tom cruise dirty dancing

Surprising story of the song from 'Dirty Dancing' and some of the other iconic love songs from movies

Singer Bill Medley thought "Dirty Dancing" was a "porno movie."

— -- When it comes to writing a love song, Diane Warren knows a thing or two about what makes a great one.

The songwriter, who received her ninth Oscar nomination for the song “Stand Up For Something” from the movie “Marshall,” is behind some of the greatest romantic hits, including “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith , featured in the movie "Armageddon."

“When you can have a song at weddings and funerals, you're good,” Warren said laughing in an interview for “Lights, Camera, Romance!” a special Edition of ABC News’ “20/20,” which airs on Feb. 13, at 10 p.m. ET. “I do want to create timeless songs that live on.”

Composer Giorgio Moroder won three Oscars, including for the song “Take My Breath Away” from the movie “Top Gun,” said some songs become synonymous with the films they inhabit.

“Some of the songs really define a movie,” Moroder said on “Lights, Camera, Romance!”

Warren and Moroder, along with David Foster, Lionel Richie and other iconic voices, shared the surprising stories of some of the greatest love songs to have come from movies.

“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, featured in the movie “Dirty Dancing”

Before he signed on to sing one of the most iconic movie love songs ever, singer Bill Medley said he thought “Dirty Dancing” was a very different kind of film.

“I thought it was a porno movie, and that’s the truth,” Medley, who was one-half of the music duo the Righteous Brothers , laughed. “When they said the movie’s going to be ‘Dirty Dancing,’ I said, ‘I can’t do it while my parents are alive.’ And then they explained it.”

Medley said Jimmy Ienner, who put together the music for the movie, asked him to sing in the song, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”

In order to work on the song, Medley said he was asked to leave California to go to New York, but he said he refused because he promised his wife, who was pregnant at the time, that he would be home when she had their child.

“They just stayed on me, stayed on me, and stayed on me. And finally Paula had the child. I said, ‘Please have the baby. I need a hit record,’” Medley recalled. “And so that was, like, 31 years ago. And now my daughter is on stage singing ‘(I've Had) The Time of My Life’ with me.”

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Medley said he and Jennifer Warnes mainly chose to do the song because they wanted to have the opportunity to collaborate.

“So we basically did the song just to work together because we figured the movie's a little teeny movie. It's not going to do anything, you know?”

As it turned out the movie turned out to be a success, and the album went platinum.

“They gave me 32 platinum albums to take home, so I gave ‘em for Christmas presents,” Medley said laughing.

“I Will Always Love You” performed by Whitney Houston , featured in the movie “The Bodyguard”

Famed songwriter and record producer David Foster said he’s not sure how “I Will Always Love You” was chosen for the movie, “The Bodyguard.”

"The Bodyguard" star Kevin Costner suggested the song for the movie.

Foster said, "When I got that song, I didn't know it. So I ran down to the record store back in those days, got Linda Ronstadt 's version and I went, ‘Wow, I know how I can make this work for Whitney.’”

Foster said he put together a demo and showed it to the movie’s star and singer, Whitney Houston, who he said exclaimed, “Oh, my God, this is like incredible.”

“We both looked at each other, and we went, ‘Yeah, we really have something here,’” Foster recalled.

Foster said he didn’t know the song before but was friendly with the song’s original writer and performer, Dolly Parton . But when Foster told Parton that he was using the version by Linda Ronstadt, Parton told him not to.

“She supposed, ‘There's a third verse that she doesn't sing, you've got to do the third verse.’ I said, ‘Well, we've already recorded the song and it only has two verses.’ She said, ‘No, you've got to go back and do the third verse,’" Foster said. “And the third verse, actually, is the greatest verse ... so she was helpful with that, Dolly.”

Foster called Houston a “firestorm” to work with.

“She was shooting on the film 10 hours a day, maybe more, 12 hours a day, exhausted. She'd come to the studio at 10 or 11 at night, she'd rip her jacket up, she'd step up to the mic, and she'd go like a race horse,” Foster recalled.

“The interesting thing about Whitney is when you ask her to do a lick, a phrase -- she'll never give you what you want. She gives you always something different than what you asked for,” Foster continued. “Most of the time, it's better than what you asked for. Rarely it's worse than what you asked for, but most of the time, she surprises you and gives you more than what you asked for. And that was the case of all my recording with her.”

Foster said the song’s intro was also Kevin Costner’s idea.

“That a capella part in the front, which I hated the idea of it -- I thought it was the stupidest idea on the planet. Shamefully, I admit that was Kevin Costner's idea. He said, ‘Yeah, first part should just be her singing,’” Foster said.

“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” performed by Aerosmith, featured in the movie “Armageddon”

Warren said she came up with the title of the song “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from “Armageddon” before she even wrote the music.

Warren got the idea by watching a 1997 Barbara Walters interview with James Brolin and Barbra Streisand.

“It was an interview he gave about how he misses her when he sleeps, you know? Like, he can’t wait to see her,” Warren said. “And I wrote down the title. I didn’t write the song, but I just thought, ‘I don’t want to miss a thing.’ That’s just a cool title, you know.”

When the movie “Armageddon” was in the works and needed a song, Warren said it was the time to finally write the song, starting with the chorus first.“'Cause it was about the end of the world, and ... what would you say to somebody, you know, if you didn't have that much time left, you know?” Warren explained. “I wanted that urgency, you know? And so I wrote the song ... never knowing Aerosmith was going to do it. That was amazing.”

Songwriter Diane Warren on how she came up with the idea for 'I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing'

Warren remembers playing the song for Steven Tyler at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in Los Angeles.

“I'm a terrible singer. You know, so I'm sitting there singing it with him, and then just hearing him, you know, learn it with me, it was amazing,” Warren said. “I started crying, you know? It was so emotional.”

“Take My Breath Away” performed by Berlin, featured in the movie “Top Gun”

Moroder, the Oscar-winning composer of “Flashdance ... What a Feeling,” won his third Oscar with “Take My Breath Away,” from the movie “Top Gun.”

“When Jerry Bruckheimer asked me to write a song for the movie, he showed me some parts of the movie, especially the one where he said, ‘This is where Tom Cruise falls in love, and it has to be something very romantic,’” recalled Moroder. “I started with the bass line, and very unusually, I had the first part finished, but the second part, I had two different ones and I didn't know which one should I pick.”

Moroder said he left it alone for two or three days and finally decided to pick the version that is in the one listeners know today.

“The song, Take My Breath Away, came relatively fast, although I had a problem, I didn't really know how to end it,” Moroder said. “And then at that moment, I knew this is the song.”

“Endless Love” written by Lionel Richie, performed by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, featured in the movie “Endless Love”

When he began working on the 1981 Oscar-nominated song “Endless Love” for the movie of the same name, Lionel Richie, who wrote both the music and the lyrics, said he had thought it was just a songwriting role.

Eventually, Richie said he was asked to write the song into a duet featuring Diana Ross.

“Then they say ... ‘Who would [you] think should be able to sing it with her?’ ‘Well, me of course.’ You know, let's just be honest here. But I'd never written a duet before in my life. So this is all brand new coming down the pipe,” Richie recalled. “And the next thing I know I'm in a studio up in [Reno] at 3 in the morning after she had just finished her show in [Lake Tahoe].”

Richie continued, “The next thing I know, we're putting down the song for ‘Endless Love.’ And the rest is music magic.”

Lionel Richie on working with Diana Ross and how he wrote the song 'Endless Love'

Of course, Richie said the song he had originally envisioned didn’t match the final product.

“What I wrote as ‘Endless Love’ and what I sang as ‘Endless Love’ are two different things, because there were certain parts that [Diana] just killed on that didn't necessarily come out of that melodic part of mine and my head,” Richie explained. “So I had to go back and compliment her, or either let her have that part and I'll sing behind her. So it was just kind of putting the song together in motion.”

Richie jokes that the experience was difficult, but rewarding.

“You'll notice that I have not done something like that, again, 'cause I almost died doing it,” Richie said laughing. “But it was an adventure, certainly as a young writer. And I'm playing around with the legendary Diana Ross. Are you kidding me?”

“Up Where We Belong” performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, featured in the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman”

For “An Officer and a Gentleman,” director Taylor Hackford said he knew he wanted something special.

“At the end of this film I wanted a title song, you know, at the end. Freeze on them. And Jack Nitzsche had done a wonderful job with the score. I brought in a fantastic lyricist -- he's named Will Jennings, one of the great lyricists,” Hackford said.

Hackford continued, “And he looked at the movie, and he said, ‘Jack Nitsche has a couple of themes here I'll make into a song.’ He went away, created a song. I loved it: ‘Up Where We Belong.’ Then we had to decide how we put the voices together.”

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Because the film was a love story, Hackford said he knew he wanted a “working class male voice” and a female voice with “a little more softness to it.”

When they decided to go with Joe Cocker and Warnes together, Hackford said the two hadn’t even met.

“They didn't even meet when they recorded. They weren't in the studio at the same time,” he said.

After the song was finished, Hackford said several people he took it to didn’t think it was going to be a hit.

“The song was No. 1 for six, seven weeks and won the Academy Award, right?” Hackford said laughing.

“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” performed by Elton John, featured in the movie “The Lion King”

Elton John told “GMA” co-host Robin Roberts he felt lucky to work on music for “The Lion King,” a film from Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

“I got a phone call from Tim Rice and said, ‘Disney had been on the phone to me and they're doing their first animation feature that's original. It's called ‘The Lion King,' [and] Tim said, ‘I'd like to get Elton,’” recalled John. “They said, ‘Well, you'll never get him.’ ‘I said to him, ‘Are you joking?’ ... This is fantastic.’”

Rice wrote the lyrics for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," while John wrote the music.

John continued, “That one phone call from Tim changed my whole career and certain things like that have happened at certain times in my career or one phone call, one decision, one gut feeling has made my life better.”

The "20/20" one-hour special, "Lights, Camera, Romance," will air on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

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The secrets behind the final lift scene from “Dirty Dancing”

By Floriane Reynaud

Now I've had the time of my life… Ever since the Summer of 1987, every wedding reception dancefloor has sung along to this song, which transformed a romantic comedy into an irreplaceable cult oeuvre. Dirty Dancing , with its colourful characters and ultra-sexy dance scenes, is one of the most popular romantic comedies of all time. The most memorable scene of all is without a doubt the last dance sequence where Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze display the extent of their on-screen chemistry with a now iconic mambo. Although the final result was a perfectly paced and romantic choreography, the filming process was not without its challenges.

A turbulent relationship

In order to create this perfect on-camera romance, Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze had to get past their mutual misunderstanding. The two actors had met a short while before on the set of Red Mist and did not want to work together again. However, fate and the studios decided otherwise and brought them together again for a sensual love story. During filming, the Johnny Castle actor found his partner to not be serious or invested enough in her role. While their minor disputes added some authentic additions to the script, when Johnny teaches Baby to dance, for the grand finale, they needed perfect chemistry between the two actors. Before filming, the actors met for two weeks to train and get into their roles. With more than just lines to learn, they had to memorise dance sequences. While Patrick Swayze already had a cheeky shimmy and rhythm in his blood, for Jennifer Grey it was a totally different ball game. However, the actress followed Swayze 's lead and managed to learn the complicated footwork in a few days.

Express filming

Much like her character, Jennifer Grey is an anxious person. The idea of dancing those quick and complex steps to perfection then throwing herself into the arms of Patrick Swayze stressed her out so much that she refused to rehearse for the sequence. Her mantra? Come what may ! As a form of training, she practised doing some small leaps into her partner's arms and took advantage of the lake sequence to relieve some stress. But for fear of being able to do the leap during the rehearsal and not in front of the camera, she asked to film the sequence in one go and without a trial run beforehand. And it worked ! From the first take and in the euphoria of the moment, Jennifer Grey performed the most sensual dance ever to grace our screens, followed by the most iconic lift in cinema history. Interviewed by The Guardian in 2015, the actress admitted to having had cold sweats when she thinks about this legendary lift “God, no! I only did it on the day I shot it. Never rehearsed it, never done it since. I don’t know how all these people who re-enact it have the guts to throw themselves into the arms of anyone other than Patrick Swayze. It’s insane!” To ABC News, she confided that her partner was perfectly confident: “ I was terrified by this lift but it's something that Patrick Swayze couldn't understand. He was a fearless person who had no qualms about the extent of his physical capabilities." Later on, when Jennifer Grey was taking part in the American version of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ in 2010, she refused to re-enact the famous lift, despite the insistence of production. Once the lift was in the bag, they had to reassure her for the many other lifts of the sequence. The pair performed the mambo, followed by Patrick Swayze 's stunt of jumping off the stage to rejoin the troupe of dancers. The whole thing was done on a demo of The Time of My Life because at the time of filming, the Bill Medly song wasn't finished yet.

Injuries and jump cuts

Shot in the Fall of 1986, Dirty Dancing put the actors' bodies to the test. Despite his professionalism, the numerous dance scenes did take a toll on Patrick Swayze 's health. After falling on his knee during the tree-trunk balancing sequence, he injured himself during the lake carry sequence. In addition to the icy water, Patrick Swayze had to hide his pain. He made it through so many jumps, slips, and dance steps… but during the final scene, the actor twisted his ankle. Even this millionth injury did not stop him from performing the cult dance finale. Fans of the film have noted a few faulty jump cuts at this point: Patrick Swayze appears with wet and then dry hair, sweating at one point, then completely tranquil in the next one… It's proof that the shots were cut several dozen times in order to obtain the perfectly formed sequence which we know today.

By Héloïse Salessy

By Daniel Rodgers

By Chloé Versabeau

Translated by Isabella Martin

Read more on Vogue.fr :

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Tom Cruise Reflects On Iconic 'Risky Business' Scene 40 Years Later: 'I Still' Dance In My Underwear

Leave it to Tom Cruise to top himself again and again! Tom told Access Hollywood's Scott Evans at the "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1" premiere in Rome over the weekend that when it comes to doing his own death-defying stunts, his reasoning is simple. "Well, you know, you never have to. But I want to," the icon said. "I want to thrill that audience, I want to do everything I can." Now 60, Tom has been dominating Hollywood for more than four decades and he went on to reflect on one of his star-making roles as it celebrates a major milestone. When telling Scott about the 40th anniversary of "Risky Business," Tom remembered filming the now-iconic dance scene and how grateful he is to have had it launch him into a new level of success. "[L]ook, I grew up dancing in my underwear in my house. Who didn't?" he smiled, adding, "[T]hat was a formative experience and I feel very lucky to have that opportunity, to be able to have that kind of script and that kind of material at that age." Though Tom only continues to prove himself as a powerhouse on and off camera, he's still in touch with his "Risky Business" roots! When Scott asked if he dances in his underwear from time to time today, Tom delivered a relatable answer. "Yeah, I still," he nodded. "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1" hits theaters on July 12.

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You'll Have the Time of Your Life With These 20 Secrets About Dirty Dancing

The beloved 1987 movie dirty dancing turned patrick swayze and jennifer grey into superstars, but did you know producers didn't even want to release the film.

Thirty-five years later, we're still having the time of our lives.

Made for just $6 million, no one expected Dirty Dancing  to be a hit—let alone become an enduring pop culture phenomenon—when it was released on Aug. 21, 1987. In fact, producer  Linda Gottlieb revealed in 2012 that the script was turned down 43 times before a small studio, Vestron, finally agreed to make the movie.

But Dirty Dancing defied expectations, making $214 million at the box office and later going on to win an Oscar. The key to the film's success was likely the chemistry between its two leads, Jennifer Grey   and Patrick Swayze , as naïve resort guest Baby and charismatic dance teacher Johnny turned their portrayers. . Too bad the co-stars couldn't stand each other when filming began, though you wouldn't know it by watching the finished product. 

So, to celebrate its 35th anniversary, put down that watermelon you're carrying and make like the wind to check out these behind-the-scenes facts about Dirty Dancing , including the major stars who auditioned for the lead roles, the movie "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" was originally written for and which actor was replaced after the first week of filming...

1. The film's title was almost changed to  I Was a Teenage Mambo Queen after Dirty Dancing caused authorities at the Canadian border to hold up the dailies "because they thought it was a porn film," screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein , who based the movie on her own life experience, revealed to Cosmo in 2017.

2. Billy Zane, Benicio Del Toro and Val Kilmer were all considered for brooding dance instructor Johnny Castle before Patrick Swayze , who had extensively trained the Harkness and Joffrey Ballet Schools, was cast in the role that would make him a superstar.

3. But Swayze almost turned down Dirty Dancing due to a serious knee injury he sustained during his Broadway days, with his resume even reading "no dancing." 

4. Before Jennifer Grey was cast as Baby, Sarah Jessica Parker and Winona Ryder auditioned. Grey later revealed to The New York Times that she was paid $50,000 for the film. 

4. Non-dancer Grey admitted she was terrified to partner with Swayze, despite already having worked with him in Red Dawn . 

Swayze was "a great dancer and he was fearless," Grey told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. "His fearlessness with my fearfulness—like his lack of Jewishness and my super Jewishness—together was like a marriage where you have two opposites. He'd do anything and I'd be scared to do anything."

5. But there was initially tension between the two leads, who often clashed over their different approaches to acting. 

"She seemed particularly emotional, sometimes bursting into tears if someone criticized her," Swayze wrote in his 2009 autobiography, The Time of My Life. "Other times, she slipped into silly moods, forcing us to do scenes over and over again when she'd start laughing." 

6. Choreographer Kenny Ortega used their real-life dynamic to fuel Johnny and Baby's chemistry on-screen. 

"Both of them brought so much every day," Ortega told People in 2017. "Sometimes, it was conflict; sometimes it was love. There was something there between the two of them that was unexplainable. They were human fireworks."

7. A turning point for the actors came during the film's iconic lift scene in the lake, Swayze and Grey bonding over the difficult experience.

"It was horrifyingly, hypothermically cold in that lake, and we filmed that scene over and over," Swayze wrote in his autobiography. "And despite the fact that Jennifer was very light, when you're lifting someone in water, even the skinniest little girl can feel like 500 pounds."

8. But all their hard work proved to be worth it, with Grey reflecting on finally nailing the lift with Swayze in her 2022 memoir, Out of the Corner, that she held off doing the infamous move until they filmed the climactic final dance scene. 

"What you see between us in that scene was also real," she wrote. "Real gratitude. Real respect. Real care. If that's not love, what is?"

9. The scene in which Baby keeps laughing as Johnny trails his fingers down her arm was unscripted as Grey really was ticklish and Swayze's annoyance was very real. 

"We didn't even remember we had that footage because we then shot it where she didn't laugh, and it was only when we were in the editing room that our dance editor found this," Bergstein told Cosmo . "When we saw it, we burst out laughing, and when Jennifer and Patrick saw it for the first time, they burst out laughing because we'd completely forgotten that this had even happened. We just thought it was so funny that we used it and loved it."

10. Baby's mother was originally played by Lynne Lipton , but she was replaced by Kelly Bishop after Lipton became ill during the first week of shooting. Bishop had initially been cast as Vivian Pressman, the resort guest interested in Johnny. The film's assistant choreographer Miranda Garrison then took over the role of Vivian.

11. Sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer was initially set to play Mrs. Schumacher, but she backed out when she learned the character was revealed to be the resort's thief. 

12. In order to secure a corporate sponsorship, producers asked Bergstein to take Penny's abortion out of the script, which she refused to do.

"I always had known this would happen one day," the writer explained. "I said, 'Hey, I would love to, but I can't because if I take it out everything will fall apart.' There's no story without that. Everything just crumbles, nothing will make any sense. They said, 'Too bad, we should have thought of that sooner,' and so we didn't do it."

13. After watching the initial cut of the movie, some of the producers had little faith in it, according to Bergstein.

"[Producer Aaron Ross] told us to burn the negative and take the insurance," she revealed to Today in 2017. "Everyone told us constantly what a negligible piece of junk it was."

14. The film's soundtrack held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard album chart for over four months and has sold more than 14 million copies. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song.

15. Jane Brucker , who played Baby's flighty older sister Lisa, wrote the song "Hula Hana," which she performed in the talent show rehearsal scene.

16. "She's Like the Wind," which Swayze co-wrote and performed, was originally intended for the soundtrack for the actor's 1984 comedy  Grandview, U.S.A . And Rob Lowe revealed on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in 2020 that Swayze also attempted to get the song into their 1986 film Youngbloods . 

17. Matthew Broderick , who was dating Grey at the time of filming, makes an uncredited cameo in the film's final scene as one of the talent show attendees.

18. Dirty Dancing became the first film to sell more than a million copies for home video.

19. A prequel, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights , was released in 2004 and a made-for-TV remake starring Abigail Breslin as Baby aired in 2015. 

20. In 2020, E! News confirmed Grey was set to executive produce and star  in a new Dirty Dancing film. Though details of the plot were not revealed, Grey confirmed that she will be playing Baby in new version in a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times .

"I'm excited by the challenge of looking at it from the point of view of what happens when it's 30 years later and it's the '90s," she said. "What happens with the person that had that experience—what happened to her and what is now relevant about the original story at a different moment; looking at it through a different lens."

Grey also confirmed the movie will be released Valentine's Day 2024.

Dirty Dancing (1987) Trailers and Clips

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Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romance film. Written by Eleanor Bergstein and directed by Emile Ardolino, the film features Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the lead roles, as well as Cynthia Rhodes and Jerry Orbach. The story is a coming of age drama that documents a teenage girl's coming of age through a relationship with a dance instructor whom she encounters during the family's summer vacation. In 2004, a prequel to the film was released, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. Although not a remake, Havana Nights showcases a similar storyline about an American teenager learning about life through dance, when her family relocates to Havana, Cuba just before the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Swayze was paid $5 million to appear in a cameo role as a dance teacher — considerably more than the $200,000 he earned for the first film.

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Tom Cruise, in Bit Role, Nips Studio’s Top Gun

By Michael Cieply

• April 3, 2008

LOS ANGELES — Take that, Sumner Redstone.

At an industry screening Tuesday night of the forthcoming comedy “Tropic Thunder” from Paramount Pictures and its unit DreamWorks, Tom Cruise brought down the house with his surprise portrayal of a bald, hairy-chested, foulmouthed, dirty-dancing movie mogul of the kind who is only too happy to throw an actor to the wolves when his popularity cools.

The several hundred Hollywood agents, managers, publicists and reporters at the screening on the Paramount lot here couldn’t have missed the joke. In August 2006 Mr. Cruise — after spending many years at Paramount and appearing in some of its biggest hits, including “Top Gun” and the “Mission: Impossible” series — was sent packing by Mr. Redstone, the chairman of Viacom, the studio’s parent.

Two years later Mr. Cruise is back in a Paramount movie, playing a craggy ingrate in what is shaping up as one of the studio’s best prospects for the summer. The movie, a raunchfest directed by Ben Stiller, about a bunch of actors whose jungle war movie turns unexpectedly real, also stars Mr. Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and Nick Nolte.

The humor may have been heightened by knowledge that Mr. Cruise and Mr. Redstone only last week kissed and made up over a very public lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Mr. Cruise, 45, has been a hunk (“Cocktail”), a heartthrob (“Far and Away”), an action hero (“Minority Report”) and a series of extraordinary ordinary guys (from “Taps” to “War of the Worlds”). He has also done some comic scenes. In 2002, for instance, there was a bit as Austin Powers, in “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”

But nothing on his résumé predicted the rapturous reaction he received Tuesday night. (Only a turn by Mr. Downey — who plays most of the movie in blackface, as a present-day white Australian trying to get inside the head of an African-American grunt during the Vietnam War — received as warm a reaction.)

Mr. Stiller, speaking before the screening, said he expected the movie to be rated R. The first few words out of Mr. Cruise’s mouth would guarantee that. As for his dance, that will be best described by the critics.

Representatives of Mr. Cruise, Mr. Stiller and Paramount declined on Wednesday to discuss the role.

Mr. Cruise’s latest appearance comes on the heels of a flop, “Lions for Lambs,” which was released by United Artists, a studio he now oversees with his longtime associate Paula Wagner. And the comedy’s August release will precede Mr. Cruise’s performance in “Valkyrie,” a fall film from United Artists, in which he plays a German officer who tries to assassinate Hitler.

Mr. Stiller, who played Mr. Cruise’s obsessive stunt double in a popular Web video (and who is expected to co-star with him in “Hardy Men”), first talked with Mr. Cruise, his friend, about taking a role more than a year ago, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid conflict with the film’s promotion. Mr. Cruise chose the studio chief’s role, and went through four days of makeup tests in order to get it right.

The director had planned to keep Mr. Cruise’s uncredited performance a surprise. The studio has not included Mr. Cruise in the movie’s trailer and has declined to release any images of his character. But a photo of a mostly bald Mr. Cruise donning a fat suit popped up on the Web late last year.

In any case, the performance is likely to draw attention, since Paramount is weighing a plan in which it would build buzz with extensive screenings of “Tropic Thunder” before its Aug. 15 release, much as 20th Century Fox did in 2006 with “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” At Tuesday’s screening Mr. Stiller told attendees that his new film was still in rough form. “If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them directly on the Internet,” he said.

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Dirty Dancing, Footloose in Dancing on the Ceiling tribute video

Lionel Richie’s third solo album Dancing on the Ceiling was released 30 years ago — Aug. 5, 1986 — so what better way to celebrate its anniversary than with a mash-up of classic ‘80s movies dance scenes (and there are a lot of them).

YouTuber Robert Jones , whose channel features lots of movie, TV, and music-based compilations and tributes, combined 80 dance scenes from 1980s movies set to the popular album’s title track. Madonna from Desperately Seeking Susan and Tom Cruise in full Risky Business mode are featured in his latest video, which also includes sci-fi hits such as Flight of the Navigator and cult classic Beetlejuice . And what would the ’80s be without the John Hughes dance-scene trifecta of The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , and Pretty in Pink ?

Classic ’80s dance flicks Dirty Dancing, A Chorus Line, Footloose , and Hairspray make the cut — how could they not?— in addition to a few forgotten ’80s gems sprinkled throughout.

Watch the full video below.

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Patrick Swayze

(1952-2009)

Who Was Patrick Swayze?

Born in 1952 in Houston, Texas, Patrick Swayze began his career as a dancer before finding success on Broadway. After early films like The Outsiders , he enjoyed a breakout as the sexy star of Dirty Dancing . Swayze followed with the smash hit Ghost , along with memorable roles in Point Break and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar . Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008, the actor passed away the following year at age 57.

Aspiring Dancer

Patrick Wayne Swayze was born on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas. He and his four siblings were raised by parents Patsy and Jesse Swayze. Swayze's mother, director of the Houston Jazz Ballet Company, introduced her son to dance at an early age.

While still in grade school, Swayze developed a love for ballet and was often teased by fellow classmates. Throughout high school, he set aside his dance career to concentrate on athletics like gymnastics, swimming and football. After graduation, he was offered both athletic and dance scholarships. Swayze opted for athletics and enrolled at San Jacinto College in Houston, Texas, where he focused on gymnastics. Two years later, he left school to tour with the Disney on Parade ice show, as Snow White's Prince Charming.

In 1972, Swayze traveled to New York City to pursue a dance career. He began training with the Harkness and Joffrey Ballet companies, and was soon hired as a principal dancer with the Eliot Feld Ballet Company. However, his success was cut short when an old football injury required that he undergo knee surgery. The operation, coupled with the infection that followed, caused Swayze to leave the prestigious Feld Company.

Stage, TV & Film Career

'west side story,' 'grease'.

In 1976, Swayze redirected his efforts toward stage acting and made his Broadway debut in Goodtime Charley . He later appeared in West Side Story , and in 1978, he won the leading role in the musical Grease . Swayze's high-profile performance as Danny Zuko led to many television and movie offers.

'The Outsiders,' 'Red Dawn'

'dirty dancing' & 'she's like the wind'.

It was the release of the surprise hit Dirty Dancing (1987) that brought Swayze instant celebrity and established him as Hollywood's newest heartthrob. The film featured Swayze as the misunderstood dance instructor Johnny Castle, a role that earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

Dirty Dancing also allowed Swayze to pursue a singing career. Inspired by his relationship with his wife, Lisa, Swayze and co-writer Stacy Widelitz penned the song "She's Like the Wind" for the film's soundtrack. "I had been meeting girls with names like Mimi and Angel. And for a long time I didn't feel like I deserved her," Swayze told People magazine. "I just felt at that time that I'm very, very lucky to have a woman who thinks I hung the moon."

The song resonated with music fans, and the single catapulted to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

'Road House,' 'Ghost'

In 1989, Swayze starred in two action features, Road House and Next of Kin , which both enjoyed modest success at the box office. A year later, he fought for and won the lead role in Jerry Zucker's romantic drama Ghost (1990). The film, which co-starred Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg , revived Swayze's struggling career. Ghost grossed over $200 million and earned Swayze a second Golden Globe nomination.

'Point Break,' 'City of Joy'

In 1991, the same year he adorned the cover of People magazine as "The Sexiest Man Alive," Swayze partnered with Keanu Reeves in the action-adventure Point Break. The following year he turned to drama, playing an American doctor in India in City of Joy . Both films met with moderate success, and Swayze's ascent seemed to taper off for the next few years.

'To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar'

In 1995, Swayze teamed up with fellow actors Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo to play a trio of drag queens in the comedy To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar . Swayze's performance as Vida Boheme won him a third Golden Globe nomination in 1996. However, his follow-up features Black Dog (1998) and Letters from a Killer (1998) were largely dismissed by critics.

'Wakin' Up In Reno,' 'Donnie Darko'

Swayze went on to star in the romantic comedies Forever Lulu (2000), with Melanie Griffith, and Wakin' Up In Reno (2002), with Natasha Richardson and Charlize Theron . In between, he played a television personality with a dark secret in the cult hit Donnie Darko (2001). Swayze also appeared in another acclaimed indie release, 11:14 (2003), while returning to his roots for One Last Dance (2003) and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004).

'The Beast'

Swayze's late career film work included roles in the dramas Jump! (2008) and Powder Blue (2009). Also in 2009, he starred in the lone season of the A&E series The Beast, as FBI veteran and loose cannon Charles Barker.

Illness & Death

New challenges came for Swayze in early 2008, when he discovered he had stage IV pancreatic cancer. He continued to work in spite of the diagnosis, receiving chemotherapy treatments when not on set for The Beast .

Swayze passed away on September 14, 2009, after more than 20 months spent battling his illness.

Wife & Personal

Swayze met his future wife, Lisa Niemi, when she was a 15-year-old student at his mother's dance studio in the early 1970s. They were married in 1975.

After Lisa had a miscarriage in 1990, the couple gave up on having children. Instead, they invested their time and love on their ranch full of dogs, horses and cattle. "We're a team," Swayze said of he and his wife. "A relationship survives because of keeping the friendship alive and learning how to fall in love over and over again and never taking the other person for granted and seeing things in a new light with new eyes."

In 1997, Swayze broke his right leg in a horse-riding accident while filming Letters From a Killer . Around that time, the actor recognized that a serious drinking problem was hampering his career and he entered a rehab clinic.

Documentary: 'I Am Patrick Swayze'

In August 2019, the documentary I Am Patrick Swayze aired on the Paramount Network on what would have been the actor's 67th birthday. The doc included recollections from Dirty Dancing co-star Jennifer Grey and Ghost director Jerry Zucker, as well as the revelation that Swazye had been subjected to physical abuse at the hands of his hard-driving mother.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Patrick Swayze
• Birth Year: 1952
• Birth date: August 18, 1952
• Birth State: Texas
• Birth City: Houston
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Golden Globe-nominated actor Patrick Swayze starred in such popular films as 'Dirty Dancing' and 'Ghost.'
• Astrological Sign: Leo
• San Jacinto College
• Death Year: 2009
• Death date: September 14, 2009
• Death State: California
• Death City: Los Angeles
• Death Country: United States

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Patrick Swayze Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/patrick-swayze
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: September 15, 2022
• Original Published Date: April 3, 2014
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The secret behind Tom Cruise’s iconic Risky Business dance scene

IT’S one of Hollywood’s most iconic movie scenes. And Tom Cruise has revealed the secret behind that classic dance in Risky Business.

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TOM Cruise has revealed the secret behind his iconic dance scene in Risky Business.

Appearing on The Project to promote his latest flick The Mummy , Cruise was asked about the classic scene from the 1983 movie where he had to strip down to his jocks and dance to Old Time Rock and Roll .

While it’s become an infamous movie moment, the actor said he didn’t realise at the time that it would be so memorable.

“I just adlibbed that,” he admitted.

“I tried to go across (the floor) at one point and it was too sticky. What I did was I dusted the floor and then put stick (tape) on the other side so I would get centre frame on that and wore the socks. And that’s how I finally did it — to figure out how to get that smooth, right on the beat kind of flow that got me there.”

After that, he made the rest of the routine up.

“And then I went around the room and was dancing,” he added. “That’s something that I did as a kid at home.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Cruise was asked about another one of his classic films, Jerry Maguire . The movie is responsible for some of pop culture’s most quotable lines, with catchphrases “Show me the money!” and “You had me at hello” all coming from the 1996 release.

“When you’re finding those moments, it is so much fun doing that scene,” he said about the lines.

He added: “I’ve been lucky. I had a few films and some great, great writing.”

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