Patrick Swayze
died of cancer this week in Los Angeles, California at
the age of 57. Swayze made a name for himself as an actor
in the '80s and '90s playing tough guy pretty boys capable
of wooing the ladies while kicking the snot out of anyone
in his path. He was both an action star and a romantic
lead, and performed each role with a precision and conviction
that made us see him both ways at once. That particular
combination may not seem novel or extraordinary but who
else in the last 30 years could do it as well as Swayze?
I dare say, "no one."
To some, Swayze
may have seemed like a one hit wonder, but he was far
from it. Swayze had a number of amazing performances.
Some of my favorites include his roles in Point Break,
Ghost, Road House,
Dirty Dancing, Donnie Darko, The Outsiders, Red Dawn,
and To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything! Julie
Newmar. Swayze also had a reverence for his craft,
was an excellent dancer, and had a wonderful sense of
humour about himself. He even went so far as to mock himself
in the Saturday Night Live Chippendales try-out
skit with Chris Farley, an image that remains one of that
show's all-time highlights.
My favorite
Swayze character, however is unquestionably his Bodhi
from Point Break. Swayze's zen master surfer
dude adrenaline junky bank robber was one of the coolest,
most realized villains of all-time. Women wanted him and
men wanted to be him. I wanted to be him.
Part philosopher,
part romantic, and all bad ass Bodhi was the coolest character
I have ever seen on the silver screen. He also uttered
two of my all-time favorite cinematic lines:
"Fear
causes hesitation, and hesitation will cause your worst
fears to come true.”
and
“If you
want the ultimate, you've got to be willing to pay the
ultimate price. It's not tragic to die doing what you
love.”
Bodhi lived
by these words and so did Swayze. He lived life to the
fullest and brought an enormous passion to his many wonderful
roles. Many may merely remember him for shouting, "nobody
puts Baby in the corner," but I will remember him
for so much more.
Check out his
films if you can. You just might find yourself won over,
too.
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