Patrick Swayze (August 18 1952 - September 14 2009)  
  
Patrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, best known as a 1980s-era heart throb. While he had a number of solid productions under his belt, it was his role in the movie Dirty Dancing, as dance instructor Johnny Castle, that caused Swayze’s meteoric rise to fame, establishing himself as a Hollywood heavyweight.

Born in Houston, Texas on August 18, 1952 to Jesse Wayne Swayze and Patricia Yvonne Helen Karnes (a choreographer and ballet school owner), Swayze attended primary school in Houston before moving to New York City to attend the Harkness and Joffrey Ballet Schools. He made his debut professionally in Disney on Parade, which he followed up with a role in the Broadway production, Grease. He got his start in cinema with the movie Skatetown, which was followed by several smaller roles in both film and television, including The Outsiders, Uncommon Valor, The Renegades, Grandview, U.S.A. and Red Dawn.

In 1987, Swayze landed the role of a lifetime in Dirty Dancing, opposite unknown actress Jennifer Grey. One of the most infamous lines of his entire career was spouted during the movie: “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” For his role, he garnered a Golden Globe nomination as well as a TV award for penning and performing one of the hit songs from the movie soundtrack “She’s like the Wind.”
After Dirty Dancing, Swayze had several smaller roles before landing yet another hugely successful leading role in the movie Ghost, opposite super actress Demi Moore and starring alongside acting veteran Whoopi Goldberg. The film not only garnered a number of nominations, but was actually considered for a Best Picture nod at the 1990 Academy Awards.

Swayze went on to star in a range of other roles after his turn in Ghost, including Point Break with Keanu Reeves and Too Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Love Julie Newmar, alongside Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo. While some critics ridiculed his choice to play the role of a transgendered drag queen in the movie, Swayze scored major points among his fans for daring to break the mold and play such a role.

He continued to act throughout the 90s and the new millennium, with roles in Donnie Darko, Waking Up in Reno and Keeping Mum.

Swayze was well-known for his spiritual beliefs, associating himself with Catholicism, Baptism, Buddhism and Scientology. He also struggled with alcoholism, though he was able to overcome his addiction, and was married to Lisa Niemi since 1975. In fact, their marriage was one of a very few in Hollywood that stood the test of time as well as the pressures of Hollywood.  

Sadly, in 2008, it was announced that Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After trying several courses of treatment, Swayze was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia, where doctors announced in January 2009 that the cancer had spread and was incurable. On Sept. 14, 2009, Swayze died from complications of his disease, leaving behind his wife of 34 years and a diverse movie career, full of hits, misses and many brave chances that made him a viable, talented Hollywood heavyweight.

 A. B. Barden