Patrick Wayne Swayze (/ˈsweɪzi/; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, singer, and songwriter. Gaining fame with appearances in films during the 1980s, he became popular for playing tough and romantic male leads, giving him a wide fan base. He was named by People magazine as its Sexiest Man Alive in 1991.
Patrick Wayne Swayze was born on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas, the second child of Patsy Swayze (née Karnes; 1927–2013), a choreographer, dance instructor, and dancer, and Jesse Wayne Swayze (1925–1982), an engineering draftsman.[1][2] He had an older sister, Vickie (1949–1994), two younger brothers, actor Don (born 1958) and Sean (born 1962), and one younger sister, Bambi.[3] Swayze's paternal ancestor was Englishman John Swasey (1619–1706) from Bridport in Dorset.[4] During the Great Migration, Swasey travelled aboard The Recovery, ultimately arriving in Massachusetts. He married Katherine Kinge from Essex and eventually had seven children. Their grandson Samuel, a judge, was among the first to use the Swayze spelling.[4]
Until age 20, Swayze lived in the Oak Forest neighborhood of Houston, where he attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic School,[5] Oak Forest Elementary School,[6] Black Middle School,[6][7] and Waltrip High School.[6] and San Jacinto College Central. During this time, he pursued multiple artistic and athletic skills, such as ice skating, classical ballet, and acting in school plays. He also played football during high school, hoping to receive a football scholarship for college, until a knee injury ended his career, and he concurrently practiced martial arts such as Wushu, Taekwondo, and Aikido, which he used to channel his "self-deprecating rage."[8] In 1972, he moved to New York City to complete his formal dance training at the Harkness Ballet and Joffrey Ballet schools.[9]
Career
Patrick Swayze's first professional appearance was as a dancer for the Disney Theatrical Group in a show called Disney on Parade. He then starred in the role of Danny Zuko in one of the replacement casts for the long-running Broadway production of Grease.[10] In 1979, he made his film debut as "Ace" in Skatetown, U.S.A.. He appeared in the poignant M*A*S*H episode Blood Brothers in 1981 as Private Sturgis, whose wounds are minor, but who is found to be terminally ill with cancer.[11] That same year he appeared in the TV movie Return of the Rebels with Barbara Eden and then, in 1983, had a brief stint on the short-lived TV series The Renegades, playing a gang leader named Bandit.
Swayze became better known to the film industry after appearing in The Outsiders in 1983 as the older brother of C. Thomas Howell and Rob Lowe. The same year, Swayze played a U.S.M.C. trainer in Vietnam rescue film Uncommon Valor with Gene Hackman. The following year, Swayze, Howell, and Howell's friend and fellow The Outsiders actor Darren Dalton reunited in Red Dawn, along with Jennifer Grey. In 1986, Lowe and Swayze reunited in Youngblood. Swayze's first major dramatic success was in the 1985 television miniseries North and South, set during the American Civil War.[12]
However, Swayze is probably best remembered for what was actually a low-budget movie, planned for only a one-week release, after which it was to go to video. Instead, Dirty Dancing propelled him to fame in 1987 playing resort dance instructor Johnny Castle, alongside his Red Dawn co-star Jennifer Grey. The story enabled Swayze to dance and romance Grey as well as showcase his professional dance training. In addition to acting and dancing, Swayze co-composed and sang one of the songs on the soundtrack for Dirty Dancing, "She's Like the Wind." The song became a Top 10 hit that has been covered by other artists since. Swayze had originally co-written the song with Stacy Widelitz for the film Grandview, U.S.A. in 1984.
Dirty Dancing'scoming of age story first became a surprise hit, and then achieved enormous international success. It was the first film to sell one million copies on video, and as of 2009, it had earned over $214 million worldwide. The film also generated several alternative, or derivative, versions, ranging from a television series to stage productions to a computer game. Swayze received a Golden Globe Award nomination for the role. The film was re-released briefly in 1997 for its tenth anniversary.
Swayze at the 61st Academy Awards in 1989Swayze and Paula Abdul at the 1990 Grammy Awards
After Dirty Dancing, Swayze found himself in great demand, and appeared in several films, including Road House in 1989 with Sam Elliott, Ben Gazzara and Kelly Lynch. His next big role came when he starred in Ghost (1990) with Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg.[13] In 1991, he starred alongside Youngblood castmate Keanu Reeves in another major action hit, Point Break, and he was also chosen that year by People magazine as that year's "Sexiest Man Alive."[14]
For his contributions to the film industry, Swayze was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997.[15]
Swayze was seriously injured in May 1997 while filming HBO's Letters from a Killer near Ione, California, when he fell from a horse and hit a tree.[16] Both of his legs were broken, and he suffered four detached tendons in his shoulder. Filming was suspended for two months. The film aired in 1998, and Swayze slowly recovered from his injuries, but he had trouble resuming his career until 2000, when he co-starred in Forever Lulu, with Melanie Griffith.
In 2003, Swayze co-produced and also starred in the fictional dance film One Last Dance, along with his real-life wife Lisa Niemi and a talented cast. The story revolves around an actual dance production, "Without a Word," which had been choreographed by Alonzo King. Swayze and Niemi also produced the film, starred in it, and composed some of the music.
Swayze made his debut in London's West End in the musical Guys and Dolls as Nathan Detroit on July 27, 2006,[17][18][19] alongside Neil Jerzak, and remained in the role until November 25, 2006. His previous appearances on the Broadway stage had included productions of Goodtime Charley in 1975[20] and Chicago.[21]
Swayze also provided the voice for Cash the country music band dog in The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006), and in 2007 he starred in the film Christmas in Wonderland. Swayze played an aging rock star in Powder Blue (2008), co-starring his younger brother Don in their first film together.
In his final role, Swayze starred as FBI Agent Charles Barker in the A&E FBI drama The Beast,[22] which was filmed in Chicago.[23] Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer shortly after filming the pilot episode, but continued working on the show while receiving treatment. The Beast premiered on January 15, 2009, and ran for one season. Reviewer Alan Sepinwall wrote:
[When] you watch Swayze in The Beast, [you] realize that this is the best performance of his career—that the opportunity to play a part like this, and to play it as well as he is, may be fueling his ability to keep fighting against the cancer. And you realize, in an odd silver lining, that the cancer may, in turn, be fueling the performance.[24]
Swayze was married to Lisa Niemi for 34 years from June 12, 1975, until his death, and they had no children, but Lisa had suffered one miscarriage. They met in 1970 when Swayze was 18 years old. Niemi, 14 years old at the time, was taking dance lessons from Swayze's mother.[25] In a 2008 interview, Swayze stated that Niemi was the inspiration for his hit song, "She's Like the Wind" (1987).
In 1989, Swayze said, "I've always felt there was something different in there (my personality), but I was scared to look. For I fear I wouldn't find anything. That's the reason I got into Buddhism, took EST training, was into therapy, into Scientology, into Transcendental Meditation. I was trying to support that side of myself. But, you know, in Texas there isn't much support for that part of you."[26] He also had said he was interested in and loved looking into different [religious] belief systems and faith[s], how it matters to other people, and how these various religious teachings are important to him in his world.[27]
Swayze entered rehab treatment for alcoholism in the 1990s. After an initial recovery, he temporarily withdrew from show business, retreating to his ranches in California and Las Vegas, New Mexico, to breed Arabian horses. His best-known horse was Tammen, a chestnut Arabian stallion.[28]
Swayze, who was an FAA licensed pilot with an instrument rating, made the news on June 1, 2000, while flying with his dogs in his twin-engine Cessna 414 N414PS, from Van Nuys, California, to Las Vegas, New Mexico. His plane developed a pressurization problem, causing Swayze to make a precautionary landing on a dirt road in a housing complex in Prescott Valley, Arizona. The plane's right wing struck a light pole, but Swayze was unharmed. According to the police report, witnesses said that Swayze appeared to be extremely intoxicated and asked for help to remove evidence from the crash site (an open bottle of wine and a 30-pack of beer).[29] He made himself unavailable to police for several hours. It was later determined that the alcohol in question was not in the cabin but stored in external storage compartments inaccessible in flight, and the probable cause of the accident was Swayze's physical impairment due to the cumulative effects of carbon monoxide from engine exhaust by-products, carbon monoxide from heavy tobacco use, and the loss of an undetermined amount of cabin pressurization, resulting in hypoxia.
On March 5, 2008, a Reuters article reported that Swayze "has a very limited amount of disease, and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far."[32] Swayze's doctor confirmed that the actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but insisted he was not as close to death as reports suggested. Despite repeated tabloid claims that his death was imminent, Swayze continued to actively pursue his career.[33]
In early May 2008, it was widely reported in a number of tabloids that Swayze underwent surgery to remove part of his stomach after the cancer spread. Reports also stated that he rewrote his will, transferring his property to his wife.[34][35] In a statement made on May 28, Swayze said he continued to respond well to treatment at Stanford University Medical Center. In late May 2008, he was seen at a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game, his first public appearance since his diagnosis.[36]
In late July 2008, six months after reportedly being given just weeks to live by medical experts, a seemingly healthy Swayze was asked by a reporter in a Los Angeles airport about his health. He replied, "I'm cooking. I'm a miracle, dude. I don't know why." The previous month, he reportedly said, "My treatments are working and I am winning the battle."[37][38]
Swayze appeared on the ABC, NBC, and CBS simulcast of Stand Up to Cancer in September 2008, to appeal to the general public for donations for the initiative. Swayze said to a standing ovation, "I dream that the word 'cure' will no longer be followed by the words 'it's impossible.' Together, we can make a world where cancer no longer means living with fear, without hope, or worse."[39] After the show ended, Swayze remained onstage and talked to other cancer patients; executive producer Laura Ziskin (herself battling advanced breast cancer, which would claim her own life) said, "He said a beautiful thing: 'I'm just an individual living with cancer.' That's how he wants to be thought of. He's in a fight, but he's a fighter."[39][40] On December 2, 2008, Swayze denied claims made by tabloids that the cancer had spread to his liver.[41]
In an interview with Barbara Walters which aired in January 2009, Swayze admitted that he had a "tiny little mass" in his liver, but told Walters that he wanted the media to report that he was "kicking it." When Walters asked him if he was using any holistic or alternative methods of treatment besides chemotherapy, Swayze said he was using some Chinese herbs. He then voiced his opposition to the unsupported claims made by proponents of alternative therapies.[42]
Death
Memorial stone for Patrick Swayze dedicated in November 2009, at Mountain Lake Hotel where Dirty Dancing was filmed
On January 9, 2009, Swayze was hospitalized with pneumonia. The pneumonia was said to be a complication of chemotherapy for his cancer.[43] On January 16, he was released from the hospital to rest at home with his wife.[44] On April 19, 2009, doctors informed Swayze that the cancer had again metastasized to his liver.[45] Swayze had been a heavy smoker for 40 years, and he once admitted to smoking 60 cigarettes a day.[46] He stated that his chain smoking probably "had something to do with" the development of his disease. He continued to smoke cigarettes while undergoing treatment for cancer.[47]
Swayze died, with family at his side, on September 14, 2009, at the age of 57. Swayze's death occurred 20 months after his cancer diagnosis.[48][49][50] Swayze's publicist confirmed to CNN that he had died of pancreatic cancer.[51] His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered over his New Mexico ranch.
In the Canadian TV series Trailer Park Boys, the character Julian is sometimes called Patrick Swayze due to the former dressing up almost similar to Swayze's character in Road House; he does not like this comparison, especially when references to Road House, Ghost, and Dirty Dancing are made.
Jazz dance is a performance [dance] and style that in the United States arose in the mid 20th century. Jazz dance may allude to vernacular jazz or to Broadway or dramatic jazz. The two types expand on African-American vernacular styles of dance that arose with jazz music. Vernacular jazz dance incorporates ragtime moves, Charleston, Lindy hop, and mambo. Famous vernacular jazz dance entertainers incorporate The Whitman Sisters, Florence Mills, Ethel Waters, Al and Leon, Frankie Manning, Norma Miller, Dawn Hampton, and Katherine Dunham. Dramatic jazz dance performed on the show stage was promoted by Jack Cole, Bob Fosse, Eugene Louis Faccuito, and Gus Giordano.
Jerome Bernard Orbach was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last bona fide leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a "versatile stage and film actor".
Thomas James Tune is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won ten Tony Awards, the National Medal of Arts and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Jennifer Grey is an American actress. She made her acting debut starring as Cathy Bennario in the film Reckless (1984). She soon gained worldwide recognition for her role as Jeanie Bueller in the teen comedy film Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), and earned critical acclaim for starring as Frances "Baby" Houseman in the romantic drama film Dirty Dancing (1987), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination. Her other feature films include Red Dawn (1984), The Cotton Club (1984), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989), Bounce (2000), Redbelt (2008), The Wind Rises (2013), In Your Eyes (2014), Duck Duck Goose (2018), and Bittersweet Symphony (2019).
Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. It stars Jennifer Grey as Frances "Baby" Houseman, a young woman who falls in love with dance instructor Johnny Castle at a holiday resort.
Bonnie Gail Franklin was an American actress, known for her leading role in the television series One Day at a Time (1975–1984). She was nominated for Emmy, Tony and Golden Globe Awards.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar is a 1995 American road comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron and starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo as three New York City drag queens who embark on a road trip. Its title refers to an iconic autographed photo of Julie Newmar that they carry with them on their journey. She additionally appears in the film as herself.
"She's Like the Wind" is a 1987 song by American actor and singer Patrick Swayze from the soundtrack to the film Dirty Dancing. The song features additional vocals from singer Wendy Fraser. The ballad reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Richard Jonathan Fleeshman is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His television career began as a twelve-year-old, playing Craig Harris for four years in Coronation Street before going on to become an established TV, West End and Broadway performer.
Lisa Niemi Swayze is an American writer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and director. She is the widow of actor and dancer Patrick Swayze.
Donald Carl Swayze is an American character actor, noted for acting in dramatic series and soap operas as well as several feature films, and theatrical work.
Franke Jon Previte is an American singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning composer. He was the lead singer of the 1980s pop rock band Franke and the Knockouts.
One Last Dance is a 2003 American-Canadian romantic drama film about three dancers in New York City. The film was directed and written by Lisa Niemi, wife of actor Patrick Swayze. One Last Dance starred both Swayze and Niemi, who also jointly produced, alongside George de la Peña in a major role. It was filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Skatetown, U.S.A. is a 1979 American comedy musical film produced to capitalize on the short-lived fad of roller disco.
Patrick William Cassidy is an American actor best known for his roles in musical theatre and television.
Michael Terrace is a retired ballroom and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, actor, dance consultant, and writer. His stage and subsequent dance career spans a total of 60 years, during which he's made innumerable contributions to ballroom dancing. Terrace played Bernardo in West Side Story with the national company and was picked out of 2,500 ballet dancers to be at the Metropolitan Opera House with the Bolshoi Ballet Company of Russia.
Vatalanib is a small molecule protein kinase inhibitor that inhibits angiogenesis. It is being studied as a possible treatment for several types of cancer, particularly cancer that is at an advanced stage or has not responded to chemotherapy. Vatalanib is orally active, that is, it is effective when taken by mouth.
The Beast is an American crime drama series starring Patrick Swayze and Travis Fimmel. The series, which only ran for one season, debuted on A&E Network. It was Swayze's final acting performance before his death in 2009. Despite receiving largely positive reviews from critics, it garnered low Nielsen ratings and was cancelled in early June 2009.
Yvonne Helen "Patsy" Swayze was an American film choreographer, dancer, and dance instructor. Her credits include choreography for Urban Cowboy, Liar's Moon and Hope Floats.
↑ "Patrick Swayze - Trying to make all the right moves - The former dancer is still fighting for some respect". St. Petersburg Times. May 19, 1989. p.18.
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