When the first few bars of Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes' The Time of My Life are played, the image of Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing automatically comes to mind. Just as Travolta cemented his image as the King of Disco back in the late 1970s, Swayze melted the hearts of women in the 1980s with his role as the dashing dance teacher Johnny Castle in one of the most popular female films of all time: Dirty Dancing.
I first discovered the Swayze tough rebel persona that would resonate in later movies, when watching the TV series The Renegades (La Banda dei Sette) where he played the leader of a Warriors clone gang, who instead of serving a prison sentence were recruited by the police as a special undercover unit.
The series was renowned for the catchy Rock and electronic synthesized bass intro music, while the camera shots of the rebel gang walking steadily on the wet back alley asphalt with a source of beaming white light amid a haze of smoke resembled the Beat It video by Michael Jackson.
However it would be Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, the Rebel Without A Cause for the early 1980s, that would set the blueprint for things to come. His early acting ability shone, as the actor's tough exterior coupled with his powerful inner sensitivity became his trademark, which would later resurface in dramatic performances, such as the Civil War mini-series North and South and the much underrated Roland Joffe human drama, City of Joy, where Swayze played a disillusioned doctor in search of spiritual enlightenment.
Anyone who was a teenager in 1987 will undoubtedly remember Dirty Dancing and they will recall where they were when the film was released. From a male perspective I personally could not fathom all the soppiness behind this movie, but there is no denying the film's place in popular culture from the West End musical adaptation to the classic catchphrase: "Nobody puts Baby in a corner", which has been inserted into various TV adverts.
Made on an extremely low budget, this 1980s answer to Grease rocketed Patrick Swayze to international stardom. Taking everyone by surprise he proved he was not just an action star, but a seasoned dancer. Everyone must have a copy of at least two hit singles that are in the Dirty Dancing soundtrack; Swayze's She's Like The Wind and Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes' The Time of My Life, which won both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
In 1989, while my video rentals frenzy peaked and was swiftly killing the radio star, audiences were treated to Road House. While the film is listed among The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made according to the official Razzie Movie Guide, it has over the years acquired a cult following at midnight screenings. However preposterous and ludicrous the script may be, Swayze fired on all cylinders in the role of a tough bouncer highly proficient in martial arts and Zen philosophy, who is hired to clean up a seedy bar and rescue it from the clutches of a very evil Ben Gazzara.
Swayze then starred in another all time favorite chick flick that became the smash hit film of 1990 namely, Ghost. This film had everything from mystery to the supernatural intertwined with a love story. It's hard to believe it was directed by Jerry Zucker, who also directed the hilarious Airplane spoofs. Swayze played a murdered businessman, who learns how to use his afterlife supernatural powers to foil a dastardly plot against his girlfriend, played by Demi Moore.
The leads' stand-out performances, as well as the excellent special effects that enabled Swayze to walk through walls and jump off trains, made Ghost the tear-jerker of the year. However, what characterised this film is the much parodied pottery sequence along with the Righteous Brothers' classic heart pounding Unchained Melody.
My coming of age was defined with one of the best action films of the 1990s; Point Break, where Swayze went back to his action star roots in a heist thrill and spill film that simply is a guy's dream come true. For once we had an action movie poster tagline that went straight to the point: 100% Pure Adrenaline - that said it all! The movie score was inundated with smashing heavy metal tracks and this action film symbolised the MTV grunge young generation, who donned Nirvana T-shirts during the early 1990s.
This time around Swayze played the villain; the charismatic Bodhi nicknamed The Bodhisattva, the king of the surfers', an adrenaline extreme sports junkie with Kurt Cobain look-alike blonde hair coupled with an unshaven goatee. Swayze was paired with a fresh-faced Keanu Reeves, playing FBI Agent Johnny Utah in pursuit of Bodhi, who is a suspect in a string of bank robberies.
To this day I can't get enough of the spectacular surfing scenes and the breathless skydiving jumps that still leave me in awe. However it was Swayze's Bodhi, who ultimately stole the show with his memorable macho lines: "If you want the ultimate you have to pay the ultimate price", "Fear causes hesitation, hesitation causes your worst fears to come true" and the well suited: "Yo, Johnny! See you in the next life!"
From dancing his shoes off to Kung Fu fighting, Swayze would surprisingly play a drag queen in the comical To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything from Julie Newmar, not to mention his comeback acting turn as a sinister motivational speaker in the 2001 cult film Donnie Darko.
Unlike Tom Cruise, who co-starred with him in The Outsiders, Swayze was never one to embrace the limelight. He was a private person who was married to Lisa Niemi for 34 years, which is quite unusual by Hollywood standards. And he earned our admiration for his courage by continuing to work in television, despite being diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. He also found the strength to encourage others who are suffering from the deadly disease to strive on.
Patrick Swayze will be remembered for his acting versatility and his female fans will never forget him in his Dirty Dancing role as the charming Johnny Castle giving them the time of their lives. I though will always remember him for those rugged action roles, where his mischievous grin gleamed after a death defying stunt, appealing to the young lad in all of us. Indeed Swayze's classic Point Break one-liner is well suited for his perseverance in the face of suffering: "It's not tragic to die doing what you love". However, Keanu Reeves character's line from that film's unforgettable ending sums it all up: "Adios Amigo... Via Con Dios!"