Patrick Swayze: A life in pictures

Patrick Swayze pictured in 1990, at the height of his fame Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

One of Swayze's first film roles was in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders (1983). Swayze was amongst many young cast members poised on the cusp of fame, including Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe and Tom Cruise Photograph: Ronald Grant Archive

Patrick Swayze's muscular physique was much in evidence in his screen roles – here he is in Road House (1989), the story of a tough bouncer hired to tame a dodgy bar Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/United Artists

Here a year later with Demi Moore in the infamous pottery scene from Ghost (1990) Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/Paramount

Point Break (1991), Kathryn Bigelow's tale of macho scrapping on surfboards, was another stand-out role for Swayze. Here he is with fellow wave-fanatic (and undercover detective) Keanu Reeves Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/20 Century Fox

A year later Swayze teamed up with two slightly less likely co-stars, Om Puri and Pauline Collins, for Roland Joffé's Indian heroism drama City of Joy (1992) Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/Tristar

A less respectable 90s film credit in Father Hood (1993), described by one user on imdb.com as 'bad, but not one of the worst films of all time' Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/Buena Vista

Ditto Black Dog (1998), a crime trucker flop co-starring Meat Loaf Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/BBC

But Patrick Swayze scored a slam-dunk success when he dragged up for To Wong Foo Thanks For Eveything, Julie Newmar (1995) Photograph: Bureau L.A. Collection

In Donnie Darko (2001), Swayze also found favour by subverting expectations, here playing a sinister motivational speaker Photograph: Newmarket/Everett/Rex Features

But Swayze's recent film career didn't sustain the good run. He starred in an extra-long and critically-panned TV film version of King Solomon's Mines in 2004 Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar/HBO

Patrick Swayze turned Anglophile towards the end of his career – here he is with wife Lisa Niemi at the premiere of Rowan Atkinson comedy Keeping Mum in 2005 Photograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

He did a stint in the West End on musical Guys and Dolls – pictured here with co-star Claire Sweeney Photograph: MJ Kim/Getty Images

Swayze's last major role was as an undercover agent in TV drama series The Beast Photograph: Reuters

Sadly the show was cancelled this summer after 13 episodes, largely on account of Swayze's failing health Photograph: Michael Muller/AP

Patrick Swayze, who died yesterday at the age of 57, was married for 34 years to his childhood sweetheart, Lisa Niemi. Here, they pose with their dogs, poodle Lucas and Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy Kumasai, at their ranch in New Mexico in May 2009 Photograph: Brian Braff/AP