Eric Dane rose to fame in the early 2000s after he was introduced to fans as Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloane on Grey’s Anatomy in 2006.
After his (spoiler alert) onscreen death in 2012, the actor moved on from his stint at the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and to tackle other roles. While Dane has appeared in several movies over the years, various TV series have defined the bulk of his career. The actor starred as Tom Chandler on The Last Ship from 2014 to 2018 before taking on Cal Jacobs on Euphoria, a role he’s held since 2019.
Dane’s personal life has also made headlines throughout his career, including many ups and downs with wife Rebecca Gayheart. In April 2025, Dane — age 52 at the time — announced that he had been diagnosed with ALS.
Keep scrolling to look back at the actor through the years:
2000
While Dane had some guest-starring roles in the 1990s, his rise to fame started when he was cast in a recurring role as Dr. Wyatt Cooper on Gideon’s Crossing.
2004
During his Charmed tenure, Dane married actress Rebecca Gayheart. The couple has experienced a series of ups and downs in their relationship and are parents to two daughters, Billie (born in March 2010) and Georgia (born in December 2011.)
2006
Dane made his debut as Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloane on Grey’s Anatomy, a role he held through season 9.
2008
The actor appeared opposite Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson in the movie Marley & Me as Sebastian Tunney.
2010
Dane had multiple movie roles this year, appearing in star-studded ensemble comedy Valentine’s Day and Burlesque (costarring Christina Aguilera and Cher).
2011
Dane went public with his addiction struggles, revealing that he started taking painkillers after a sports injury and went to rehab that same year.
2014
He returned to television with a role as Tom Chandler on the TNT series The Last Ship.
2017
Dane stepped back from The Last Ship, which halted production, amid his battle with depression.
“I took some time off — I was dealing with some depression, which was kind of odd to me,” he shared in an interview that same year. “I felt very conflicted about it because I didn’t really feel like I had anything to be depressed about.”
2018
In February of this year, Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane after 14 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split.
2019
Dane appeared as Cal Jacobs in the popular HBO series Euphoria alongside such stars as Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya.
2021
He starred alongside Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
2025
Gayheart requested a dismissal of her divorce from Dane seven years after they separated in April of that year. Hours after their relationship news went public, Dane announced that he had been diagnosed with ALS.
“I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter,” he shared in a statement at the time. “I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
