Lisa Niemi

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Lisa Niemi

Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi, 1989
Born Lisa Anne Haapaniemi
May 26, 1956 (1956-05-26) (age 53)
Houston, Texas
Occupation Actress, dancer, director, writer, choreographer
Spouse(s) Patrick Swayze (1975–2009; his death)

Lisa Anne Haapaniemi (born May 26, 1956) is a Finnish-American actress and dancer. She was married to actor, singer and dancer Patrick Swayze from 1975 until his death in 2009.

Contents

[edit] Life

Lisa Niemi was born in Houston, Texas to Finnish Americans Edmond Melvin Haapaniemi (October 11, 1914 - February 1984)[1] and Edna Karin Hyttinen. In 1971, she began attending a Houston area ballet school, the Houston Ballet Dance Company, where she met the owner/director's son, Patrick Swayze, to whom she was married from 1975[2][3] until his death from pancreatic cancer, on September 14, 2009. Soon after their marriage, the couple moved to New York to pursue their dance careers until the late 1970s, whereupon they headed West. In addition to dancing and filmmaking, the couple ran a construction business and raised horses together.[citation needed]

She has lived on a five acre homestead near the Angeles National Forest since 1985, along with a "menagerie of dogs, prized Arabian horses and rodeo cattle."[2] She also has a 20,000 acre ranch in New Mexico.[4]

In a 2008 interview, Swayze stated that Niemi was the inspiration for his 1987 hit song, "She's Like the Wind".[2]

[edit] Other

Niemi is a licensed pilot and flew her husband to his cancer treatments before his death.[2] While filming her movie One Last Dance in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Niemi was made an honorary citizen of the Canadian city.[5]

[edit] Films

Niemi wrote, directed and starred in the 2003 film One Last Dance, along with Swayze.[6][7] It was based on a play that she wrote more than 18 years ago, Without a Word, which was very successful and won six Drama Critics Awards. She said, "It was basically based on our experiences as concert dancers in New York, and it affected people a lot."[8]

She co-starred in Steel Dawn (1987)[9] 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. [10]

[edit] Television

Niemi co-starred as Carla Frost in 23 episodes of the TV series Super Force from 1990 to 1991.[11][12][13] 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.

[edit] Book

Niemi and Swayze had been collaborating on a memoir titled The Time of my Life published by Atria and due for release on September 29, 2009.[14]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Social Security Death Index
  2. ^ a b c d Tauber, Michelle (March 24, 2008). "People". http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20184593,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  3. ^ Blas, Lorena (March 6, 2008). "Patrick Swayze Battling a Deadly Form of Cancer". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-03-05-swayze-cancer_N.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  4. ^ Wong, Marisa (March 28, 2007). "Dirty Dancing...". People Magazine. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20062298,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  5. ^ King, Randall (March 10, 2001). "Swayze crazy about 'Peg". Canoe.com. http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Artists/S/Swayze_Patrick/2001/03/10/762117.html. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  6. ^ Robertson, Campbell (August 25, 2005). "Residents of Florida...". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/25/nyregion/25bold.html. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  7. ^ "One Last Dance". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/326684/One-Last-Dance/details. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  8. ^ Mitovich, Matt (August 26, 2005). "Patrick Swayze and His Wife Do a Dance". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/news/patrick-swayze-dance-40146.aspx. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  9. ^ "Steel Dawn". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/46788/Steel-Dawn/overview. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  10. ^ "Dance". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/12028/Dance/details. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  11. ^ "Super Force". New York Times. http://tv.nytimes.com/show/160257/Super-Force/overview. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  12. ^ Sauter, Michael (December 3, 2003). "Super Force". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,308854,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  13. ^ Schindehette, Susan (August 6, 1990). "Ghost with the Most". People Magazine. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20118405,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  14. ^ http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1439158584/ref=nosim/theoutblush-20

[edit] External links

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