Dylan McDermott

Dylan McDermott is an actor in film and television, best known for his long-running role as Bobby Donnell on the legal drama series The Practice. It’s easy to see why Dylan McDermott has been appointed by People magazine and Empire magazine as both beautiful and sexy, but his early life was anything but. Having overcome a difficult childhood to become a successful actor and a family man, McDermott now has several movies and television appearances to his credit.

Born as Mark McDermott on October 26, 1961, to teenaged parents, McDermott later changed his name to Dylan, reportedly in honor of the child his stepmother, Eve Ensler, once lost. His early childhood was spent with his young mother, Diane McDermott, who was divorced from his father, Richard, when Dylan was young. Dylan’s mother was accidentally shot and killed when he was a child and he and his sister were taken in by their grandmother. At the age of fifteen, Dylan McDermott’s father married Eve Ensler, an actress and author of the well-known play The Vagina Monologues.

Ensler adopted McDermott and encouraged him to pursue acting. He majored in drama at Fordham University in New York. After studying drama and overcoming a drinking problem, Dylan McDermott turned his previously difficult life into a success. His first role was in the 1987 war drama Hamburger Hill. Then in 1989, McDermott was cast in Steel Magnolias alongside top-billing performers such as Julia Roberts, Sam Shepard, Tom Skerritt, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Sally Field, and Dolly Parton.

In 1993, McDermott got his big break when he landed a role opposite the legendary Clint Eastwood in the blockbuster film In the Line of Fire. With connections falling into place, McDermott was approached about auditioning for an upcoming legal drama series. He won the lead role and worked on the set of The Practice until its conclusion after eight seasons.

Since then, McDermott has appeared in several lesser-known films, including Edison, a 2005 drama thriller also starring Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey; The Tenants; and The Messengers. McDermott has been married to actress Shiva Rose, who has appeared in television episodes of Las Vegas and CSI: Miami, since 1995. They have two children together.

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