Patrick Swazye...I used to have posters on my walls of him and I even made a ceramic head of Patrick in art class in high school. I'll be the first to admit, it look nothing like him but it still sits in a pot plant on the balcony and I think of him each time I see it.
If you have never seen Dirty Dancing then you would be living in a cave, its iconic with the music, the lines and the drama. I digress now as this is about the book.
No doubt this was written after Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and he says he vowed to fight it which he did for over a year but it took his life in 2009. This book is their life up until they found out the news about cancer. Swayze met Niemi when she was 15 years old and he knew he wanted to be with her, she was different to other girls he'd met and she didn't think much of him at first, and it was another 3-4 years before things happened to unite their union and this union lasted over thirty years - and who says Hollywood can't have liaisons that last! I guess their's was one of a slim few.
Swayze grew up with a family who owned a dance studio so dance was in his blood. Suffering a knee injury in high school playing gridiron, he had to say goodbye to a life of dance years later due to the pain that followed but it opened up a world with acting and into many adventures he went. Swayze played Danny Zuko in the hit Broadway spectacular Grease but it was North and South television series that got his name pumping and the girls interested. When he read the script for Dirty Dancing he knew it had to be his, he managed to persuade the director that he was the one (over Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp and more) and he brought a passion yet confident feel into the roll of 'Johnny' and it also made us aware of his singing abilities i.e 'She's Like The Wind' (written about Lisa). After a few misses in the film industry he then took on Ghost and Point Break, both of which are blockbusters.
Swayze suffered knee injuries throughout his life, he was constantly getting his knee drained and was in pain a lot. He grimaced through many movies and proved his knee wasn't going to deter his future.
Although he and Niemi had later issues in life, mostly due to his bottle addiction, they came out on the other side and will remain one of Hollywood's greatest, yet not written about enough, love stories.
I was surprised to hear he was a chain smoker, one with a dance and sport past, but I guess we all have our outlets.
9/10
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