whalen	Episode: "Private Dancer"	[32]
	Seduced by Madness	Nick	Television film	[32]
	Roseanne	Bellhop	Episode: "Disney World War II"	[10]
1997	Crisis Center	Mark Kelly	Episode: "He Said, She Said"	[32]
2000	Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane	Alec	Episode: "Kiss of Death"	[10]
2000–2001	Gideon's Crossing	Dr. Wyatt Cooper	Recurring role; 4 episodes	[10]
2002	The American Embassy	Rob Goodwin	Recurring role; 3 episodes	[32]
2003–2004	Charmed	Jason Dean	Recurring role (seasons 5–6); 9 episodes	[10]
2004	Helter Skelter	Charles "Tex" Watson	Television film	[32]
	Las Vegas	Leo Broder	Episodes: "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" & "The Count of Montecito"	[32]
2005	Painkiller Jane	Nick Pierce	Television film	[32]
2006	Wedding Wars	Ben Grandy		[10]
2006–2012, 2021	Grey's Anatomy	Dr. Mark Sloan	Guest star (season 2), Main role (seasons 3–9), Special guest star (season 17); 139 episodes	[10]
2009–2010	Private Practice		Episodes: "Ex-Life" & "Another Second Chance"	[32]
2014–2018	The Last Ship	Captain Tom Chandler	Main role; 56 episodes	[38]
2015	The Fixer	Carter	Miniseries; 4 episodes	[citation needed]
2018	Family Guy	Himself	Voice role; Episode: "Veteran Guy"	[32]
2019–2026	Euphoria	Cal Jacobs	Main role; 13 episodes, posthumous release (season 3)	[39]
2020	Wireless	Officer T.C. Kirschner	Episode: "100%"	[40]
2025	Countdown	Nathan Blythe	Main role; 13 episodes	[41]
	Kabul	Martin	Miniseries; 6 episodes	[42]
	Brilliant Minds	Matthew Ramati	Episode: "The Fire Fighter"	[32]
2026	Famous Last Words	Himself	Interviewee; posthumous release	[43]

References

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1. ^ a b Diaz, Johnny (February 20, 2026). "Eric Dane, McSteamy on 'Grey's Anatomy,' Dies at 53 After Battling ALS". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
2. ^ a b "Eric Dane Biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
3. ^ "Eric Dane: Acting for real". CNN. April 6, 2001. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
4. ^ Gladstone, E.C. (2006). "All Grown Up". Atlanta Peach Magazine: 84. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2010. Gayheart, who was raised Southern Baptist, is considering converting to Dane's Judaism. 'He's not pushing me, I just love all the traditions,' she says.
5. ^ "Jews in the News: Celebrity Scoop: James L Brooks, Eric Dane and Gwyneth Paltrow". Letmypeoplegrow.org. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
6. ^ Miller, Gerri (June 11, 2014). "Hollywood Now: Eric Dane on Last Ship and Kunis & Franco". InterfaithFamily. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
7. ^ a b "Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) Bio - Grey's Anatomy". American Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
8. ^ Soll, Lindsay (February 9, 2007). "8 things you don't know about Eric Dane". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
9. ^ "The towel scene still wears well with Eric Dane". ScrippsNews. May 15, 2007. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q McGowan, Andrew; Longeretta, Emily (February 20, 2026). "Eric Dane, 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Euphoria' Star, Dies at 53". Variety. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
11. ^ Oldenburg, Ann (October 4, 2006). "Dr. McSteamy scrubs in as cast regular". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 6, 2006. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
12. ^ Ausiello, Michael (July 26, 2012). "Grey's Anatomy Exclusive: Eric Dane Checks Out!". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 1, 2021). "Eric Dane On Touching Reunion In 'Grey's Anatomy' Return & More – Q&A". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
14. ^ Mitovich, Matt (July 8, 2009). "Grey's Stars Dempsey and Dane Celebrate Valentine's Day". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 11, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
15. ^ Berkshire, Geoff (October 10, 2012). "Eric Dane's 'Grey's Anatomy' rebound: Starring in Michael Bay's TNT pilot 'The Last Ship'". Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
16. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (April 30, 2017). "'The Last Ship' on Production Hiatus as Eric Dane Battles Depression (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
17. ^ Maglio, Tony (August 27, 2024). "After the NBA Drama, TNT Turns Back to Drama". indiewire.com.
18. ^ Kramer, Gary M. (April 30, 2017). ""Grey Lady": A moody detective drama explores off-season Nantucket". Salon.com.
19. ^ Lenker, Maureen (June 16, 2019). "Eric Dane talks filming that 'intense' full-frontal scene in 'Euphoria'". EW.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
20. ^ Framke, Caroline (June 13, 2019). "TV Review: HBO's 'Euphoria' Starring Zendaya". variety.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
21. ^ "Celebrities Who Wore NSFW Prosthetic Body Parts On Screen: Eric Dane, Adam Demos and More". Yahoo Entertainment. December 12, 2023. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
22. ^ "Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart Debut Baby Daughter!". Us Weekly. May 5, 2010. Archived from the original on May 7, 2010.
23. ^ Vulpo, Mike (February 16, 2018). "Rebecca Gayheart Files for Divorce From Eric Dane". E! Online. United States: NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
24. ^ "Rebecca Gayheart Files to Dismiss Eric Dane Divorce 7 Years After Breakup". eonline.com. March 7, 2025. Archived from the original on March 8, 2025. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
25. ^ "Eric Dane's alleged girlfriend 'blindsided' by Janell Shirtcliff romance". Page Six. June 19, 2025.
26. ^ "Eric Dane of 'Grey's Anatomy' in rehab for prescription drug problem". Los Angeles Times. July 20, 2011. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
27. ^ "'The Last Ship' on Production Hiatus as Eric Dane Battles Depression (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. April 30, 2017. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
28. ^ Etienne, Vanessa; Jordan, Jules (April 10, 2025). "Eric Dane Announces He Has Been Diagnosed with ALS (Exclusive)". People. Archived from the original on April 11, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
29. ^ Siclait, Aryelle (February 20, 2025). "Eric Dane Says ALS Symptoms Started Months Before Diagnosis: What He Shared About His Disease". Today. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
30. ^ Multiple sources:
    • Kindelan, Katie. "Eric Dane says he has lost use of his right arm amid ALS battle". Good Morning America. Archived from the original on June 17, 2025. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
    • Shafer, Ellise (June 16, 2025). "Eric Dane Tears Up Discussing ALS Diagnosis, Says He Only Has 'One Functioning Arm'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 12, 2025. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
    • Vasquez, Whitney (September 15, 2025). "Eric Dane shows ALS signs in first sighting since missing 'Grey's Anatomy' Emmys 2025 tribute". New York Post. Archived from the original on September 27, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
    • Haigh, Joshua (October 17, 2025). "Heartbreaking photos of Eric Dane, 52, emerge as he struggles to get into wheelchair amid ALS battle". New York Post. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
31. ^ Edel, Victoria; Jordan, Julie (February 19, 2026). "Eric Dane, Grey's Anatomy and Euphoria Star, Dead at 53 Nearly 1 Year After Announcing ALS Diagnosis". People. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
32. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Eric Dane: Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
33. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (November 17, 2009). "Eric Dane buys ticket for 'Burlesque'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
34. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 14, 2022). "Eric Dane Among Three Added To 'National Anthem' Cast At Bron Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
35. ^ Hammond, Pete (May 23, 2024). "'Bad Boys: Ride Or Die' Review: Will Smith And Martin Lawrence In Over The Top But Fun 4th Time Around As Miami's Memorable Cop Duo". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
36. ^ Mishra, Shrishty (June 28, 2022). "'Euphoria' Star Eric Dane Cast Opposite KJ Apa in 'One Fast Move'". Collider. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
37. ^ Kraft, Tim (May 17, 2022). "Exclusive: Eric Dane Discusses Mystery-Thriller The Ravine". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
38. ^ Ausiello, Michael (October 10, 2012). "Pilot Scoop: Grey's Anatomy's Eric Dane to Captain TNT Action Drama The Last Ship". TVLine. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
39. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Hipes, Patrick (June 7, 2018). "Zendaya To Topline HBO's Drama Pilot 'Euphoria'; Storm Reid, Maude Apatow, Astro & Eric Dane Co-Star". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
40. ^ Gemmill, Allie (September 2, 2020). "Wireless Trailer: Tye Sheridan Is Stranded in Quibi Thriller". Collider. Archived from the original on July 20, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
41. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 10, 2024). "Eric Dane Joins 'Countdown' Amazon Series As 'Euphoria' Remains On Hold". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
42. ^ Kudláč, Martin (April 1, 2025). "Series review: Kabul". Cineuropa. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
43. ^ Sharf, Zack (February 20, 2026). "Eric Dane's Final Interview Before Death Streams on Netflix as Late Actor Shares Last Words to His Daughters: 'I Stumbled, but I Tried... Fight Until Your Last Breath'". Variety.

External links

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• Eric Dane on Facebook
• Eric Dane at IMDb 

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