Most people know Patrick Swayze as an actor who starred in many popular Hollywood movies. The first movie I recall seeing the actor in was Red Dawn which, hit the screens in 1984. Swayze went to star in other hit films such as Ghost, Dirty Dancing, and Point Break. There are many other shows that feature his name in the credits. The Internet Movie Data Base lists 52 acting credits for him.

Patrick Swayze was born in Houston, Texas on August 18, 1952. He attended school there and lived in Houston for the first twenty years of his life. Throughout his young life, he played football, studied ballet, ice skating, and ballet as well as martial arts. In 1972, he moved to New York City to complete his formal dance training. By the 1980’s he was working for the Disney Theatrical Group as a dancer. His career evolved until he entered the film industry in 1979.

Patrick Swayze worked in the film industry for the next twenty-eight years. In 2007 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died on September 14, 2009.
What many people do not know is that Patrick Swayze was a Doc Savage fan. In 2009, a biographical book titled “The Time of My Life” was published. It was authored by Patrick Swayze and his wife Lisa Neimi.

The book notes that during his childhood he loved heroes like Tarzan and Doc Savage. He and his brother would play Tarzan while climbing through the neighborhood trees.

“Doc Savage was a particular hero of mine because he was not only physically daring and brave, he was also a Renaissance man. He could do anything – he was an explorer, a scientist, an inventor, a martial arts expert, and a master of disguise. I wanted to be like Doc Savage, to be able to do absolutely everything. 

In addition to traveling, that’s another one of the things I love best about my job – getting the chance to learn new skills from the top experts in each field. I’ve been lucky enough to study martial arts, kick-boxing, surfing, skydiving, and many other skills on movie sets. It’s been like having my own personal training to become Doc Savage, my childhood hero.
     – Patrick Swayze

After Swayze’s death, Julien’s Auctions issued a catalogue of estate property that was being auction. Item 233 included the Doc Savage poster that was available from Bantam Books back in the sixties and seventies.