Lisa Niemi Swayze, also known by her stage name, Lisa Niemi, is an American
writer, director, 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
Lisa Haapaniemi was born in Houston, Texas, the only daughter of six children
born to Edmond Haapaniemi, then Director of Water Safety Services at the Red
Cross, and registered nurse Karin Haapaniemi Niemi has said her father and
her mother's profession were her inspiration and encouragement. She
graduated from the Houston Ballet Dance Company in 1974. She shortened her
surname from Haapaniemi to just Niemi in 1977 for her theatre stage name.
Career = Films=
Niemi Swayze 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 with Swayze
and co-starred in Beat Angel. 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. Patsy Swayze 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.
= Books= On September 29, 2009, Niemi Swayze
released a memoir, The Time of My Life, which became a New York Times Best
Seller, and had been co-written by Patrick Swayze, and was finished just
shortly before his death. On January 2, 2012, Niemi Swayze released her New York
Time Best Selling memoir, "Worth Fighting For."
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. The Swayzes had no children.
In 1985, Niemi Swayze began living on a 5-acre 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 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. After her husband's death, she became
the Chief Ambassador of Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. In
July 2011, she was honored with the title of dame and invested in the Royal
Order of Francis I. On December 28, 2013, it was announced that she was
engaged to Albert DePrisco, a jeweller. On May 25, 2014, Lisa and Albert were
married. References
External links Lisa Niemi at the Internet Movie
Database Lisa Niemi at AllMovie