Dancer/Singer Extraordinaire: Patrick Swayze

On August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas, Patrick Wayne Swayze was born to Patricia and Jesse Swayze. Patrick was their second of five children; the Swayze's had three boys and two girls. During his middle school and high school years, he pursued numerous artistic and athletic skills. These included: ice skating, classical ballet, acting in school plays, football, martial arts, diving, and track. He moved to New York City in 1972 to finish his formal dance training at the Harkness Ballet and Joffrey ballet schools.
Shortly after finishing school, he started his career as a fill-in on Broadway's performance of Greece. This kick started his career in the movie and film industry. Some of his early acts were in The Outsiders and Red Dawn, where he gets his status for being a strong, attractive male actor. Not long after, he got his big breaks with his roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost. He was nominated for Golden Globe Best Actor for his performance in both of these movies. His characters in these two hits landed him with the reputation for being an amazing dancer and a typical Hollywood actor. During this time he also wrote the song, performed in Dirty Dancing, "She's Like the Wind." Swayze continued to act and perform until near the end of his life.
In 2008, Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. In the remaining few months of his life, he continued to shoot for the TV series, The Beast, and spent most of his time on his ranch in New Mexico with his wife, Lisa Niemi, of 33 years. The cancer eventually took his life on September 14, 2009 with his family by his side. He is remembered as the amazing dancer, actor, sing, and songwriter that he was.