Patrick Swayze, the star of runaway hits likeGhostandDirty Dancing, died Sept. 14, 2009, of pancreatic cancer at the age of 57
A Star Is Born
Patrick Swayze, pictured here in a promotional photo for his 1979 film debut, Skatetown USA, won the hearts of American audiences with his good looks and balletic, athletic acting style.Everett Collection
The Stamp of Approval
Swayze kisses his wife Lisa after the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Aug. 18, 1997.Susan Sterner / AP Photo
An Early Bromance
Keanu Reeves and Swayze co-starred in 1991's Point Break, about a band of surfing bank robbers.Everett Collection
A Softer Side
Swayze broke out of his macho typecasting as a drag queen in 1995's To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar.Everett Collection
The Beast
Travis Fimmel, left, and Swayze pose in a promotional photo for the A&E series . Though he was sick while shooting the series, Swayze refused to take painkillers during production for fear they would hurt his performance.Michael Muller / A&E / AP Photo
Partners for Life
Swayze and his wife pose with their dogs at their ranch in New Mexico on May 13, 2009. During his two-year battle with pancreatic cancer, Lisa, a pilot, flew him between Los Angeles and Northern California for treatment. He passed away on Sept. 14, 2009, at the age of 57.Brian Braff / WKT Public Relations / AP Photo
Always a Classic
Swayze, born in 1952 in Houston, played football as a teenager but turned to dancing by the late 1960s. He is pictured here circa 1967 with partner Sharon Schoettle in a photo for Houston's Morris Dance Company.Michael Ochs Archive / Getty Images
The Golden Years
By 1979, after a series of dance injuries, Swayze moved on to acting. In 1975 he married Lisa Niemi, pictured at right, who studied dancing with Swayze's mother Patsy, left.Michael Ochs Archive / Getty Images
Hollywood Insider
In the 1983 film The Outsiders, Swayze starred alongside several other young stars, including Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise and Matt Dillon.Everett Collection
Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner
Swayze dances with Jennifer Grey in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. His role as a dance instructor skyrocketed him to international fame.AP Photo
American Beauty
Swayze in a promotional image for The Outsiders.Corbis
Heartbreaker
Swayze auditioned six times to star alongside Demi Moore in the 1990 hit romance Ghost. He said he cried when he first read the script. The movie went on to gross more than $500 million worldwide.Everett Collection
One of the Boys
In 1984's Red Dawn, Swayze, far left, plays one of a bunch of high school students fighting the Soviet Union in World War III.Everett Collection
That’s Big Hair
Swayze appears with comedian Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live in October 1990 in a "Chippendales Audition" skit.Al Levine / NBCU Photo Bank / AP Images
