Swayze was a rare kind of Texan. Not only did he play football but he was an accomplished dancer who practiced with the Joffrey Ballet among other troupes.
The dancing came in handy for his role as a dance instructor at a 1960s Catskills resort in his biggest hit "Dirty Dancing."
Swayze also was one of those rare Hollywood types who stayed married to the same woman for more than 30 years. He met his future wife, Lisa Niemi, when she was 15 and a dance student at his mom's Houston dance studio. They married in 1975. They starred in one movie together in 1987's "Steel Dawn" about a warrior who helps survivors in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
In his career, Swayze co-starred with some of Hollywood's bigger names. He was a soldier looking for his missing father in Vietnam in Gene Hackman's "Uncommon Valor." He was Jamie Lee Curtis' married boyfriend in "Grandview U.S.A." He was a hockey player alongside Rob Lowe in "Youngblood."
Swayze's younger brother Don also is an actor/stuntman. He was a stuntman on his brother's "Letters From a Killer.''
Swayze most recently starred in the made-for-cable show "The Beast," which was filmed in Chicago right after it was disclosed he had pancreatic cancer. He told talk show host Barbara Walters earlier this year that his alcoholism and heavy smoking probably played some part in his contracting the deadly disease.
Here are six films representative of Swayze's career in Hollywood.
"Dirty Dancing" (1987) -- Swayze became a leading man with his performance as dancer Johnny Castle in this unexpected hit about a girl's (Jennifer Grey) summer vacation at a Catskills resort in the early 1960s. Other stars include Jerry Orbach, Jack Weston and Cynthia Rhodes.
"Ghost" (1990) -- Swayze cemented his place as a screen heartthob with this film about a man's journey into the afterlife after he's murdered. Other stars include Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn and the late great Vincent Schiavelli as an angry spirit that teaches Swayze's character the ropes.
"To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" (1995) -- Swayze branched out big time with a performance as a crossdresser in this quirky comedy also starring Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo as fellow crossdressers. Other stars include Stockard Channing, Blythe Danner and Chris Penn.
"Red Dawn" (1984) -- Swayze really broke through with his performance as a resistance fighter in the early days of a World War III being fought in America's midsection. Other stars include C. Thomas Howell, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson and Jennifer Grey.
"Point Break" (1991) -- Swayze stars as a surfing bank robber being pursued by FBI agent Keanu Reeves in this quirky crime film. Other stars include Gary Busey, Lori Petty and James LeGros.
"Next of Kin" (1989) -- Swayze stars as a Chicago cop who has to deal with big city crooks and gun-toting backwoods relatives after his brother (Bill Paxton) winds up dead. Other stars include Liam Neeson, Adam Baldwin, Helen Hunt and Andreas Katsulas. Look for a young Ben Stiller as the mobster's son.
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