Eric William Dane (born November 9, 1972) is an American actor, most recently known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan in Grey's Anatomy. Dane's first major feature film appearance was in The Basket (1999). He also appeared in Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane, Sol Goode, Feast, Open Water 2, and X-Men: The Last Stand. In 2005, Dane guested as Dr. Mark Sloan (nicknamed "McSteamy" by Meredith Grey in "Yesterday," the eighteenth episode of the second season of the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy). Positive audience reaction to the character led to Dane's becoming a regular in the show's third season. His first appearance in the season, in which he walked out of the bathroom soaking wet and wearing only a strategically placed towel, was labeled a "watercooler moment". In December 2006, he starred in the A&E TV movie Wedding Wars as the brother of a gay man (played by John Stamos) who goes on strike in support of marriage equality.