Editing Patrick Dempsey (section)

==Early life==
Dempsey was born in [[Lewiston, Maine]],<ref name=filmref/> and grew up in the nearby towns of [[Turner, Maine|Turner]] and [[Buckfield, Maine|Buckfield]]. He has two older sisters.<ref name=dempseychallenge/> His mother, Amanda ([[née]] Casson),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lynchbrothers.com/book-of-memories/1834904/Dempsey-Amanda/obituary.php|title=Obituary for Amanda Dempsey|publisher=Pinette Dillingham & Lynch Funeral Home & Cremation Service|access-date=January 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026001911/http://www.lynchbrothers.com//book-of-memories/1834904/Dempsey-Amanda/obituary.php|archive-date=October 26, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> was a school secretary, and his father, William, was an insurance salesman.<ref name=filmref/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3669535/Patrick-Dempsey-the-Doctor-is-in.|location=London, UK|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|first=Catherine|last=Shoard|title=Patrick Dempsey: the Doctor is in|date=November 25, 2007}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.eonline.com/1987/10/02/movies/new-faces-patrick-dempsey-2-films-2-looks.html|work=The New York Times|first=Lawrence|last=Van Gelder|title=New Faces: Patrick Dempsey, 2 Films, 2 Looks|date=October 2, 1987}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

He attended [[Leavitt Area High School]], Buckfield High School and [[Saint-Dominic Academy|St. Dominic Regional High School]], and after moving to Houston attended [[Willowridge High School (Houston)|Willowridge High School]].<ref name=dempseychallenge>{{cite web|url=http://www.dempseychallenge.org/content/4131/Patrick_Dempsey|title= About: Patrick Dempsey|publisher=The Dempsey Challenge|access-date=January 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804015013/http://www.dempseychallenge.org/content/4131/Patrick_Dempsey|archive-date=August 4, 2010}}</ref>

In his youth, Dempsey participated in juggling competitions. In 1981, he achieved second place at the [[International Jugglers' Association]] Championship in the Juniors category, just behind [[Anthony Gatto]], who is considered to be the best technical juggler of all time.<ref>[http://dev.juggle.org/ija/championships/1981-cleveland-oh/ 1981 Juniors Championship of the International Jugglers' Association (IJA) website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213010114/http://dev.juggle.org/ija/championships/1981-cleveland-oh/ |date=December 13, 2017 }}; accessed March 6, 2015. He then went on to be discovered at a local talent competition, Talent America, which catapulted his career under agent Davina Wells, one of the organization’s judges.</ref>

Dempsey was diagnosed with [[dyslexia]] at age 12. He told [[Barbara Walters]] on her 2008 Oscar special that he thinks dyslexia made him what he is today. "It's given me a perspective of — you have to keep working," Dempsey told Walters. "I have never given up."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.today.com/id/11610814|title={{-'}}Grey's Anatomy's' Dempsey has dyslexia|publisher=Today.com|access-date=November 22, 2019|archive-date=July 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707195237/http://www.today.com/id/11610814|url-status=dead}}</ref>