Patrick Swayze's Real Name: Patrick Wayne Swayze

Quick answer: Patrick Swayze's full name was Patrick Wayne Swayze. He was born on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas. He was an actor and trained dancer best known for Dirty Dancing (1987) and Ghost (1990). He died of pancreatic cancer on September 14, 2009, in Los Angeles, at age 57 (Library of Congress; Britannica).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Swayze, Patrick." It cites "b. Patrick Wayne Swayze, Aug. 18, 1952, Houston, Tex.; actor." It also quotes an obituary: "b. Patrick Wayne Swayze, Aug. 18, 1952, Houston; d. Monday [Sept. 14, 2009], aged 57; balletically athletic actor who rose to stardom in the films Dirty dancing and Ghost and whose 20-month battle with advanced pancreatic cancer drew wide attention." Wayne was his middle name.

Britannica says he took lessons at his mother's Houston dance studio. He later studied at the Harkness and Joffrey Ballet schools in New York City. His first professional job was as Prince Charming in Disney on Parade, and he briefly played Danny Zuko in the original Broadway production of Grease.

Career highlights

Swayze made his film debut in Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979) and then worked in television. He returned to film in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders (1983), a hit with Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, and Diane Lane. After Red Dawn (1984) and Youngblood (1986), he broke through as a dance instructor in Dirty Dancing (1987). The film became a cult classic and earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

After action films such as Road House and Next of Kin (both 1989), he starred opposite Demi Moore in Ghost (1990). It was a box-office sensation and brought his second Golden Globe nomination for playing a murdered banker who returns as a ghost. Later films included Point Break (1991), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995), in which he played a drag queen, Donnie Darko (2001), and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004).

On television he played Orry Main in the miniseries North and South (1985–86) and Allan Quatermain in King Solomon's Mines (2004). He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2008 but still starred in the 2009 series The Beast. His autobiography, The Time of My Life, co-written with his wife, Lisa Niemi, was published after his death.

Name notes for searchers

Swayze is his family surname, and he did not use a stage name. Searches for "Patrick Wayne" are looking for his middle name, not a different actor. LOC and Britannica agree on his birth date, birthplace, and death date.