Patrick Swayze, famous for his role as Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing, was an adored actor who captured the hearts of people worldwide. Even now, his fans continue to grieve his loss since he passed away in 2009 at the age of 57 due to cancer. Nevertheless, his memory and impact endure.
With an impressive career, Patrick Swayze was nominated for both the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. He was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Hall of Fame.
Moreover, his real-life love story with wife Lisa Niemi could easily be mistaken for a plot straight out of a Hollywood movie.
Born on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas, Patrick Wayne Swayze grew up with his four siblings under the care of his parents, Patsy and Jesse Swayze. His mother, Patsy, was the director of the Houston Jazz Ballet Company, while his father, Jesse, worked as a draftsman for a chemical plant engineer.
Early life and ballet
In his youth, Patrick Swayze developed a passion for dancing, which was introduced to him by his mother through ballet classes. Despite being ridiculed by his peers for his interest in dance, Swayze continued to pursue his passion and eventually became one of the most successful and renowned movie stars in the world. In the end, he had the last laugh.
While attending Waltrip High School in Houston, Patrick Swayze went by the name “Buddy Swayze” in his yearbook. Along with participating in football, he also took drama classes and graduated in 1971.
During his time at the school, Swayze was already well on his way to mastering ballet, having developed a deep love for it at his mother’s dance school. It was there that he also met the woman who would become the love of his life.
Patrick Swayze frequented the Houston Jazz Ballet Company and it was during one of his mother’s classes that he first laid eyes on a girl who captivated him. This girl was Lisa Niemi.
First work in show business
After completing high school, Patrick Swayze’s exceptional talent in dancing led him to attend classes at both the Harkness Ballet School and Joffrey Ballet School in New York City.
Patrick Swayze’s career began to take shape when he landed his first job as Prince Charming in Disney on Parade. He then made his Broadway debut as Danny Zuko in the original production of Grease.
Swayze’s first film role was a small part in Skatetown U.S.A in 1979, and he made his television debut two years later in the classic series MAS*H, where he played a soldier diagnosed with leukemia. In 1983, he starred alongside Matt Dillon in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders, which significantly propelled Swayze’s career forward.
Patrick Swayze children
Lisa Niemi first met Patrick Swayze when she was 15 years old and he was 18. She was attending dance lessons taught by Swayze’s mother, but it would be some time before their romantic relationship began to develop.
“If I started putting on a pose or doing my Casanova routine, Lisa would turn away and not say anything,” Swayze told People. “We had a lot of dates in silence.”
Patrick was determined not to lose Lisa and, over time, she began to reciprocate his feelings. Eventually, they became a couple.
“I knew she was the smartest chick I’d ever met. [Before Lisa] I had been meeting girls with names like “Mimi” and “Angel”. And for a long time, I didn’t feel like I deserved her,” Swayze explained.
Patrick and Lisa’s love for each other was unbreakable, even as Swayze’s career took off and he became a global superstar. They got married on June 12, 1975, and their long-lasting union was a rarity in Hollywood where marriages often end quickly.
Their fairytale romance only lacked one thing – the couple had no children.
Barbara Walters, the renowned TV host, once described Patrick and Lisa’s relationship as “extraordinary” after meeting them several times.
“The way he looked at her, the way he held on to her, the way she smiled., I can’t really imagine one without the other,” Walters said.
Receiving awards and recognition was undoubtedly enjoyable for Swayze. However, that same year was also marked by a tragedy for him and his wife Lisa.
The couple had been trying to start a family since their wedding day, and they were thrilled when Lisa became pregnant. However, their joy turned into despair when she suffered a miscarriage.
“It broke his heart. He wanted to be a dad more than anything. He had skills, knowledge, kindness, and love – everything a child would want,” Swayze’s long-time friend and bodyguard Frank Whiteley said.
Over time, Lisa came to the realization that it might not be possible for her to have a child due to her age. Therefore, she approached her husband with the idea of adoption.
In the Paramount Network documentary, I Am Patrick Swayze, which premiered in August 2019, Lisa shared that:
“I had been seeing an acupuncturist for a long time, and then all of a sudden I was too old,”
“I probably should have been better informed about to go about it, but anyway I may have wasted some time. But you know I said ‘you know, how would you feel about adopting?’ He got very teary-eyed and he said ‘I want to have children with you.’”
In the documentary, Patrick’s manager Kate Edwards shared that he had a strong desire to be a father and wanted to provide his child with the same love and care he had received from his own father.
Patrick’s brother Don Swayze also revealed that he had witnessed Patrick’s potential as a great dad even as an uncle. Don expressed how the miscarriages had affected Patrick, but he would never want Lisa to feel guilty about them.
Despite not being able to become a father, Patrick Swayze’s career continued to thrive. He was named People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in August 1991 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997. However, his performances in films like City of Joy, Tale Tale, and Black Dog were poorly received, prompting Swayze to shift his focus to Broadway.
In 2003, Patrick Swayze took over the lead role of “Billy Flynn” in the touring production of the musical Chicago. The show traveled throughout the United States, with performances in various cities.
Despite being offered a staggering $6 million, Patrick declined to star in a sequel to Dirty Dancing, prioritizing his love for Lisa Niemi above fame and fortune. Sadly, their love story would come to a tragic end.
In late 2007, Patrick was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He noticed a sudden change in his body on New Year’s Eve of 2008, losing around 20 pounds almost instantly.
Lisa found it incredibly difficult to come to terms with the diagnosis, describing the first few weeks as feeling trapped in an unending nightmare during an interview with Access Online in January 2009.
Patrick Swayze – cause of death
In 2009, Patrick Swayze’s final project was the movie Velvet Blue. However, the cancer had severely affected his health by that time. Patrick Swayze ultimately passed away on September 14, 2009, at the age of 57.
Patrick had provided his mother with a house and a monthly allowance before his demise, and his wife Lisa continued to provide the same allowance to Patrick’s mother even after his death.
Upon his passing, Swayze left his fortune of $40 million to his wife. However, Lisa faced backlash from Swayze’s family as she allegedly sold his movie memorabilia on E-Bay, which included iconic items such as his leather jacket from “Dirty Dancing” and some of his cars.
Lisa Niemi – husband Albert DePriscan
According to Lisa Niemi, in 2014, she took “a leap of faith” when she married jeweler Albert DePriscan, whom she had met through mutual friends. This was a significant step for Lisa, as she had not experienced falling in love for some time and was now feeling a mixture of emotions, including a sick feeling, butterfly stomach, rubbery legs, and diminished mental capacity.
Despite her love for Albert, Lisa also grappled with conflicting emotions about marrying someone else after Patrick. She acknowledged that she will always love her first husband, but also affirmed her love for Albert.
Right before getting married to DePriscan, Lisa had a dream about Swayze. She believed that the dream was a message from him, trying to communicate something to her from the other side.
She said: “About a month and a half ago, I had a dream about Patrick. It was like he was giving me his blessing and letting me know it was okay.”
Emotional post
On the 11th anniversary of his passing in September 2020, she shared an emotional message about him on her Instagram along with a beautiful picture.
“Celebrating a wonderfully strong, sensitive & special man on the 11th anniversary of his passing. So missed. Can’t help but feel a dark cloud today (and all last week!), but grateful for what we had together. What a journey! Blessed, even with the tears”, Lisa wrote.
Patrick Swayze will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Not only was he a talented actor and dancer, but above all, he was a loving husband and an exceptional human being.
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