The very sad news breaking this hour that Patrick Swayze has died at age 57 following a long and hard struggle with pancreatic cancer.
Swayze was no doubt one of the more versatile actors of the past few decades. He shined in every told that he took (yeah even as a drag queen in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar: a film that I will admit to having watched once and that was quite enough thank you). Most people will remember him from Dirty Dancing and Ghost. My personal favorite Patrick Swayze films are probably Red Dawn, Road House and Point Break: to those movies Swayze especially brought rare gravitas and charisma along with his abilities as an action-oriented actor. And though I never got to meet him, those who were honored to know him have reported that Swayze was nothing other than a fine gentleman and class act all around.
Thoughts and prayers going out to his family tonight.
