Lisa Niemi
Details
- Also Known As:
- Lisa Niemi Swayze
- Date of Birth:
- May 26, 1956
- Hometown:
- Houston
Bio:
Lisa Niemi (born Lisa Anne Haapaniemi May 26, 1956 in Houston, TX) is a former dancer and the widow of actor Patrick Swayze. She graduated from the Houston Ballet Dance Company in 1974 and moved to New York to train with the Harkness Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet. In 1975 she married Patrick, who was her dance partner since she was a teen. The couple then moved to L.A. and Lisa landed numerous many film, television roles, including One Last Dance, Beat Angel, Younger and Younger, Slam Dance and Steel Dawn while Patrick rocketed to superstardom in 1987’s Dirty Dancing. She played caretaker to her husband following his 2008 pancreatic cancer diagnosis. She co-wrote his memoir titled “The Time of My Life,” which came out in 2009, the year that he died, and it became an international best seller. She later authored “Worth Fighting For,” which chronicled her last months with her dying husband.
Best Known For:
Lisa is best known for being an actress, dancer, writer and the widow of Patrick Swayze.
Personal Life:
Lisa is the only daughter of six children and was raised in Houston. Lisa is a licensed pilot. Lisa and Patrick met when she was just 15 and he was the son of the owner of the Houston Ballet Dance Company. The couple married in June 12, 1975. They did not have any children. Lisa inherited all of Patrick’s $40 million estate upon his death in 2009. She went on to marry jeweler Albert DePrisco in 2014.