He started out in a small private clinic in Auckland and has ended up on staff at a large teaching hospital in Seattle. Kiwi actor Martin Henderson (40) has just joined the cast of hit US TV show Grey’s Anatomy, playing a new doctor and filling the gap left after Patrick Dempsey’s character Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd was killed off.
He’s come a long way since playing teenager Stuart Neilson on Shortland Street from 1992 to 1995. Back then, his character became something of a heart-throb and he’s expected to step into the role of the resident hottie in Grey’s Anatomy following the departure in recent years of both Patrick Dempsey and Eric Dane, who played Mark “McSteamy” Sloan.
The show’s producer, Shonda Rhimes, wanted new, “charismatic” male blood to fill the void, according to TV insiders, and Martin fit the bill. His resemblance to Patrick has also not gone unnoticed. Martin has already played a dashing doctor on Shonda’s short-lived TV series Off the Map in 2011, so she was familiar with his work.
The actor has been steadily making a name for himself since he moved to the US in 1997. His big breakthrough came in the 2002 horror movie The Ring, with Naomi Watts, but he also became known for steamy scenes with Britney Spears in her music video for Toxic. His role on Grey’s Anatomy could make him a household name, and he also has a part in upcoming disaster thriller Everest, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley, that is set to raise his profile even further.
When one McDreamy door closes, another one opens. Martin replaces Patrick Dempsey, whose character has died.
In the meantime, speculation has already begun about the nickname he’s likely to earn on the TV show. The top contender so far is “McHunky”.
