Patrick Swayze & Lisa Niemi ~ the times of their lives

The Swayzes                              (AP Photo/WKT Public Reltaions, Brian Braff)

Patrick Wayne Swayze was an actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best-known for his roles in the films Dirty Dancing and Ghost. 

Even though Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early 2008 he continued acting until 2009 when he became too ill to do so. Later the same year he succumbed to the illness.

Lisa Anne Haapaniemi actress and dancer and was the wife of actor, singer and dancer Patrick Swayze for over 30 years.

Niemi is a licensed pilot and flew her husband to his cancer treatments.  While filming her movie One Last Dance in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Lisa Niemi was made an honorary citizen. Along with Swayze, Niemi wrote, directed and starred in that 1990 film.  She said,

It was based on a play that we wrote more than 18 years ago, Without a Word, which was very successful and won six Drama Critics Awards. It was basically based on our experiences as concert dancers in New York, and it affected people a lot."

In film Niemi co-starred in Steel Dawn (1987) with Swayze and co-starred in Beat Angel (2004). Niemi also appeared in Letters from a Killer, Next of Kin, Younger and Younger, Live! From Death Row, She's Having a Baby and Slam Dance. She choreographed the films Urban Cowboy and Grandview, U.S.A. Niemi directed the film Dance in 1990.
In television Niemi co-starred as Carla Frost in 23 episodes of the TV series Super Force from 1990 to 1991. Once again she directed her husband, this time in an episode of his TV series The Beast (it was eventually cancelled due to Swayze's health). The episode, titled "My Brother's Keeper", aired on April 9, 2009.

Niemi and Swayze had been collaborating on a memoir titled The Time of my Life published by Atria, released September 29, 2009.