About Patrick Swayze

In the summer of 1963, 17-year-old New Yorker Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) is vacationing with her affluent middle-class Jewish family at Kellerman's, a Jewish resort in the Catskill Mountains.

Dirty Dancing
(Ultimate Edition)

Baby is planning to attend Mount Holyoke College to study economics and then to enter the Peace Corps. She was named after Frances Perkins, the first woman in the U.S. Cabinet. Baby's father, Jake (Jerry Orbach), is the personal physician of the resort owner Max Kellerman (Jack Weston).

Baby develops a crush on the resort's dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), part of the working-class entertainment staff. When Baby is invited to one of their parties, she observes for the first time the "dirty dancing" that the staff enjoys. Later, Baby discovers that Johnny's dance partner Penny Johnson (Cynthia Rhodes) is distraught over being pregnant by Robbie Gould (Max Cantor), the waiter whom Baby's sister Lisa is dating. When Baby learns that Robbie plans to do nothing about the pregnancy, she secures the money from her father to pay for Penny's illegal abortion. In her efforts to help, Baby also becomes Penny's fill-in for a performance at the Sheldrake, a nearby resort where Johnny and Penny perform annually. As Baby becomes Johnny's pupil in dance, tempers flare and a romance begins to develop. Read more...

Ghost

Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) and Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) are a happy and loving couple living in New York City. The only problem in their relationship is Sam's apparent discomfort with saying "I love you" to his girlfriend, only responding to her saying it with "ditto". This bothers Molly, who feels she needs to hear him say "I love you" in return.

One night, while walking back to their new apartment after going to the theatre, they encounter a thief named Willy Lopez (Rick Aviles). He pulls a gun and Sam is shot. Sam chases Willy, but loses him; when he returns to Molly, he sees her cradling his own corpse, and realizes that he is now a ghost, trapped between worlds. Lights descend to take him away, but he flees. Read more...

Patrick Wayne Swayze was born on Aug. 18, 1952, in Houston, TX, father Jesse Wayne (an engineering drafter) and Mom "Patsy" Yvonne Swayze(a dancer and choreographer who owned the Houston Jazz and Ballet Company).

Patrick began dance training with his mother at an early age, focusing on a ballet career. As a teenager he also developed his sporting side, participating in gymnastics, swimming and football at Waltrip High School in Houston.

He was offered scholarships for both dance and athletics and chooses the gymnastics program at San Jacinto College in Houston. He had also become an accomplished figure skater and was offered a role as Prince Charming in the "Disney on Parade" touring ice show.

In 1972 Patrick Swayze decided to go back to ballet, so he moved to New York City. Danced as a guest artist with Buffalo Ballet Company and studied at the Harkness and Joffrey Ballet Companies. Then he got hired as the principal dancer at the Eliot Feld Ballet Company, but left shortly, because of knee injury from playing football in high school. He decided to make a move to the theatre now.

He performed with and wrote material for six bands.

In 1975 was his Broadway debut as dancer in "Goodtime Charley".

In 1975 he married Lisa Niemi. They met while she was a dance student at his mother's dance studio.

He landed a role as Danny, in the Broadway version of 'Grease' and his stage success led him to Hollywood.

In 1979 he made his film debut in "Skatetown" and played the part in episodes of "M*A*S*H".

His film breakout came in 1983 when he was cast in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Outsiders". This movie also launched the careers of Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Tom Cruise.

In 1983 he played in film "Uncommon Valor" and TV series "Renegades".

1984 Patrick Swayze played first feature lead in the war drama "Red Dawn", the first film with Jennifer Grey.

1985 was his first success in TV mini-series "North and South", with his starring role of young Confederate soldier.

1986 he co-starred with Rob Lowe and Keanu Reeves in "Youngblood.

1987 Everything changed for Patrick Swayze, when he became an overnight sensation with his starring role in "Dirty Dancing" opposite Jennifer Grey. Playing dance teacher Johnny Castle he earned a Golden Globe nomination for this film, and also sang an original song - "She's Like the Wind" - from the movie soundtrack. The song hit #3 on the pop charts and the film soundtrack became one of the top-selling soundtracks in history.

1989 were actor's next two titles, the action films "Road House" (as a bouncer at a roadside bar) and mob-revenge "Next of Kin".

1990 he became co-owner of Mulholland Drive Cafe, restaurant closed in 1996.

Also in 1990, only three years after "Dirty Dancing," Patrick Swayze turns in another great performance in the blockbuster romance, "Ghost" co-starred with Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. For his work, he received a second Golden Globe nomination and People magazine included him in their "Sexiest Man Alive" issue the following year.

1991 he re-teamed with actor Keanu Reeves in the action hit, "Point Break".

1995 he opened second restaurant, Bobby O's City Bites.

Also in 1995 he surprised audiences who were used to his romantic dramas and action movies, when he starred in cross-country drag-queen movie "To Wong Foo, Thanks for everything! Julie Newmar".

1997 brought him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In the late 1990's Patrick Swayze experienced several career setbacks including broken right leg and fractured left leg in riding accident during filming of "Letters From a Killer"
as well as increasing problems with his alcoholism. He landed in rehab and after his release, he and his wife Niemi decided to get away from the Hollywood atmosphere and move to the ranch in Texas.

2001 Patrick Swayze returned to work, appearing in the Vietnam-set "The Green Dragon" and the cult-classic "Donnie Darko".

In 2000 a small plane that Swayze was piloting was involved in a crash outside Phoenix, AZ. The actor, who was not injured, attempted an emergency landing and sheared off the right wing of the plane after colliding with a light pole.

2001 co-starred in "Without a Word" a film co-written and directed by Lisa Niemi.

2002 co-starred in "Waking Up in Reno" with Billy Bob Thornton and Charlize Theron.

2003 Patrick Swayze appeared on Broadway where he played the tap-dancing lawyer Billy Flynn in the Tony Award winning musical "Chicago".

2004 he made an appearance as a dance instructor in "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights".

2004 he played a choreographer in the NBC sitcom "Whoopi".

In 2006, he appeared alongside Kristin-Scott Thomas and Rowan Atkinson in the independent British film "Keeping Mum".

2006 he made London stage debut in the musical "Guys and Dolls" at the Piccadilly Theater, as Nathan Detroit.

2006 played golf teacher in the British comedy "Keeping Mum".

In late January 2008 Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has been undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments at the Stanford University Medical Center.

Since late January of 2008 he is successfully battling pancreatic cancer. I'm saying successfully, because he has one of the deadliest forms of the cancer. The American Cancer Society confirms that pancreatic cancer has only five percent, five-year survival rate and majority of patients die within six months. Patrick Swayze says his time may be short: "I'd say five years is pretty wishful thinking. Two years seems likely if you're going to believe statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I'd better get a fire under it." Read more

Did you know you can sign for the Official Fan Club site of Patrick Swayze at: http://www.patrickswayze.net/ where you can learn:

AMAZING FACTS EVERY TRUE FAN SHOULD KNOW!!!

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

... Patrick and his wife Lisa live on a Ranch near Los Angeles called Rancho Bizarro.

... that it really IS Patrick dancing in "Dirty Dancing" - not a stand-in!! Patrick is a trained dancer as well as an actor, and was dancing almost as soon as he could walk. He is also a keen musician and composer.

... that Lisa is also a trained dancer as well as an actress, writer and musician.

... that Patrick and Lisa have been married for 33 years!! They celebrated their 33rd Wedding Anniversary on 12th June 2008.

... that Patrick and Lisa have Egyptian Arabian horses that are really beautiful! They love animals and they take care of cats, dogs and birds on their Ranch.

... that Patrick is crazy about sushi.

... that Lisa loves Earl Grey tea.

... that both Patrick and Lisa are multi-engined instrument rated pilots.

... that Lisa's ancestors are from Finland.

... that Patrick really did drive the truck in "Black Dog"!!!

... that Patrick and Lisa also worked as carpenters when they were performing as dancers in New York in the 1970's.

... that Patrick and Lisa have been doing "Pilates" fitness exercises for more than 25 years, long before it became the "in" thing to do!! Pilates keeps you supple, fit and strong for dancing.

... that they both help keep the Official Fan Club informed with what's happening in their lives and careers - so join us now!!!!!
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