He Oozed Charm
Patrick Swayze oozed the kind of charm that puts bums in seats at the multiplex. He was a triple threat, as he was able to do action movies, romance, and could even dance like a pro. Of course, a perfectionist like Swayze was not about to sit back and be comfortable with box office appeal. What had always eluded him was the respect of critics. As it became clear that his life would come to an abrupt and early end, he had one final shot at critical acclaim.
1. He Was Well-Rounded
Patrick Wayne Swayze arrived into this world on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas. His father was an engineer, but you could see Swayze’s future career in his mother—Patsy Swayze was a dancer, dance teacher, and choreographer. In high school, Swayze rounded himself out with more macho activities like football. In fact, he had plans to use a football scholarship to pay for college.
But fate had another plan for him.
2. His Dream Got Crushed
Swayze’s hope for a scholarship went down the tubes when he injured his knee. If you’re looking for a silver lining, there is one. This same knee injury likely kept him out of serving his country in Vietnam. Since many soldiers never returned from Vietnam, you could say that the injury saved his life.
Swayze should’ve been happy, but he was full of rage.
Twentieth Century Fox, Point Break (1991)
3. They Made Him Angry
When Patrick Swayze was still in high school, some of his classmates tormented him because he liked artsy things like dance. He later said that this filled him with rage. What Swayze did was find an outlet for his anger, and he found it in martial arts. He took up aikido, taekwondo, and kung fu.
But he never gave up on his dream to be a dancer.
Silver Pictures, Road House (1989)
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4. He Got Out Of Texas
When Swayze graduated, he headed to New York City, where he would be away from his high school tormentors. Here, he could pursue his goals without the taunts from classmates. He studied ballet with the Joffrey Ballet Company and also worked as a figure skater.
But he didn’t go to New York alone.
5. He Married Young
When Patrick Swayze was 18 years old, his mother had a student. She was 14-year-old Lisa Niemi. Something clicked between the two teenagers, and they started dating. Once Niemi hit the magic age of 19, the two decided to tie the knot. So, when Swayze went to NYC, he was already married.
Luckily, his new wife also wanted to pursue a career as a dancer.
6. He Had To Say No
Swayze was so good at his ballet school that a choreographer came up with a plan. He wanted to pair up Swayze with international ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov. This would be a huge boost for Swayze’s career. Sadly, Swayze’s knee injury got in the way once again, and he had to back out of this incredible opportunity.
But Swayze wasn't about to give up yet.
7. He Scored The Lead
Patrick Swayze wasn't so injured that he couldn’t dance at all. In fact, he used his dancing skills in Disney on Parade and then got a much better offer. They needed someone to step into the lead role in the long-running Broadway production of Grease. This was the same role that would later solidify John Travolta as a dancing powerhouse.
While Swayze wouldn’t get the chance to play Danny on the big screen, he would get Skatetown USA.
Dirty Dancing (1987), Vestron Pictures
8. He Worked With Stars
In 1979, a bunch of TV stars found themselves in the movie Skatetown USA. This film was trying to cash in on the roller disco craze, but many believed they were too late. The film featured Scott Baio from Happy Days, Maureen McCormick from The Brady Bunch, and Ron Palillo from Welcome Back, Kotter. Swayze was one of the few actors with no film experience.
He had to be feeling a little over his head.
Columbia, Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979)
9. He Had A Winning Edge
What Patrick Swayze had over his more experienced co-stars was actual skating experience. So, he did his own stunts. Unfortunately, Skatetown USA failed to excite filmgoers. Baio said that it was a bad memory he wanted to forget, and McCormick credited the movie for her relapse into drug use. Swayze was one of the few winners—a critic said that he sizzled.
Swayze was ready to take his sizzle to the next level.
Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979), Columbia Pictures
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10. He Struggled
Swayze spent the next years looking for a role that would send him soaring. Well, it didn't come easily. He did a Pabst Blue Ribbon commercial, had a one-episode role on M*A*S*H, and found himself in a music video for the band Toto. He caught a break when he got cast in a biker TV series called The Renegades.
Swayze had finally hit the big time. Or so he thought.
Screenshot from The Renegades, ABC (1983)
11. It Didn’t Last
Patrick Swayze was actually the lead in The Renegades, about a street gang that joins forces with authorities to avoid a prison sentence. Sadly, the series lasted only one season. But Swayze was finding his way. The street gang genre was big, and for some reason, producers and directors thought he had the look for it.
This was about to pay off big time.
Screenshot from The Renegades, ABC (1983)
12. He Was Too Old
Around this time, Francis Ford Coppola was amassing a group of young talent for his adaptation of the novel The Outsiders. The SE Hinton novel was about teenage gang members, but Swayze was already in his late 20s. The producer, Fred Roos, wanted Swayze despite his advanced age.
But his interest in Swayze came from a surprising place.
The Outsiders (1983), Zoetrope Studios
13. His Sizzling Paid Off
You’d think that if Patrick Swayze had a chance at a role in The Outsiders, it was because of his role in The Renegades. Nope, for some reason, Roos had seen Swayze’s sizzling performance in Skatetown USA, and for this reason, he thought Swayze might do well in The Outsiders.
Next, Swayze would have to survive the very competitive audition process.
Zoetrope, The Outsiders (1983)
14. He Had To Fight
Coppola had an unusual way to cast The Outsiders. He put up to 30 hopeful actors in a room and had them play different roles. So, Swayze likely found himself fighting tooth and nail with actors like Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, and Rob Lowe. Remember, none of these guys were famous—at least not yet.
Swayze had to hope he could land a role in this very competitive environment.
15. He Was In A Hit
Patrick Swayze did get a coveted role in The Outsiders, and the film was a big winner at the box office. The opening weekend tally equaled more than $5 million. It only took second spot that weekend behind another teen film, Spring Break. Swayze was on the edge of fame, so he had to be very careful about what she chose to do next.
The Outsiders (1983), Zoetrope Studios
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16. He Was At The Top
In 1984’s Red Dawn, Swayze’s name is firmly situated at the top of the large cast list. Even though he was at this time over 30 years old, Swayze was again playing a high school student. The movie tells the fictional story of a WWIII invasion in Colorado. In the script, Swayze has an intimate scene with co-star Jennifer Grey.
There’s a very strange reason why this scene ended up on the cutting room floor.
Red Dawn (1984), United Artists
17. His Big Scene Got Cut
Red Dawn was years before Swayze and Grey would team up in Dirty Dancing. Here, there would be no dancing, but the script called for the two to get dirty in a sleeping bag. According to Grey, they cut the scene because Swayze couldn’t remember his lines.
She gave a shocking reason why.
Screenshot from Red Dawn, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1984)
18. He Couldn’t Perform
Grey said that Swayze couldn't do their intimate scene in the sleeping bag because he’d had too much to drink. Well, maybe this scene was never going to go anywhere anyway. You see, Grey also mentioned that she was high on marijuana. Red Dawn would have to hit theaters without the steamy scene.
Even so, Swayze needed this film to be a hit.
Screenshot from Red Dawn, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1984)
19. He Brought In The Big Bucks
Critics weren’t crazy about Red Dawn, but audiences were. Its initial weekend reaped more than $8 million at the box office, and it was in the 20th spot for the year. Swayze followed up this success with the TV miniseries North and South, which earned him respect as a dramatic actor.
His breakthrough role was just around the corner.
20. He Was Willing To Take The Risk
Swayze’s dancing career had taken a back seat to his acting. Then, a script for a film called Dirty Dancing came to his attention. Swayze showed interest, but, due to his knee injury, he had “no dancing” on his resume. Swayze liked the script so much that he decided he could risk doing a little dancing on his bad knee.
But there was another problem with this film.
Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
21. He Met Up With An Enemy
If Patrick Swayze accepted the role in Dirty Dancing, he knew he would be reuniting with Jennifer Grey. Back when they were on Red Dawn, they ran into more trouble than just their failed sleeping bag scene. Swayze had been pulling pranks during filming, and Grey really didn't like that. Swayze was likely sure about one thing: If he wanted the part in Dirty Dancing, he had to win Grey over.
This was not going to be easy.
Screenshot from Dirty Dancing, Vestron Pictures(1987)
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22. He Begged For Forgiveness
Before Swayze and Grey did their screen test, he took her aside and pleaded with her. He apologized for his behavior on Red Dawn and then told her he loved her. Even though Grey knew that Swayze was "working” her, both actors got tears in their eyes. Grey saw something in Swayze. She saw that they had chemistry.
Now they had to show that chemistry in their screen test.
Screenshot from Dirty Dancing, Vestron Pictures(1987)
23. He Took Her Breath Away
The writer of Dirty Dancing, Eleanor Bergstein, was very close to the project, as the film tells her true story. When Eleanor Bergstein saw Swayze and Grey dance together, she called it “breathtaking”. Clearly, the roles were going to Swayze and Grey. These two were going to have to try to get along.
Dirty Dancing (1987), Vestron Pictures
24. They Lost It
Even though Swayze and Grey had strong chemistry for their screen test, it soon disappeared into the ether during filming. Swayze got particularly annoyed with Grey in the scene where he’s teaching Baby how to dance. In the scene, Swayze’s hand has to brush lightly against Grey’s underarm. It was four in the morning, and a very tired Grey could not help but giggle.
This made Swayze more than a little angry.
Dirty Dancing (1987), Vestron Pictures
25. He Wasn’t Acting
Patrick Swayze was very tired as well, and Grey’s giggling during this scene was bothering him. The camera caught his annoyed expression, and it should have ended up on the cutting room floor. Editors saw the clip and decided it was right for Swayze’s character to look annoyed, so the clip stayed in the movie.
But they still had to do something about Swayze and Grey.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
26. They Forced Them To Watch
Bergstein and director Emile Ardolino knew they had to help their two stars rekindle the chemistry that had got them the roles. They decided to sit them down and show them the clip of them dancing for the first time. Somehow, this worked, and the chemistry between Swayze and Grey was back.
Now, Swayze had to hope that chemistry would translate to audiences.
27. It Surprised Everyone
The producers of Dirty Dancing saw the movie for what it was: a cute little low-budget film. In fact, the plan was to have it in theaters for one week only and then get it on the shelves at video stores. What happened with the film shocked everyone. Dirty Dancing ended up earning a remarkable $214 million on a $4.5 million budget.
Sadly, there was a downside to starring in a hit film.
Dirty Dancing (1987), Vestron Pictures
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28. He Went Crazy
Even though Patrick Swayze wanted to be a famous actor, he was uncomfortable receiving so much attention. After wowing audiences in Dirty Dancing, he turned to drug use and drinking to deal with fame. He later called this period of his life “Crazy Swayze”.
As it turned out, he had more than just fame to make him act crazy.
29. He Cried
In 1982, Swayze lost his father. It was a hard time for him, and in an interview with Barbara Walters, he became emotional and cried right on camera. Producer Bruce Joel Rubin was watching this interview with great interest. You see, he was looking for a star who was manly, but not afraid to show his emotions.
Rubin knew that he wanted Swayze for his film Ghost. Now he just had to convince Swayze.
Ghost (1990), Paramount Pictures
30. He Needed A Change
At this same time, Patrick Swayze was looking for a change in the roles he took. He had just come off a string of movies where he played a tough guy. In films like Road House and Next of Kin, he felt he wasn’t showing his vulnerable side—and two Golden Raspberry nominations didn’t help either. Ghost was going to be a departure, so he told Rubin that he was in.
Rubin had Swayze where he wanted him. Now he just had to convince the director.
Road House (1989), United Artists
31. He Wasn’t Wanted
Jerry Zucker had become famous for directing spoof films like Top Secret! and Airplane!. In fact, Ghost would be one of his first films to not require an exclamation point in the title. Zucker was taking Ghost very seriously, and he was also quite serious about not having Swayze for the part.
Then something changed his mind.
Ghost (1990), Paramount Pictures
32. He Made Them Cry
Rubin had slowly convinced Zucker to at least see Patrick Swayze for the role in Ghost, but Zucker was pretty sure it was a waste of time. For his audition, they had Swayze read the end of the movie. After he was through, everyone—Zucker included—had tears in their eyes. Swayze had beaten the odds and got the part.
Now he had to bring that same emotion to the set.
Ghost (1990), Paramount Pictures
33. The Box Office Was Crazy
Like most of Paterick Swayze’s films so far, the critical response to Ghost was just okay, but it was the box office that went crazy. It eventually pulled in an astonishing $505.7 million with a budget of just $23 million. It got Whoopi Goldberg her only Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actress—securing her EGOT status—and Golden Globe nominations for Swayze and Demi Moore.
It seemed that Swayze was box office magic.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
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34. He Pushed Too Hard
Patrick Swayze followed up Ghost with the surfing thriller Point Break with Keanu Reeves. Swayze did his usual refusal to use a stunt double, even though he barely knew how to surf. Swayze, Reeves, and co-star Lori Petty all took surfing lessons, but it was only Swayze who pushed so hard that he cracked four ribs during the shoot.
Cracked ribs or not, Swayze was certainly easy on the eyes.
Point Break (1991), Twentieth Century Fox
35. He Was Number One
Point Break was another financially successful film for Swayze, raking in an international box office of more than $80 million. People magazine was also impressed with Swayze in Point Break. The film prompted them to announce that Swayze was the “sexiest man alive”. But this didn’t completely satisfy Swayze. He had to take his attractiveness to the next level.
36. He Put On A Dress
Swayze had proved that he was an attractive man, but now he wanted to show that he could be an attractive woman. There was a casting call for a drag queen movie called To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, and Swayze wanted a part. He had to beat out fellow actors like Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, and Matt Dillon, but he had something that none of his competitors did.
Universal Pictures, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
37. He Got It With His Walk
For his Too Wong Foo audition, Swayze had his own team work on making him look like a drag queen. He then took the director on a walk and showed him how he could pass as a woman. Apparently, he didn’t need to do that, as it was his walk that got him the part. He joined Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo for a film like no other.
Too Wong Foo was another box office hit for Swayze. But his next choice seemed strange.
Screenshot from To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, Universal Pictures(1995)
38. He Did Low Budget
Even though he was at the top of his game, Swayze agreed to appear in a relatively low-budget film for HBO called Letters from a Killer. This would prove to be a big mistake. The film failed to excite critics or audiences, but there was something worse than that—Swayze had a horseback riding accident and broke both legs.
He physically recovered, but his career took a worse hit.
Screenshot from Letters from a Killer, Weinstein Company Home Entertainment (1998)
39. He Lost A Sibling
Back in 1994, Swayze had faced a family tragedy. His sister Vicky, who suffered from depression, took her own life. This made Swayze turn once again to drinking to deal with the pain. He eventually used the loss of his sister to get his life back on track when he entered rehab and took a break from acting.
But some believe his sobriety didn’t last that long.
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40. He Had A Crash Landing
In 2000, Swayze was flying his Cessna 414 and had to make an emergency landing on a dirt road. His wing hit a pole, but Swayze emerged from the plane without a scratch. Witnesses say that Swayze was acting in a way that suggested was intoxicated. They also say that he was asking for help to hide evidence that he’d been drinking on board.
This did not look good for Swayze.
41. He Hid Away
Swayze suspiciously hid away from authorities for a few hours, and then emerged. There was now an explanation. Swayze had not been drinking, but his strange behavior was due to carbon monoxide that came from the engine exhaust. That, and Swayze’s chain smoking, left him with a critical shortage of oxygen.
But one question still remained. What about the eyewitnesses who said they helped Swayze hide the evidence of his drinking?
42. They Told A Story
The three eyewitnesses were construction workers aged 20, 23, and 27. After the real story came out, these three men found themselves in trouble with the law for perhaps fabricating a story to put Swayze in a bad light. Since there was no evidence that Swayze had been drinking, he walked away a free man.
He survived this ordeal, but his career was like his plane: headed for a crash.
43. He Floundered
Swayze did eventually return to making movies, but there certainly wasn't another hit like Dirty Dancing in the cards. Taking a break from Hollywood, he had his first run in London’s West End in Guys and Dolls. He then joined the FBI in TV’s The Beast. Things were looking up for Swayze.
But then he got some very bad news.
44. He Got A Call From The Doctor
Just after he filmed the pilot of The Beast, Swayze sought medical attention because he felt a burning in his stomach. In January 2008, doctors gave him the bad news: He had pancreatic cancer, and it was in the fourth stage. The tabloids quickly picked up the story and reported that the end was near.
Swayze needed to remain optimistic.
45. He Couldn’t Stop
Despite his diagnosis, Swayze continued to make episodes of The Beast. But there was something else he continued to do that was even more shocking. He continued to smoke up to two packs a day. He knew that this habit had potentially caused his cancer, but he was unable to quit.
To the outside world, Swayze looked like the picture of health.
Screenshot from The Beast, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment(2009)
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46. He Put On A Brave Face
In May 2008, Swayze proved that the tabloids were exaggerating his health crisis by attending a Los Angeles Lakers game. In September, he appeared on a simulcast called Stand Up to Cancer, where he received a standing ovation. In January 2009, he joined Barbara Walters on her show and downplayed his illness, asking her to report that he was “kicking it”.
Sadly, he was not exactly kicking it.
47. It Came Back
Around the same time he was talking with Walters, Swayze headed to the hospital with pneumonia caused by his chemotherapy. Two weeks later, he was back at home with his wife. In April of the same year, he got some very bad news from the doctors: the cancer had metastasized once again.
He didn’t have long to live.
48. He Was With Her For Life
On September 14, 2009, five months after this devastating news, Swayze passed. He was lucky enough to be at home. Left to mourn was his widow, Lisa Niemi. The two had met as teenagers and stayed married their entire lives. They shared beautiful ranches in both California and New Mexico. Theirs was truly an incredible Hollywood love story.
But the world was also mourning the passing of a Hollywood superstar.
49. We Won’t Forget Him
After his passing, the Mountain Lake Lodge in Virginia, where they filmed scenes from Dirty Dancing, decided to honor Swayze. They have a large granite engraved stone, and the gift shop proudly displays the page on the guest registry where Swayze signed his name.
But it’s pretty clear that Swayze would’ve liked us to remember him for more than Dirty Dancing.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
50. He Got What He Wanted
At times, Patrick Swayze resented his heartthrob appeal. This could be the reason why he’d never won a major award or the admiration of critics. It was in The Beast—his last project—where he finally got what he wanted. Critics called his role “the best performance of his career” and “the performance of a lifetime”.
Luckily, Swayze got to live to hear this.
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
