We lost Patrick Swayze too soon. The guy starred in a vast range of films that alternately required him to be the tough guy, the romantic lover, or the loyal friend, among other roles. More than anything, he will always be synonymous with 80s cinema.

Patrick Swayze would have turned 64 today and in honour of his bday, we decided to do a countdown of seven unforgettable movie moments he gave us.

Here’s to you, Patrick.

 

7. He rocked drag
In one of his lesser-known roles, Patrick Swayze starred alongside Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo in a road movie in which the three played fabulous drag queens. Obviously Patrick was a very manly man and his film roles reflected this, but it’s pretty cool that he could get in touch with feminine side too.

 

6. He was the best team captain (and friend!) in Youngblood
Also starring a young Rob Lowe and Keanu Reeves, Youngblood follows a hockey team who dream of making it to the big leagues. While Patrick’s character Derek Sutton could be tough on his mates, he had a heart of gold and is their highly respected mentor. Check out the manly bonding bar scene:

 

5. He was an awesome bad guy in Point Break
Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves also starred alongside each other in Point Break. In the film, Reeves played a rookie FBI agent who infiltrates a surfer community suspected of bank robberies. He meets and befriends Bodhi, who he discovers is one of the robbers. Here’s the final dramatic scene (Obviously SPOILERS if you haven’t seen the film):

 

4. He was a hero in Red Dawn
In one of his breakthrough roles, Red Dawn sees Patrick Swayze play a member of a group of American high school students who get involved with guerrilla warfare. Patrick was part of an ensemble cast which also included Charlie Sheen (he sure did a lot of war movies), C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Harry Dean Stanton, and Dirty Dancing co-star Jennifer Grey. Even as part of such an impressive cast, Patrick made his role memorable:

 

3. Kicking ass all through Road House
Road House was not a box office or critical success, but it has garnered a decent cult following over the years, possibly at least in part for its sheer ridiculousness. Also Family Guy helped. Patrick played a bar bouncer, and while there were a lot of fight scenes involving his character beating the s*** out of people, we chose this one because, well, take a look (unless you’re squeamish):

 

2. The final dance scene of Dirty Dancing
The song ‘I’ve had the time of my life’ will never not be associated with what is probably the most famous dance sequence in any movie ever. It’s still a popular one for weddings. Dirty Dancing showed us that Patrick could dance like a god on top of everything else. Plus it was in this flick that he delivered that famous (though admittedly slightly cringe-worthy) line ‘Nobody puts Baby in a corner.’ He also sung ‘She’s Like the Wind’ for the film. *swoons*

 

1. That clay moulding scene in Ghost
Oh that clay moulding scene in Ghost. It immortalised the Righteous Brothers’ song ‘Unchained Melody’ and made us want to be Demi Moore. To this day, it remains one of the most romantic, referenced, and iconic moments in all of movie history. Relive it here: