Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films , Swayze was nominated for three Golden Globes and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Swayze received recognition for acting in the drama film The Outsiders , the action film Red Dawn , and the miniseries North and South — His breakthrough came with the romantic drama film Dirty Dancing , receiving a Golden Globe nomination.
He rose to further prominence in the action films Road House and Point Break , and received two more Golden Globe nominations for his roles in the supernatural romance film Ghost and the road comedy film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar He also starred in the cult thriller Donnie Darko Outside of acting, Swayze co-wrote and recorded the song " She's Like the Wind " for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack album , which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot He was also recognized for his public image and looks, and was named " Sexiest Man Alive " by People magazine in In , Swayze died of pancreatic cancer at the age of He married Katherine Kinge from Essex and eventually had seven children.
Their grandson, Samuel, a judge, was among the first to use the Swayze spelling. During this time, he pursued multiple artistic and athletic skills, such as ice skating , classical ballet , and acting in school plays. He also played football during high school, hoping to receive a football scholarship for college until a knee injury ended his career.
He had a low Vietnam draft lottery number of , which was called in , and he should have been drafted, but might have used his knee injury as a way to avoid service. He concurrently practiced martial arts such as Wushu , Taekwondo , and Aikido , which he used to channel his "self-deprecating rage. Patrick Swayze's first professional appearance was as a dancer for the Disney Theatrical Group in a show called Disney on Parade.
He then starred in the role of Danny Zuko in one of the replacement casts for the long-running Broadway production of Grease. At the height of the popularity of disco , he starred in a Pabst Blue Ribbon commercial of him going on a date at a disco-themed nightclub with Pabst's then-jingle set to disco music. That same year, he appeared in the TV movie Return of the Rebels with Barbara Eden , and then in , had a brief stint on the short-lived TV series The Renegades , playing a gang leader named Bandit.
