5 Best Eric Dane Movies And TV Shows You Need To Watch

Movie and tv actor Eric Dane handed away on the age of 53 on February 19, 2026, simply 10 months after publicly revealing that he was identified with ALS, a degenerative and deadly illness also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s illness. In a press release supplied to People Magazine, Dane’s household wrote, “With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane handed on Thursday afternoon following a brave battle with ALS. He spent his last days surrounded by pricey pals, his devoted spouse, and his two lovely daughters, Billie and Georgia, who have been the middle of his world.”

If you happen to actually really feel like crying, you may watch Dane — who, whereas he filmed this video, was dropping his means to talk as a result of ALS — ship a last speech for Netflix’s “Well-known Final Phrases” sequence in a clip that’s going viral on the social media site X. So far as Dane’s on-screen performing work goes, although, you even have loads to select from. Other than ensemble movies like “Burlesque” and the oft-maligned “X-Males: The Final Stand,” Dane spent most of his time on the small display screen — so if you wish to honor the late actor, go forward and watch all or any of those 5 initiatives.

No, do not go! Hear me out! Garry Marshall’s 2010 ensemble rom-com is overstuffed and, frankly, not significantly good — however Eric Dane is really actually good in it, partly as a result of he is given one of many higher storylines of your complete ordeal. (Sure, that is additionally the film the place Taylor Swift makes her function movie performing debut; there’s loads happening right here.) Within the movie, Dane performs Sean Jackson, a preferred and profitable skilled soccer participant who’s attempting to resolve whether or not or not he ought to retire … and whether or not or not he ought to come out as brazenly homosexual within the course of. Alongside his publicist Kara (Jessica Biel), he weighs what he ought to do. Whereas this is occurring, we preserve seeing scenes with Bradley Cooper’s airline passenger Holden Wilson, who provides up his automotive to permit Military captain Kate Hazeltine (Julia Roberts) to get dwelling for the vacation as soon as they land.

Holden, because it seems, is Sean’s secret boyfriend — and in a scene that is manner extra touching than it has any proper to be, Sean comes out on tv and will get to see the love of his life later that night time. Sure, “Valentine’s Day” is a patently foolish film, however Dane is basically good in it, and he will get the sweetest character arc out of anyone.

Sam Levinson’s eternally controversial HBO sequence “Euphoria” premiered in 2019, longtime followers of a sure medical TV drama might need been a little stunned to see Eric Dane taking part in very a lot towards kind as Cal Jacobs. A tightly wound and controlling man whose son Nate, performed by Jacob Elordi, is saddled along with his dad’s generational trauma, Cal has a surprising secret: he secretly goes on-line and finds younger trans folks for random sexual encounters. A type of younger folks, because it occurs, is Jules Vaughn, who begins the sequence as a brand new pupil and instantly bonds with sequence lead Rue Bennett (Zendaya). 

Partway by way of season 1 of “Euphoria,” Jules appropriately clocks that Cal was considered one of her companions and calls him out on it. Because of the truth that Dane was an astounding actor able to loads of nuance, he takes a personality that would simply be one-dimensional and makes him weirdly tragic as he begs for Jules to maintain his secret. Then, in season 2, we get an episode that kicks off with a Cal-centric flashback — “Ruminations: Huge and Little Bullys” — the place we study that he was as soon as in love along with his male greatest pal. Within the following episode “You Who Can’t See, Consider These Who Can,” Dane will get a completely wild scene the place Cal will get dwelling drunk and blows up at his household. “Euphoria” is, to place it evenly, a multitude of a present that is anchored by nice performances. A type of got here from Dane.

Eric Dane left “Grey’s Anatomy” (we’ll circle back to that, obviously) in 2012 after the very beginning of the show’s ninth season, and after taking part in the identical character for six years, he was apparently looking for a change of tempo. He discovered it with “The Final Ship,” a TNT drama that ran from 2014 to 2018 and spanned 5 seasons. The unusually formidable sequence focuses on a world ravaged by a worldwide pandemic (whoops) that solely has 20% of its inhabitants left. Enter Dane’s Commander Tom Chandler (ultimately named a captain after which an admiral all through the present’s run), who’s answerable for a missile destroyer named the USS Nathan James and should try to discover a remedy because the pandemic rages on.

Alongside fellow forged members like Travis Van Winkle, Rhona Mitra, Bridget Regan, and Jodie Turner-Smith, Dane turned in a tremendous efficiency on this heightened however extraordinarily enjoyable present, and it gave him an opportunity to stretch his wings as a performer. In 2014 he informed TVLine, “[Chandler is] honorable. He is constant. He is a little bit of a maverick at instances. He is honest. Coming from ‘Gray’s Anatomy,’ these are issues I hadn’t gotten to play for slightly bit. Mark Sloan was simply the other of all that stuff.” (That is not fully honest to Mark Sloan, however once more, we’ll circle again to that.)

Certainly one of Eric Dane’s last initiatives, “Countdown,” an authentic sequence launched by Amazon Prime Video in 2025, options the actor as one more regulation enforcement official. This time, he is taking part in FBI Particular Agent Nathan Blythe, who runs an elite process drive based mostly in Los Angeles. The sequence kicks off with the demise of a Division of Homeland Safety officer, at which level the present’s protagonist, detective Mark Meachum (“Supernatural” veteran Jensen Ackles), is introduced into the duty drive by Nathan and alongside different brokers like DEA veteran Particular Agent Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho), FBI cyber crime skilled Particular Agent Evan Shepherd (Violett Beane), counter-terrorism skilled FBI Particular Agent Keyonte Bell (Elliot Knight), and LAPD detective Luke Finau (Uli Latukefu), who spent years within the division’s narcotics division.

“Countdown” was canceled after one season, however it’s nonetheless a enjoyable mission that lets Dane showcase his appreciable vary. Nonetheless, whenever you consider Eric Dane, one present in all probability involves thoughts … and that is “Gray’s Anatomy.”

When Eric Dane first exhibits up as Dr. Mark Sloan, the go-to plastic surgeon of the East Coast, he hits on the titular Dr. Meredith Gray (Ellen Pompeo) earlier than getting promptly clocked by his former greatest pal and Meredith’s recent ex, neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). Mark, who actually makes a number of entrances into scenes carrying nothing however a towel with a cloud of steam behind him as he emerges from a scorching lavatory — a phenomenon that partially impressed his in-show nickname “McSteamy” — is launched as a good-looking foil for Derek, significantly once we study that Mark had an affair with Derek’s ex-wife Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) that ended their lengthy marriage.

Properly, “Gray’s Anatomy” saved Dane round and let Mark evolve. All through the present, he shares a genuinely lovely friendship with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramírez) — a friendship that features semi-regular intercourse, which is how they find yourself co-parenting child Sofia Robbins Sloan-Torres alongside Callie’s girlfriend Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) and a swoony, considerably legendary romance with Meredith’s half-sister Dr. Lexie Gray (Chyler Leigh). Mark is wry, humorous, surprisingly emotional, and finally ends up changing into one of many present’s best possible characters, significantly as he provides up his womanizing methods to be a greater associate to Lexie.

Within the two-part season 8 finale of “Gray’s Anatomy,” a bunch of the medical doctors are concerned in a plan crash (a lot of physicians die in increasingly stupid ways on this show) and Lexie dies of her accidents within the wild earlier than Mark succumbs to his again in Seattle. The hospital featured finally ends up being named Gray-Sloan Memorial after them, although — and there is no query that Mark and Dane modified “Gray’s Anatomy” for the higher.