Eric Dane, McSteamy of 'Grey's Anatomy,' says he has ALS

Eric Dane, the actor known as the handsome plastic surgeon nicknamed McSteamy in Grey's Anatomy, told People magazine that he has been diagnosed with ALS.

Dane told the magazine that he was grateful for his family's support and was excited to return soon to the set of Euphoria. His representatives did not immediately respond to emails and phone calls seeking additional information.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurological disorder that degrades a patient's ability to control muscles, speak and eventually breathe without assistance.

While ALS patients often die within five years of being diagnosed, clinical trials for potential therapies have generated hope about extending a patient's life by several months.

Dane began acting in the early 1990s with small parts in television shows, first in Saved By the Bell and later in Married With Children. Over the years, his charm and boyish good looks earned him recurring roles on Gideon's Crossing, where he played a doctor, and on Charmed.

His breakout moment came in 2006 in another medical role, this time as a leading man in Grey's Anatomy, which was renewed for a 22nd season this year, making it one of the most successful televisions shows of all time.

Donning a white lab coat and sporting a well-kept beared and perfectly messy hair, Dane portrayed Dr. Mark Sloan, the head of plastic surgery at the Seattle hospital where the show was based. The hospital was later renamed after his character, who died on the show.

Dane's most prominent role recently has been on the television show Euphoria, where he portrays the father of Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi. Although he usually plays a handsome supporting character, he has played a range of roles that deviated from that, including as a hired killer in the movie Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

"Television is the land of pretty people," Lynn Hirschberg wrote for The New York Times in 2009. The article went on to quote George Clooney, another handsome man, as he waxed poetic about Dane.

"He's good-looking, and he has a sense of humor. That's rare," Clooney said.