Lisa Niemi

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Lisa Niemi bigraphy, stories - Film

Lisa Niemi : biography

May 26, 1956 – 2009

Lisa Niemi Swayze (born May 26, 1956), better known by her stage name, Lisa Niemi, 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.

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.. People. March 24, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2011.. CNN. February 17, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011. The Swayzes had no children.

In 1985, Niemi Swayze began living on a homestead near the Angeles National Forest, along with a "menagerie of dogs, prized Arabian horses and rodeo cattle." She also had a 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.

About two years after Swayze’s death she decided to remove her wedding ring and to add "Swayze" to her name.Rob Shuter. The Huffington Post, 01/10/12

On October 3, 2012, it was reported Lisa and Boston born jeweler Albert DePrisco were dating.http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/10/patrick-swayze-wife-new-man-lisa-niemi-dating-again

Early life

Born Lisa Anne Haapaniemi 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.. People. September 20, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2011. She graduated from the Houston Ballet Dance Company in 1974.. CNN. September 14, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2011.

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 (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 Swayze 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.. WebMD. Retrieved March 9, 2011.. ABC News. November 3, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2011.