The son of a choreographer, Swayze is trained in ballet and performed as a dancer for Disney on Parade. He acted in the Broadway production of Grease (1978) and was choreographer for the film Grandview, U.S.A. (1984). He became a popular box office draw in the role of dance teacher in Dirty Dancing (1987) and as the romantic ghost/lover in Ghost (1990), but has since moved on to action films such as Road House (1989) and Point Break (1991).