Patrick Dempsey stars in Fox thriller 'Memory of a Killer'

Patrick Dempsey is the lead of the Fox thriller Memory of a Killer, which premiered on Sunday and streams on Hulu. He plays Angelo, a devoted father and grieving widower who is also an assassin-for-hire and begins to worry he is experiencing the onset of dementia. Dempsey, who recently turned 60 and spent 11 seasons on Grey’s Anatomy as the neurosurgeon nicknamed McDreamy, has spent the last decade deliberately seeking darker roles in shorter television runs.

His post‑Grey’s credits include parts in The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, Devils and Dexter: Original Sin. In Memory of a Killer he alternates between a quiet salesman and a lethal operator who, for example, changes into a bespoke suit, trades a Volkswagen for a Porsche and kills three men in a restaurant bathroom; Michael Imperioli plays his handler, Dutch.

The network and showrunners framed the casting as a chance to reveal a different side of Dempsey: Fox’s president Michael Thorn said they saw how fully he could transform into someone unsettling, and showrunner Aaron Zelman noted the surprise of seeing him get scary and emotional.

Dempsey said he wanted to test himself and accepted the role after creators guaranteed a relatively short, 10-episode first season. If the series is renewed, Dempsey said he would like to add more action and stunt driving.

Key Topics

Culture, Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy, Fox, Hulu, Michael Imperioli