Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer-songwriter. Having gained fame with appearances in films during the 1980s, Swayze became popular for playing tough guys and romantic lead males, gaining him a wide fan base with female audiences, and status as a teen idol and sex symbol. He starred in films from a range of genres, including the drama The Outsiders (1983), the war film Red Dawn (1983) Vietnam rescue film "Uncommon Valor"(1984), the romantic "coming-of-age" drama Dirty Dancing (1987), the action Road House (1989), the romantic fantasy/crime thriller Ghost (1990), the action crime film Point Break (1991), the comedy To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), the action film Black Dog (1998), the supernatural drama film Donnie Darko (2001), and the drama Jump! (2008), as well as in the television serials North and South and The Beast, his final role. During his career he received three Golden Globe Award nominations and was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1991. He died in September 2009, at age 57, 20 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.