Patrick Wayne Swayze is an American film actor, dancer, singer, musician. He gained wide popularity after playing the main roles in the films: "Dirty Dancing", "Bringing", "On the Crest of a Wave". Films with his participation are very popular with viewers today. The actor passed away in 2009 at the age of 57 after a serious illness.
Swayze was a very talented dancer and film actor. He possessed amazing charisma, attractive appearance, tenderness and romance. In the early 1990s, he was called a sex symbol and a conqueror of women's hearts. In 1999, he became the owner of a star at number 7021 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Biography facts
The future actor was born in the summer of 1952. His father was an engineer. And my mother is a famous dancer, who later opened her own choreographic studio.
His mother instilled love for dancing in Patrick. From an early age, the boy began to study choreography with her, and then attend her ballet studio. Also in his early years, Patrick was fond of sports and played football, figure skating, gymnastics and swimming. He repeatedly became the winner of school competitions and received many awards. Later, Patrick began to learn horse riding, was engaged in auto racing and parachute jumping.
Patrick was not a sociable child. He spent most of his time in class and training or surrounded by relatives. Many peers called him "mama's son" and tried to avoid him or call him names and mock him.
Patrick often cried and resented his peers, but he could not answer them. Seeing how the child is worried and how he is constantly offended at school, my mother decided to send him to a martial arts club.
Patrick began to train hard and soon reached great heights in the martial arts. He received a black belt in kung fu. Swayze also practiced wushu and aikido.
Soon, Patrick became not only an excellent athlete, but also a professional dancer. After moving to New York, he graduated from two ballet schools.
Creative career
Swayze began his career with performances on Broadway. More than once he happened to be on the same stage with the famous M. Baryshnikov. Patrick was promised a great career, he was one of the best in the dance troupe. But his knee injury did not allow him to reach great heights and forever closed the path to professional ballet.
Then Swayze decided to start all over again and went to study acting at a film school in Beverly Hills. I must say that for the first time on the screen he appeared in his school years, starring in episodic roles in television series. But then he completely immersed himself in dancing and was not associated with cinema for a long time.
At first, it was not easy for Patrick. He was still far from serious roles, and he already had a family that needed to be supported and fed. In addition, he has to pay for his studies in the courses. Therefore, Swayze began to earn money and grabbed any offers. He was a waiter, shop assistant, construction worker.
In 1979, Patrick finally got his first movie roles. He starred in the films: "Skateown", "Outcasts", "Red Dawn", "North and South", "Young Blood".
Real fame came to him after playing the main role in the melodrama "Dirty Dancing", where he demonstrated not only acting, but also dancing skills. For this role, Swayze was nominated for a Golden Globe, and his fee was 200 thousand dollars.
After the release of the picture on the screens, Patrick's photos began to appear in many popular publications. He was invited to television in various shows, and representatives of the film industry literally bombarded the actor with new proposals.
Swayze took part in the filming of the sequel "Dirty Dancing" in 2004, however, appeared there only in the episode. The second film did not have the same resounding success as the first. Despite this, the actor received a fee of $ 5 million.
The next film, where Swayze played the main role, was "The Ghost." He was again nominated for a Golden Globe and a Saturn Award. The film itself won an Oscar in the Best Screenplay category.
Fame brought Swayze and many other paintings: "On the Crest of a Wave", "House by the Road", "Wong Fu", "Black Dog".
In almost all films, Patrick performed all the complex tricks on his own. On the set of On the Crest of a Wave, he learned to ride the surf perfectly and jumped with a parachute himself.
Passion for tricks did not pass without a trace for Swayze. On one of the filming, he broke both legs, falling from a horse. But that didn't stop him. After treatment and rehabilitation, he again abandoned stunt doubles, trying to demonstrate all his skills and abilities on the set. Interestingly, after falling from a horse, Patrick became interested in horse riding, and later fell so in love with animals that he began to breed them on his ranch.
Swayze's last work was the lead role of FBI agent Charles Barker in the TV series "The Beast." The premiere took place shortly before his death.
The last years of the actor's life
There were many difficult moments in the life of the actor. He did not become a famous dancer, although from childhood he dreamed of a ballet stage. The injuries received during his student years made themselves felt much later.
During his work on the set, he more than once ended up in the clinic with injuries and fractures. Even on the set of Dirty Dancing, he had to play the final scene with a knocked out knee.
Patrick's personal life was going well, but the couple did not have children. His wife Lisa tried to get pregnant twice, but failed both times. Pregnancy ended in miscarriage. After two tries, they realized they could never have children.
Because of the worries, the actor began to abuse alcohol and smoke a lot. It was said that he managed to smoke up to three packs of cigarettes a day. Perhaps this was one of the reasons for the development of oncology in him.
The details of Patrick's illness were not disclosed for a long time. In 2008, he made a statement that he had been given a disappointing diagnosis - a malignant tumor of the pancreas of the fourth degree with metastases.
He did not come to terms with the disease and began to undergo chemotherapy and rehabilitation. Even during this period, the actor continued to work on the set. He hoped to defeat the disease, but it turned out to be stronger.
Until the last minute, next to him was his beloved wife, with whom the actor lived his whole life.
Soon after the start of treatment, the doctors noticed an improvement in the actor's condition. He happily informed his friends and fans about it. Patrick was confident that the latest medical developments would help him cope with oncology. In one of his statements, he said that he practically defeated the tumor and hopes to live at least another five years.
In the winter of 2009, Swayze's condition worsened again. He was taken to the hospital with pneumonia. After another examination, the doctor said that the disease began to progress again, and metastases went to the liver. For some time he was still undergoing treatment, and then refused painkillers. In recent months, Patrick practically did not go out, but he was able to finish his book of memoirs.
In the fall of 2009, the actor passed away in his own home. Next to him was his beloved wife. Swayze's ashes, according to his will, were scattered over the ranch.
For many friends, colleagues and fans of the actor, his departure was a heavy loss, but the memory of the talented actor is still alive. Films with the participation of Patrick Swayze are also loved and watched by millions of viewers around the world.
