Actor Patrick Swayze was born on August 18, 1952 in Houston, Texas and is best known for his roles in the hit movies "Dirty Dancing", "Point Break and Ghost."

Before Patrick became an actor, he focused his career on dancing and became a professional dancer.  He was also quite athletic and won a football scholarship to college.  Unfortunately a bad knee killed his football dreams.

He got his first acting break playing Danny in the broadway version of "Grease" and made his big screen debut in 1983's hit "The Outsiders."

He reached hearthrob status with his roles in the "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost", but appeared in a few unknown roles in the 1990's with the exception of the hit "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar."

Since these blockbuster movies, Patrick has not done too many popular films (due to choosing the wrong roles) and his most recent film was "Waking Up In Reno", which was released in 2001.

His career to a downturn in the late 1990's after he developed a serious drinking problem coupled with poor film roles.  He had to admit himself into a rehab clinic and retreated with his wife Lisa to their ranch in Texas.

The couple recently celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2000.

Despite his struggles, Swayze is currently trying to make more movies.