Eric Dane (born Eric T. Melvin, November 9, 1972) is an American actor. After appearing in television roles throughout the 2000s with his recurring role as Jason Dean in Charmed being the most well known, he became best known for playing Dr. Mark Sloan on the medical drama television series Grey\'s Anatomy, as well as films, co-starring in Marley & Me (2008), Valentine\'s Day (2010), and Burlesque (2010). He stars as Captain Tom Chandler in the apocalyptic drama The Last Ship.\n', '
Dane was born in San Francisco, California, to a homemaker mother and an interior designer/architect father, William Melvin. When Dane was 7 years old, his father died of a gunshot wound. Dane has a younger brother, and they were raised in their mother\'s Jewish religion (Dane had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony). He attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California, from 1987 to 1990, and San Mateo High School in San Mateo, California, from 1990 to 1991, where he graduated. Dane was an athlete in high school, playing on the boys\' varsity water polo team, but pursued a career in acting after appearing in a school production of Arthur Miller\'s All My Sons.\n', '
In 1993, Dane moved to Los Angeles, where he played small roles in the television series Saved by the Bell, The Wonder Years, Roseanne, and Married... with Children, among others. But in 2000, he was signed for a recurring role in Gideon\'s Crossing, and followed this with a two-season run as Jason Dean in Charmed. His made-for-television film credits included two biopics, Serving in Silence (about Margarethe Cammermeyer\'s experiences in the military), and Helter Skelter, in which he portrayed Charles "Tex" Watson, a member of the Manson family.\n', '