In 1899 he was discovered by illustrious stage actor George Rignold, and he traveled on an extended Australian tour with Rignold’s company. In mid-1902 McDermott traveled to New York via Canada, joining Mrs Patrick Campbell’s a company soon after and appearing on Broadway, as Sir George Orreyed in The Second Mrs. Tanqeray.
McDermott was discovered by a prominent stage actor named George Rignold in 1899 and subsequently went on an extensive tour of Australia with Rignold's theater company. Two years later, McDermott traveled to New York via Canada, joined Campbell's theater troupe shortly after, and made his Broadway debut as Sir George Orreyed in The Second Mrs. Tanqeray.