Lisa Niemi

Lisa Niemi and  Patrick Swayze

Lisa Niemi, born May 26, 1956 is an American actress and dancer. She is the widow of actor, singer and dancer Patrick Swayze. They were married for 34 years, from 1975 until his death in 2009.


Early life


Niemi was born on May 26, 1956 in Houston, Texas, the only daughter and fifth of six children to Finnish immigrants Edmond Melvin Haapaniemi (October 11, 1914 – February 1984) and Edna Karin Hyttinen, born March 17, 1928). Niemi's mother worked as a nurse; she would later cite this as her inspiration and encouragement. She graduated from the Houston Ballet Dance Company in 1974.




Career


Films


Niemi wrote, directed and starred in the 2003 film One Last Dance alongside Swayze. One Last Dance was based on Without a Word, a successful play written 18 years before which had won six Drama Critics Awards. Niemi said, "It was basically based on our experiences as concert dancers in New York, and it affected people a lot."
She co-starred in Steel Dawn (1987) with Swayze and co-starred in Beat Angel (2004). Niemi also appeared in Letters from a Killer, Next of Kin, Younger and Younger, Live! From Death Row, She's Having a Baby and Slam Dance. She choreographed the films Urban Cowboy and Grandview, U.S.A. Niemi directed Dance, a 1990 film. 




Television


Niemi co-starred as Carla Frost in 23 episodes of the TV series Super Force from 1990 to 1991.She once again directed her husband, this time in an episode of his TV series The Beast. The episode, titled "My Brother's Keeper", aired on April 9, 2009. It was his last performance before his death.




Book


On September 29, 2009, Niemi released a memoir, The Time of My Life (ISBN 9781439158586). It had been co-written by Swayze, and was finished just shortly before his death.




Personal life


At the Houston Ballet Dance Company, Niemi met the owner and director's son, Patrick Swayze; the two eventually began dating when she was 15 years old. Niemi and Swayze were married from June 12, 1975 until Swayze's death from pancreatic cancer on September 14, 2009. Shortly after they wed, the couple moved to New York City to pursue their dance careers until the late 1970s, when they relocated to Los Angeles, California. In addition to dancing and filmmaking, they ran a construction business and raised horses together. Swayze and Niemi had no children.
In 1985, Niemi began living on a 5-acre (20,000 m2) homestead near the Angeles National Forest, along with a "menagerie of dogs, prized Arabian horses and rodeo cattle." She also had a 20,000-acre (81 km2) ranch in New Mexico.
She is a licensed pilot and flew Swayze to the cancer treatments prior to his death.While filming One Last Dance in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Niemi was made an honorary citizen of the Canadian city.


All about: Pancreatic cancer   Patrick Swayze   Barbara Walters   Lisa Niemi