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Dylan McDermottAmerican actor
Date of Birth: 16.10.1961
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Dylan McDermott
Dylan McDermott, an American actor, is widely known for his role in the TV series "American Horror Story," where he played the lead role in the first season. However, his career includes other significant roles that deserve attention.
Early Life and Tragedy
Mark Anthony McDermott was born on October 26, 1961, in Waterbury, Connecticut, USA, to Richard and Diane McDermott. At the time of his birth, Richard was 17 years old, and Diane was 15. Later, Mark's sister Robin was born. In 1967, when Mark was just five years old, his parents divorced, and he moved with his mother and sister to live with his maternal grandmother, Evis Marino.
On February 9, 1967, a tragedy occurred: Mark and Robin's mother was shot and killed. Initially, the official version of the incident was an accident, but later the police determined that John Sponza, Diane's boyfriend at the time, was responsible for her murder. According to Sponza, Diane accidentally shot herself while cleaning a gun. In 1972, Sponza, who was linked to organized crime, was found dead in a car trunk in Waltem.
After the tragedy, Mark and Robin were raised by their grandmother, Evis. They grew up in Waterbury, but during their teenage years, Mark began to visit his father, who lived in Greenwich Village, New York. Richard and Mark spent a lot of time together, and the younger McDermott even got a job at his father's bar. It was around this time that Mark became interested in acting and started imitating the acting style of his idols, Marlon Brando and Humphrey Bogart.
Early Acting Career
Mark's first steps in acting were supported by Eve Ensler, the third wife of his father, Richard. Eve officially adopted Mark when he was 15 and she was 23. McDermott became very attached to his stepmother, and soon Eve, who was involved in writing plays and scripts, began writing roles for her stepson. When Ensler had a miscarriage, Mark officially took the name Dylan, as his stepmother always wanted to name her future son.
Dylan attended the acting school at Fordham University and then studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where his mentor was Sanford Meisner. Meisner's tutelage also included actors such as Alec Baldwin, Christoph Waltz, James Franco, John Turturro, Tom Cruise, and many other actors who later gained international fame.
Dylan made his big-screen debut at the age of 26 in the film "Hamburger Hill" (1987), where he played the notable role of Sergeant Adam Frantz. In his next feature film, McDermott portrayed the main character in "The Blue Iguana," a film about a bounty hunter named Vince Holloway, who is forced to rob a bank due to tax collectors' blackmail. His first lead role did not bring him fame, nor did his subsequent works such as "Twister" (1989), "Steel Magnolias" (1989), and the TV film "Neon Empire" (1989).
In the early 90s, McDermott began to take on more prominent roles. He achieved certain success with the audience in the science fiction thriller "Hardware" (1990), the western horror film "In the Line of Duty" (1991), the crime detective movie "Where Sleeping Dogs Lie" (1991), the romantic comedy "The Prince of New York" (1992), and the thriller "Fear Inside" (1992). In each of these films, McDermott played the lead or one of the main roles, but his true success came in 1993, thanks to renowned filmmakers Wolfgang Petersen and Clint Eastwood.
That year, Petersen directed the action drama film "In the Line of Fire," where the lead roles were played by Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, and Rene Russo. McDermott, who played Agent Al D'Andrea, a member of the President's security detail, found a place in this company, despite being relatively unknown at the time. This major project opened up new horizons for the actor, and he appeared in notable film projects every year. Some of these include "Texas Rangers" (1994), "Miracle on 34th Street" (1994), and "Destiny Turns on the Radio" (1995).
In 1995, Dylan married actress Shiva Rose, who gave him two daughters - Colette (born in 1996) and Charlotte Rose (born in 2005). In 1997, McDermott signed on for the lead role in the series "The Practice," which focused on the employees of a law firm in Boston and their personal and professional dramas. His role as the firm's founder, Robert "Bobby" Donnell, brought international success to Dylan. He received a Golden Globe award for "Best Actor in a TV Drama" in 1999. In the same year, he was also nominated for GQ magazine's "Men of the Year" list. "The Practice" ran for eight seasons (from 1997 to 2004), and in the final season, McDermott's character took a back seat.
Parallel to his work on this series, Dylan appeared in several films, including "Three to Tango" (1999), "The Campaign" (2003), "Wonderland" (2004), and "The Grid" (2004).
From 2005 to the present, McDermott has appeared in memorable as well as average films and TV series. Some notable projects during this period include "The Mistress of Spices" (2005), "Men in Trees" (2007-2008), "Have Dreams, Will Travel" (2007), "Dark Blue" (2009-2010), "American Horror Story" (2011-2013), "Dirty Politics for Fair Elections" (2012), "Behaving Badly" (2012), "Olympus Has Fallen" (2013), "Hostages" (2013-2014), and "Stalker" (2014-2015).
During the filming of "Stalker," the actor started a romantic relationship with his co-star Maggie Q and they got engaged on January 14, 2015, six years after his official divorce from Shiva Rose. However, the couple never made it to the altar and broke up in the winter of 2019. The reasons behind their separation were not disclosed.
In 2018, Dylan's creative biography added projects such as "Josie," "LA to Vegas," and "The Clovehitch Killer," and the following year, he joined the series "The Politician," and in 2020, he starred in "Hollywood."
In his free time, the Hollywood star prefers to spend time with friends and his children, travel, and take care of his pet dog, Otis.
