Patrick Swayze

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Birthday:

18 August 1952, Houston, Texas, USA

Birth Name:

Patrick Wayne Swayze

Height:

178 cm

Patrick Wayne Swayze was born on August 18, 1952 in Houston, Texas, to Patsy Swayze (née Yvonne Helen Karnes), a choreographer, and Jesse Wayne Swayze, a chemical plant engineer draftsman. His mother owned a dance school in Houston, where Patrick was also a student. His father passed away in 1982. He graduated from Waltrip High School in Houston, and attended San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas. He married actress/dancer Lisa Niemi on June 12, 1975, whom he had known when she was 15 and a student at his mother's dance school. His New York City dance training included the Harkness Ballet School and Joffrey Ballet School. He first danced professionally as "Prince Charming" in "Disney on Parade". After a stint as "Danny Zuko" in the original Broadway production of "Grease", he made his film debut with a small role in Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979). He made his television debut in 1981 on M*A*S*H (1972), as a soldier diagnosed with leukemia.After many supporting roles in films and a lead role in the TV mini-series North and South (1985), he landed his breakthrough role as dance instructor "Johnny Castle" in the hit film Dirty Dancing (1987), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. He received a second nomination for his portrayal of "Sam Wheat" in the blockbuster Ghost (1990). Ghost (1990) was the highest-grossing film of 1990, and at one point, the fourth highest-grossing film of all time. Unfortunately, he did not capitalize on its success. His subsequent films like City of Joy (1992), Tall Tale (1995), Black Dog (1998), and Waking Up in Reno (2002) did not fare well with critics or audiences. In December 2003, he returned to Broadway as a replacement for the lead role of "Billy Flynn" in the acclaimed revival of John Kander & Fred Ebb's musical, "Chicago". The production also went on tour in several cities of the United States, including Los Angeles. In January 2008, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He fought the illness for well over a year and was able to continue working, but died on September 14, 2009. Show less «

Good-looking people turn me off. Myself included.

I believe in a higher power. I've studied Eastern philosophies, and I've studied the Koran. We've devalued everything worth believing in. No...Show more »

I believe in a higher power. I've studied Eastern philosophies, and I've studied the Koran. We've devalued everything worth believing in. Now we're tearing into religion. A line should be drawn. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and The Da Vinci Code (2006) borders on that. I was glued to the book, but afterwards I thought, "Oh my Lord, now we're tearing into God and our faith". Are we going to be turning into a reality show, too? I certainly hope not. Show less «

[in 2004, about his drinking] I made a conscious decision to break away from big films when I got alcohol out of my life. I had been sucked ...Show more »

[in 2004, about his drinking] I made a conscious decision to break away from big films when I got alcohol out of my life. I had been sucked into the blockbuster, box-office mentality and it was destroying my sense of purpose in life. The loneliness of fame was messing with my head. Once you've been famous for a while and told your story, it can sound like a lie. You don't know what's true. It sounds like an article someone wrote rather than the essence of who you are. Show less «

I have a great deal of faith in faith; if you believe something strongly enough, it becomes true for you. I would like to believe that my fa...Show more »

I have a great deal of faith in faith; if you believe something strongly enough, it becomes true for you. I would like to believe that my father is right here with me in this room and that he's my guardian angel, that there's life after death -- because if there isn't, why are we here? I don't believe that just flesh and bones can contain from the point of view of physics this very real recorded energy inside of us. Whether it's true or not, we need to believe it. Show less «

[on having achieved some success with various anti-cancer treatments] I'm a miracle, dude.

I'm still fine to work, I haven't changed - oh, I have changed, what am I saying? It's a battle-zone I go through. Chemo, no matter how you ...Show more »

I'm still fine to work, I haven't changed - oh, I have changed, what am I saying? It's a battle-zone I go through. Chemo, no matter how you cut it, is hell on wheels. Show less «

[on accepting a continuing role in the series The Beast (2009)] How do you nurture a positive attitude when all the statistics say you're a ...Show more »

[on accepting a continuing role in the series The Beast (2009)] How do you nurture a positive attitude when all the statistics say you're a dead man? You go to work. Show less «

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 cur...Show more »

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. (January 2009) Show less «

My big regret is the physical damage I've done to my body. I can do almost anything physically and I used to believe I was invincible, break...Show more »

My big regret is the physical damage I've done to my body. I can do almost anything physically and I used to believe I was invincible, breaking bones over and over, playing football, doing gymnastics, diving, ballet, doing my own stunts, kickboxing, staging fights ... It all seems a little stupid to me now. Show less «

[on having terminal cancer] I've had more lifetimes than any 10 people put together, and it's been an amazing ride...So this (dying) is O.K.

Facing your own mortality is the quickest way possible to find out what you're made of. It strips away all the bull -- and exposes every par...Show more »

Facing your own mortality is the quickest way possible to find out what you're made of. It strips away all the bull -- and exposes every part of you, your strength, your weaknesses, your sense of self, your soul. It also leads you to confront life's hardest questions. Show less «

[on shooting Dirty Dancing (1987) with co-star Jennifer Grey] She'd slip into silly moods, forcing us to do scenes over and over. We did hav...Show more »

[on shooting Dirty Dancing (1987) with co-star Jennifer Grey] She'd slip into silly moods, forcing us to do scenes over and over. We did have a few moments of friction...she seemed particularly emotional, sometimes bursting into tears if someone criticized her. Show less «