Actor Patrick Swayze, 57, died Monday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He is most remembered for his role as the dance instructor Jennifer Grey falls for in the 1987 romantic/dance movie 'Dirty Dancing', but he has other remarkable works (several of them on Blu-ray), which you might want to revisit to remember and pay tribute to him.
He had first been noticed in the TV mini-series 'North and South', and later in Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Outsiders' and John Milius' 'Red Dawn' (all unavailable on Blu-ray).
After '
Dirty Dancing' (released on BD by Lionsgate), he played a bar bouncer in '
Road House' (released on BD by MGM), of which our reviewer Dustin Somner says, "taken as a whole, it's a thoroughly entertaining experience that allows the viewer to escape into a simpler time when a good action film contained clearly defined heroes or villains, and didn't require the constant use of choppy editing or wires to create a good fight."
In the 1990 supernatural romance '
Ghost' (released on BD by Paramount), he played a young executive who is mugged and shot dead – only to find himself trapped on earth as a ghost. To protect his girlfriend (Demi Moore), he seeks the aid of a medium (Whoopi Goldberg). Reviewer Dustin Somner is of the opinion that 'Ghost' is "one of those rare romance films I've been able to enjoy over the years. Blending comedy, action and drama, Ghost never descends into the generic, boredom-inducing depths that characterize so many other entries in the romance genre and even manages to remain a fresh experience nearly twenty years after its original release."
A year later, he went back to spectacle in style, under the helm of action queen Kathryn Bigelow. '
Point Break' (released on BD by Fox) is, according to reviewer Martin Liebman, "a conventional action movie that manages to raise itself above the norm thanks to fantastic direction from Kathryn Bigelow, incredible stunts, solid performances from a set of A-list actors (both then and now), and several plot twists, all of which add up to make Point Break one of the better action movies of the 1990s".
Afterwards he was off the spotlight because of his alcohol problems, and also breaking both his legs in a horse-riding accident. Two movies stand out: 'To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar' (unreleased on BD), where he played a drag queen (and got his third Golden Globe nomination); and '
Donnie Darko' (released on BD by Fox), where he played a supporting role as a "morally bankrupt motivational speaker."
While he was battling cancer he kept on working on the A&E crime TV series 'The Beast' (not to be mistaken with the made-for-TV movie starring William Petersen). Unfortunately, the studio has not deemed it appropriate to release the series on Blu-ray.
Rest in peace.