Who can forget those famous words at the end of the film Dirty Dancing that immortalised Swayze as a sex symbol forever. Swaggering into Kellermans ballroom on the last night of the season having been sacked by the management Swayze drags co-star Jennifer Grey up on stage to be his dance partner, "No-one puts Baby in the corner," and everyone in the audience wanted to be Baby at that moment.
Patrick Swayze was born in Houston on 18th August 1952 and learnt to dance at his mother Patsy's dance school. It was also where he met his childhood sweetheart, 15 year-old Liesa Neimi who he married on 12th June 1975.
Remembering Patrick Swayze
He was everyone's idea of a film star, dashing, daring, he had his own pilot's licence and did all his own stunts and his bravado caused him to dice with death twice within two years. In 1998 he was seriously injured during filming Letters From A Killer at Ione, California when he fell from his horse hitting a tree. He broke both legs and suffered four detached tendons in his shoulder, filming was suspended for two months and the movie was not show until the following year.
Swayze was unable to resume his career until 2000 due to his injuries but soon after he returned to work he crashed his private plane. On June 1st that year he was piloting the plane from Van Nuys in California to Las Vegas, he was alone on board except for his two dogs. Flying over Prescott Valley in Arizona his plane lost pressure at 13000 feet and he decided he had to make an emergency landing.
Spotting what he thought was an airport down below he prepared to land and seeing a truck parked on the left hand side of a concrete road he thought he was heading for the runway. Instead it was a housing development under construction and as he approached the plane hit a street lamp knocking off a four ft outboard section of the right wing. He managed to touch down crossing an intersection but he hit a stop sign and another street lamp. The plane veered to the right and hit an electricity utility box, it came to a stop 200 yards from the impact point and Swayze and his dogs got out unhurt.
Swayze's Breakthrough
Swayze made several films but it was a small movie Dirty Dancing that made him a household name all over the world and earned him millions of female fans. As the sexy dance instructor Johnny Castle who befriends 17 year-old Frances "Baby" Houseman and becomes her first love, the low budget film became a surprise hit and was Swayze's breakthrough on the big screen. It achieved massive International success and was the first film to sell over a million copies on video.
His biggest hit was in 1990 when he played Sam Wheat in Ghost opposite Demi Moore. When Sam is murdered he looks for a way to contact Molly (Moore) and warn her her life is in danger. He manages to do this through a charlatan psychic Whoopi Goldberg who is amazed her powers really work. Swayze would no doubt have been delighted to learn a musical based on the film is due to be premiered in 2011.
His Illness
In January 2008 Swayze was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer and underwent chemotherapy at Stanford University Medical Center and he fought hard to beat the illness. He continued working as long as he could and in January 2009 he told Barbara Walters "I'm cooking, I'm a miracle dude, I don't know why."
His last role was the lead in the TV series The Beast which premiered on January 15th 2009 but as Swayze's health had started to deteriorate he was unable to promote the series and it was cancelled five months after it began.
His Final Journey
Swayze died on Los Angeles on September 14th 2009, 20 months after being diagnosed with cancer. He had a star-studded funeral and was cremated on September 18th. His ashes were given to his widow and she carried out his wishes to have them scattered on his New Mexico ranch where they had spent many happy hours together.
A memorial service was held at Lake Hure on the site where Dirty Dancing was filmed and those attending were asked to donate to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in his memory.
Summing up the Man
Swayze's co-star in Dirty Dancing Jennifer Grey does this better than anyone.
Patrick was a rare and beautiful combination of raw masculinity and amazing grace, gorgeous and strong, he was a real cowboy with a tender heart. He was fearless and always insisted on doing his own stunts.
So it was not surprising to me that the war he waged on his cancer was so courageous and dignified. When I think of him I think of being in his arms when we were kids practising the lift in the freezing lake, having a blast doing this tiny little movie we thought no-one would ever see.
There is an official Patrick Swayze International Fan Club where you can keep his memory alive and donate to a Pancreatic Cancer Charity at Stanford University.
Amanda Wilkins - I am really looking forward to giving you news on all the latest shows and getting to know the other excellent contributors to this ...
