Dylan McDermott

Dylan was 5-years-old when his mother died. He and his sister were raised by their maternal grandmother, Avis (née Rogers) Marino, in Waterbury.

As a teenager, McDermott began taking trips to visit his father, who owned the West Fourth Street Saloon in Greenwich Village. The two would go to the movies and the younger McDermott would work in his father's bar serving drinks and breaking up fights. He would also fast talk his way into the Mudd Club and Studio 54. McDermott was uncomfortable with himself as a teenager, saying he had a "Dorothy Hamill hairdo". He began to imitate his acting heroes, such as Marlon Brando and Humphrey Bogart, to adopt their demeanor. McDermott graduated from Holy Cross High School, Waterbury.

His father's third wife was Eve Ensler (author of The Vagina Monologues), who legally adopted McDermott when he was 15 and she was 23; she has since divorced his father. Ensler, with whom he has remained close, encouraged McDermott to pursue an acting career and began writing roles for him into her plays. After Ensler suffered a miscarriage, he took on the name Dylan — the name planned for her unborn child. He attended acting school at the Jesuit-run Fordham University, as well as studying under Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Read Less

Despite his success on The Practice, McDermott was cut from the show. Executive producer David E. Kelley cited "economic and creative realities" as a result of pressure from ABC to reduce costs. McDermott did appear in the final two episodes of the final season. Read Less

Due to low viewership, the show was cancelled in January 2008 after 11 episodes without completing the planned 13-episode season. Read Less