Patrick Swayze: One Last Dance

by Wendy Leigh

A heartwarming, in-depth portrait of the beloved star whose sensational performances in Dirty Dancing and Ghost seduced a generation, and whose courage in the face of illness captivated millions

For almost thirty years, Patrick Swayze has been an American icon of masculinity and sex appeal, strong but sensitive, romantic yet dangerous.

In this intimate and revealing biography, New York Times bestselling author Wendy Leigh shares the inspiring untold story of Patrick's incredible his show business childhood, his fairy-tale love affair with wife Lisa Niemi, his catapult into alcoholism after his father's untimely death, the daredevil exploits that almost killed him, and his courageous fight against pancreatic cancer, a fight that has off-ered hope and encouragement to others grap-pling with similar life-threatening illnesses.

Ever since the steamy low-budget film Dirty Dancing skyrocketed Patrick to fame and cemented his place in the hearts of audiences around the world, he has been one of our most cherished public figures. Based on interviews with countless sources who have never spoken about Patrick before -- from the Texas beauty who shared his first kiss, to the woman he almost married, to the manager who worked closely with him from his teen idol days until his romantic tour de force in Ghost -- and many more, Leigh unveils surprising details about the charismatic actor's life on- and off-screen. Beginning with his training as a dancer with his choreographer mother and spanning his remarkable -- and at times challenging -- career, this groundbreaking biography of the un-forgettable entertainer is the mesmerizing, enduring, and definitive story of a man who captured our hearts.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, American, Adult

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2009

About the author

Ghostwriter & celebrity biographer. She has also written books on love, sex & relationships

http://www.wendyleigh.com/#

Reviews

[Chelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think most of my rating has to do with the subject matter rather than the actual writing. It carried an odd tone almost as if Patrick Swayze had already died, who at the time of publication (or writing this) he has not.

It is very informative about his training and his life however she tanks all her credibility with one key detail. Dirty Dancing is a well beloved movie, one that has been watched over and over and over. She sets the scene quite well, Johnny Castle enters Kellerman's and receives his instructions from MAX Kellerman not NEIL. Her simple mixing up of dorky, annoying, full of himself Neil for his stick in the mud grandfather colors the rest of the book.

The interviews with Swayze's friends and childhood classmates do enhance the story. It's a short book, has some great pictures, and moves along quickly. I was looking for a good airplane book and it fit the bill. It also expanded my must see movie list.

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of Patrick and it was nice to finally read about his life. I still miss him and will always wonder what else he could have accomplished if given the chance.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay, but it only contained information that the author had gotten from previous print interviews and interviews with friends of Patrick Swayze, so there was nothing here that you couldn't find elsewhere. I didn't realize that the author didn't interview Patrick until I read the Afterword of the book. The writing was choppy and disjointed due to all of the quotes and stories she copied from. I did learn a few new things about the subject, but that was only because I hadn't read every single magazine and newspaper article about him. It was interesting, but like I said, not really anything new or unusual. It made me glad that I got this book on loan from my library, rather than paying $25 for it.

I also found out that Patrick Swayze is now working on his own Autobiography with his wife, Lisa Niemi, and it will be out at the end of September, 2009. It's called "The Time of My Life"; I'm looking forward to reading that, hopefully I will learn something new there. I already have a hold on it at my local library.

[gemsbooknook Geramie Kate Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘This celebratory valentine to Patrick Swayze explores his kaleidoscopic career, from the early days on Broadway and TV to his defining roles in films such as “Dirty Dancing,” “Road House,” “Point Break,” and “Ghost,” and gives us an intimate look at the charismatic, complex man who seemed destined from birth to capture our hearts.

Patrick Swayze: One Last Dance, with never-before-heard stories including his insatiable drive for pushing the limits and his many brushes with death, his early family life and fairytale love story with his wife Lisa Niemi, and how his refusal to be typecast led him to roles that fell both in and out of favour with critics and fans alike.

Surprising and fascinating details, such as the heavy tension on the set of Dirty Dancing with co-star Jennifer Grey, the inspiration behind Patrick’s drag queen character Vida Boheme on To Wong Foo, and Patrick’s struggle to deal with his Sexiest Man Alive status and the throngs of women who came along with it, will captivate his myriad fans. Patrick Swayze: One Last Dance is a loving portrait of a man who’s mesmerized and inspired us for decades.’

I loved this book.

I am a massive Patrick Swayze fan so I went into this book both excited and with high hopes. I am happy to say that this book lived up to both my excitement levels and my high expectations.
This book was written and published before Patrick Swayze lost his battle with cancer, so while it mentions his diagnosis it doesn’t cover the last few months of his life or his ultimate passing. In my personal opinion, I am glad that this book doesn’t cover his illness and death as much as other books, instead, it focuses on his life and career.

Wendy Leigh did a fantastic job with this book. It was insightful and personal, and the information that she revealed in this book really captured who Patrick Swayze was as a person and why he was so loved by his fans. Wendy Leigh’s writing perfectly captured the humanity and emotion of Patrick Swayze’s life while also proving truly funny stories from Patrick’s personal life and moments on set throughout his career.

This is one of those books that I will definitely re-read many times in the future.

One Last Dance by Wendy Leigh is well worth the read.

Geramie Kate Barker
gemsbooknook.wordpress.com

[Penny Hawken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book ❤️ I wasn't sure initially as it started like a bit of a list of stuff going on in Patrick Swayze's life, but it settled into a good rhythm and I enjoyed the insights into his childhood and career. It got me thinking a lot about what it takes to become truly great at something, and the impact of that pressure on the person in later life. He really wanted to be taken seriously as an actor, yet never seemed to quite get the parts that would get him to where he wanted to be. It was also a reminder of the compromise of fame and celebrity for a loss of freedom, and I found it sad that really he worked almost until the moment he passed away. I was particularly moved by the love and loyalty he had for his wife. I really liked him as an actor and felt this book gave a respectful insight into his life.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a Patrick Swayze fan so I very much enjoyed reading this bio which came out a few months before this actor died of pancreatic cancer. I am very sadden by his death. Patrick Swayze seemed like a good guy and in reading this book, it did not change my opinion of him at all. In fact, it inspired me to admire him even more, especially since it shows that he was driven to always try to do his best at whatever it was he got involved in, whether it be acting or dancing. He was a loyal husband and loyal to his fans, his family and friends.

[Mromigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment. Read the epilogue of this first--I read it last and only then realized that the author NEVER interviewed him. So this is all based on hearsay and gossip. It started out good but then the author just went way too far with the metaphors. Otherwise, it was nice to learn the details about Patrick's career as a dancer and his strong love for his wife. What a great guy--he will be missed.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was something lacking from this book. The author followed his life and professional life, but seemed to miss most of the personal stuff. It read more like a magazine article that hinted around at what he was really like.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and how well it was written to tell about the star who could do almost anything.

[Jitka Egressy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart breaking book.

He was such an amazing man. Loving husband. Amazing dancer.

This book I can highly recommedn to everyone, who like him.

[MaryAlice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the actor reading Patrick Swayze: Once Last Dance written by Wendy Leigh. Some of it was interesting, other parts seemed to be a bio of his mother.

It made me laugh, that, after viewing the movie, Dirty Dancing women and girls started sending him love letters, proposing all kinds of things. Lust after a man who played a character in a movie? I loved the movie; did not think of him as all that "hot." I was more impressed with Jennifer Grey's character.

I would give this two stars: it was just okay, but the author did extensive research. For that she deserves the extra star.

What annoyed me was her constant comparing people to other people. (making this up) She is like a young Jane Fonda. He is like James Dean. (I did not copy any of those actual annoying passages.)

"...she was the only daughter out of five boys born to Finish parents.." Is one of the boys female? Better: she was the only daughter of six children? The other thing that made reading it just okay was sentences like that; ones that stop the flow, while you reread them or try to make sense of them.

Other than that, if you want to know more about Patrick Swayze's life, do read it. Lots of nice photographs also. Although one family photo neglected to list the name of the young woman on top right of row. I assume it would be his sister Vickie.

[Tra Cey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good stories from childhood but the author didn't interview him or any close family/friends; just took from other interviews. The chronology of his career was interesting. Almost every page the author wrote or quoted something comparative to "OMG! He's so hot, she's so hot they're so hot." It got nauseating to the point I almost stopped reading but switched to skimming rather than reading and finished.

[Anne Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the talk of Patrick's widow writing a new book, I revisited this older biography to renew myself with his relationship with his mother, Patsy, and the early years he spent as a dancer, concluding the book as he begins his fight with the cancer that would later take his life.

Leigh's book is well written, clever, and very detailed.

[Peggy Schupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for the most part, however I found some parts difficult to follow. I feel the editing could have been a bit better. The book was informative and had a lot of interesting facts that I would never have known had I not read it. I’ve always been a fan of Patrick Swayze and I very much enjoy reading biographies of celebrities.

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well told story of his life, without trying to be biased she tell an honest story about an all around good guy, trying to do whats right in the industry.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic bio, read Patrick's own autobiography if you want the whole story.

[Chelsea Kilpack · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had some of the worst writing I've ever seen: "The Voldemort of his soul against which he would be compelled to battle on almost a daily basis."

What?!

Better yet, this train wreck of a passage:

He's a Byonic hero, a working-class hearththrob, a new man, a dragon slayer, yet has enough of the little boy in him for every woman in the audience to want to mother him. He's a bad boy, but not so bad that he seems untamable.

His body glistens with sexuality in the dance scenes, yet he isn't a classic hunk, a poor man's Arnie. He's the romantic hero of every woman's dreams, masculine but not cruel, dominant but not destructive, sexual but not unbridled, kind but not weak. You know that he would protect you if you were lost in the jungle with him, save you if you were shipwrecked, and love you forever if you wanted to be loved.

--

All information was compiled from previous interviews. There wasn't a single original interview. I'm a lifelong Patrick Swayze fan, which is the only reason I was able to finish the whole thing.

[Moriah Angeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this title odd when I purchased the book, since it was before my beloved Patrick passed away, but I couldn't resist purchasing a biography about the man who was my first love. However, I couldn't give this book more than 2 stars because of Wendy Leigh's terrible writing. She makes more than one odd Harry Potter reference, as if she couldn't think of a more articulate way to make her point. I am a big fan of those books but what does that have to do with Patrick Swayze? Some of her facts are also questionable. Overall, the writing was very juvenile.
I did enjoy the quotes from random people in his life: the extra who tripped and fell during a filming of North and South, his childhood friends from the dance studio, etc. The biggest bonus is the middle section with great photos.
It's a nice book, but by all means not a great book. I'm looking forward to reading the book that he and his wife Lisa wrote together: "The Time of My Life."

[July · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book while on vacation. It is choppy and not well written a little like my reviews. I did learn about the actor but I think that if there is another biography out there you probably would be better off. This book was on a sale table when I bought it or I probably would have. Biography wouldn't normally be something I would buy to read. But I should tell you that I adored Patrick Swayze in the few movies I have saw him in, and cried when I heard he had cancer and the type. Being in the medical field I knew what it meant. I hated to see he go through so much pain.

Off topic.
Buy a different biography if you love the actor and there is one out there.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was released before Patrick died. I thought it was excellent. I didn't know his history of being trained by his Mom in ballet and dance. He injured his knee early on in his career and had to stop ballet but turned to movies instead.

All of his fans wanted to just seem him in romance movies but he was in all kinds of action movies and did all his own stunts.

[Celia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book very boring, repetitive and unimaginative. Considering what an interesting life Swayse had, I can't understand why it was so hard to to make the book of his life thrilling. Very disappointing. You could use this book as a source for looking up his less than popular movies, but then you can do that on the internet in a flash.

[Sara]

Loved "Time of My Life", so I thought I'd love this as well. I was wrong. I started reading and lost interest in the first couple pages. I skipped ahead thinking it'd get better, but it didn't. If you want a book about Patrick's life, read the book he wrote with his wife-"Time of My Life", and don't waste your time on this book.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was ok- but nothing I would rave about or recommend. She never interviewed Swayze and the book is therefore a compilation of chronological info and dialog taken from other media or first-handers. Patrick Swayze is an awesome person, but watching Barbara Walters would be more insightful and resonating than reading this particular bio

[Ariadna73 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried to read the most interesting parts of this book because I am not a biography person. What I liked the most is the emphasizing in the good things that this author does. PS was a very good human being that didn't deserve to die so young; but things worked out that way for him and this book is a homage to the best of him.

[Lupine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the Swayze and it was an entertaining read. Didn't love the writing (several weird comparisons to Harry Potter characters) but for a light fluffy read, it fit the bill. Makes me want to watch Point Break again.

[kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author did a lot of research on this book. It focused heavily on Patrick's dance history. I didn't realize he began dance when he was a toddler because his mom is a cherographer (sp). It was an okay book but I was bored with it and just scim read it.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of the romantic characters that Patrick Swayze has portrayed, I wanted to learn more about the man. I found that this book appears to be a factual representation of Mr. Swayze. I enjoyed learning about him, his strengths and weaknesses. I greatly admire his strengths.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me cry and it was so interesting to read. Even though he was not from my time I still love all of the movies he has done and I was very sad when I found out he had passed away due to cancer. It makes me admire the talented people we have today:)

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm struggling with my feelings for this book. I read Patricks autobiography and I absolutely loved it however this wasn't as good as I expected there was conflicting information between the two. Overall I would have to say skip this book and read the autobiography.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite actor ❤️