A Tribute To Patrick Swayze Who Would Have Turned 68 Today

Aug 18, 2020 by apost team

Patrick Swayze was a beloved actor and dancer — someone who touched the lives of many, not only through his charm and good looks but in his positive attitude to life. Tragically, he was taken too soon at the age of 57 due to pancreatic cancer in 2009. In honor of what would have been his 68th birthday on August 18, we take a look back at his incredible life and career.

Born in Houston, Texas on August 18, 1952, Patrick was destined to be the dancer and star he would go on to become, as his mother Patsy was the owner of a dance studio in the city. Literally growing up in the dance world, Patrick learned many styles of dance there, before moving to New York City to complete his ballet education at the Joffrey Ballet School.

Soon enough Swayze got a role playing Danny Zuko on Broadway, merging his training as a dancer with acting for the first time—a formula that would bring him great success. Small TV roles followed, before his first memorable role as the older brother in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders. 

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It wasn't until 1987 that he would be propelled to immense fame by the movie Dirty Dancing. Incidentally, the film wasn't planned to be a big release, rather it was meant to have a one-week theater release and go direct to video. In the end, it earned Swayze a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor and showcased his formal dance training. As well as acting and dancing in the film, Swayze co-wrote and performed a song from the film's album, She's Like the Wind, which became a top 10 hit and showcased his vocal talents.

With such success, Swayze became a regular Hollywood actor, starring in movies such as Road House, Ghost, and Point Break. He earned three Golden Globe nominations during his career, as well as numerous other awards, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997. 

He continued to act following the peak of his career and even went back to the stage, making his West End debut in London in the musical Guys and Dolls in 2006. During this period he also took on more interesting roles including as a sinister motivational speaker in Donnie Darko, as well as co-producing and starring in a dance film titled One Last Dance, alongside his real-life wife Lisa Niemi.

Swayze's final acting role was as an FBI agent in the television series The Beast. Soon after he learned of his pancreatic cancer diagnosis, but continued to work on the show as he was receiving treatment.  

He passed away on September 14, 2009, with his family by his side. The outpouring of love from his famous friends confirms how wonderful a person he was. Jennifer Grey, Swayze's co-star in Dirty Dancing said, as reported by Entertainment Weekly:

"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."

Meanwhile Whoopi Goldberg said of her Ghost co-star:

"Patrick was a really good man, a funny man and one to whom I owe much that I can’t ever repay. I believe in Ghost‘s message, so he’ll always be near.”

The world still misses the beauty, grace, and positivity that Patrick embodied, and we're thinking of him on his birthday. Rest in peace.

Are you a Patrick Swayze fan? What are your favorite movies or memories of him? Tell us in the comments and be sure to pass this article on so other fans can celebrate his life too.