Fame or Famine

The guy just keeps on bein’ an inspiration.

While people always talk about Dirty Dancing and Ghost, I remember first seeing Patrick Swayze in Red Dawn. Later I saw him in Steel Dawn, and to my teen eyes that kind of tough grace really imprinted deeply (ok, him and Gene Kelly).

Later I learned that he had worked his way through knee problems to continue dancing, and with my own cartilage deterioration I found again that watching his elegant movement kept me feeling like it was possible to continue to pursue my own dance dreams – and I ended up with a degree.

Now the man has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and while he is responding very well to treatment, it’s a scary, scary thing. Instead of caving, though, he is continuing to work on his new A&E Series, the Beast (the pilot is completed) and is fielding questions with the same calm assuredness one would expect from a self-described “mountain man” (he has a ranch with over 300 cattle and raises Arabian horses).

Not content to rest on the laurels of TV and movies (he’ll be seen in an upcoming release “Powder Blue” along with Forest Whitaker) he also joined the cast of Chicago in 2003 on Broadway and in 2006 was a lead in Guys & Dolls.

Here’s hoping that he continues a strong recovery and more performances both on and off the camera.

Comments Off