Patrick Swayze

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American stage, film and TV actor, dancer, choreographer and sex symbol, a top box-office figure with "Dirty Dancing," 1987, "Roadhouse," and "Ghost," 1990. Other films include "Point Break," "Next of Kin," "Uncommon Valor," "Red Dawn," Grandview, USA" and "The City of Joy." Swayze was one of five children of Jesse and Patti Swayze and grew up in Houston, Texas. Dad was a drafting engineer and Mom was a dancing instructor, later a choreographer whose credits would include "Urban Cowboy." Eager to enhance her son's obvious talent, Patti urged him study ballet as a child, a discipline to which young Patrick readily adapted. A born athlete, Swayze endured much ridicule from his macho pals about his dancing shoes, but kept working at the bar nonetheless. Starring in every high school musical while also setting state records in broad jump, diving and track, football star Swayze's breakneck teen years prepared him well for the rigors of life as a professional dancer. Attending San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas on a gymnastics scholarship, multi-faceted Swayze left after his second year when he won a spot on the road show "Disney on Parade." A move to New York followed, where he found himself knee-deep in struggling dancer-actors. With his unique combination of athletic prowess and superb agility, the jobs came easily. After dancing with the Joffrey, Harkness and Eliot Feld Ballet companies, his first big break came in 1978 with the role of Danny Zucko in the Broadway production of "Grease." The following year he made his first film, a B movie called "Skatetown, USA." Moving to California in late 1979, he scraped by with carpentry jobs until he landed a role in Francis Ford Coppola's picture "The Outsiders." TV roles followed in the '80s, most notably the mini-series "North and South" in 1985-1986. In his signature role of dance instructor Johnny Castle in the blockbuster hit "Dirty Dancing," heartthrob Swayze became a superstar overnight. Whatever he does, he does with a passion, acting, dancing, singing, horse-training, writing and carpentry. He built his own house outside of Hollywood in horse country. When he was 21, he met 16-year-old Lisa Niemi at his mom's dance studio; they married three years later, 1975. They make their home on five acre "Rancho Bizarro" in the San Gabriel mountains of California. In May 1998 he suffered serious injury after being thrown from a horse while riding, leaving him with two broken legs, a smashed finger and four detached tendons in his left shoulder. Twelve operations were needed to reconstruct the damage; eight knee surgeries, two leg surgeries, surgery on the shoulder with 15 anchors and 20 staples, one finger completely rebuilt with a titanium rod covered with skin and it was absolutely amazing that he was able to walk again. The actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2008. He died on September 14, 2009 at his home near Los Angeles. He was 57. Link to Wikipedia biography