My baby belongs to me! In August 1987, “Dirty Dancing” hit US cinemas, and to this day millions of fans watch again and again how “Baby” Houseman (Jennifer Grey) falls into the strong arms of dance instructor Johnny (Patrick Swayze) at summer camp and learns to dance. The film not only made the two protagonists stars. On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Patrick Swayze’s death on September 14, we show what became of the “Dirty Dancing” actors.
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Frances “Baby” Houseman (Jennifer Grey)As the daughter of “Cabaret” star Joel Grey, her career was probably in her blood: Before “Dirty Dancing” she had already acted in films such as “Cotton Club” and “The Winners”, and Jennifer Grey had also caused quite a stir as the big sister of the main character in the cult comedy “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”.
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Jennifer Grey was unable to benefit from the film’s fame because she had her nose operated on soon after and after that no one recognized the actress: “I went into the operating room as a celebrity and came out anonymous,” said the actress during an interview on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of “Dirty Dancing”.
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Jennifer GreyEven though she rarely appeared on the big screen, for example in “Bounce” (2000), and was more likely to be seen in (series) roles (“Somehow LA”, “Red Oaks”, “Grey’s Anatomy”), Jennifer Grey was able to celebrate one major success: in 2010, she won the US dance show “Dancing with the Stars” with her dance partner Derek Hough.
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Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze)Johnny! With his role as a dance teacher, Patrick Swayze became the number one heartthrob in Hollywood. What teenage girl wouldn’t have liked to push Frances (Jennifer Grey) aside to dance with the handsome Johnny instead? The fact that Swayze was already 34 years old at the time didn’t bother anyone.
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Patrick Swayze Swayze (pictured, with Demi Moore) celebrated another success with the romantic ghost drama “Ghost” (1990), and in the surfer crime thriller “Point Break” (1991) he impressed audiences as Keanu Reeves’ opponent. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as the drag queen in “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar” (1995).
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Patrick SwayzeShortly after taking on the lead role in the crime series “The Beast”, Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2008. 15 years ago, on September 14, 2004, Swayze died from the effects of the disease. He was 57 years old.
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Penny Johnson (Cynthia Rhodes)She joined the cast as an experienced and trained dancer: Cynthia Rhodes (pictured, with Patrick Swayze) had already shown her skills in the dance films “Flashdance” (1983) and “Staying Alive” (1983). In “Dirty Dancing” she played Penny Johnson, a dancer at the resort who unexpectedly becomes pregnant and for whom “Baby” steps in after a botched abortion.
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Cynthia RhodesAfter “Dirty Dancing,” Cynthia Rhodes appeared primarily in musicals. In 1991, she had her last film role in the adventure film “The Crystal Eye.” In 1989, she married singer Richard Marx (“Right Here Waiting”), with whom she has three sons. The couple separated in 2014.
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Marjorie (Kelly Bishop) and Dr. Jake Houseman (Jerry Orbach)They are vacationing together at the “Kellerman’s” holiday resort in the Catskill Mountains (from left): Dr. Jake Houseman (Jerry Orbach), his daughter Frances (Jennifer Grey) and Marjorie Houseman (Kelly Bishop).
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Kelly BishopBefore she made her big screen breakthrough in “Dirty Dancing,” Kelly Bishop had already caused a sensation on Broadway. After film roles in “Miami Rhapsody” (1995) and “Private Parts” (1997), she took on what is perhaps her best-known role to date: in “Gilmore Girls,” she played Emily Gilmore, the mother and grandmother of the two main characters, respectively.
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Jerry OrbachJerry Orbach (pictured, with his wife Elaine) was already a seasoned Broadway star before he starred in “Dirty Dancing.” After the dance film, he took on what is probably his best-known role: from 1992 until his death, he played police officer Lennie Briscoe in the series “Law & Order.” In 2004, Jerry Orbach succumbed to his battle with prostate cancer. He was 69 years old.
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Lisa Houseman (Jane Brucker)She has one of the most unforgettable, because most embarrassing, scenes in the film: Lisa Houseman, Baby’s older sister, sings and dances to the song “Hula Hana” during rehearsals for a talent show – but without hitting a note.
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Jane Brucker Her role as Baby’s older sister Lisa remained the most notable in Jane Brucker’s acting career: after starring alongside Jennifer Grey in “Bloodhounds of Broadway” (1989), she rarely took on roles. In 2022, she was a guest judge on the FOX dance show “The Real Dirty Dancing” (pictured), in which celebrities trained to follow in the footsteps of Baby and Johnny.
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Bill Medley and Jennifer WarnesThe “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack sold 32 million copies worldwide. The singer of the title song, Bill Medley, actually did not expect the success of “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”. When he recorded the song with Jennifer Warnes, he thought “Dirty Dancing” was a cheap adult film.
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Bill MedleyToday, Medley is proud of the song: in 2014, he, who had already enjoyed huge success in the 60s as one half of the Righteous Brothers (“Unchained Melody”), named his biography after the global hit, which even won an Oscar. The 83-year-old is still on stage today, and a new album by the singer is currently being planned.
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Jennifer WarnesShe recorded her debut album at just 20 years of age, and in the 1980s Warnes landed her two biggest hits: she sang the duet “Up Where We Belong” with Joe Cocker and “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” with Bill Medley. At the beginning of the millennium, things went quiet for Jennifer Warnes, but in 2018 she celebrated her comeback with the album “Another Time, Another Place”.
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