Donald ‘Don’ Swayze is an American actor and dancer who starred in a variety of supporting parts in films and television shows during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Don was born in Texas and drew inspiration from his mother, a choreographer who never quite made it to Hollywood. Don enrolled in film school and began auditioning for roles in television shows such as ‘Street Hawk,’ ‘The Fall Guy,’ and ‘Matt Lock,’ among others. In the late 1980s, he appeared in the film ‘Shy People’ as a supporting character. He demonstrated his dancing abilities in the film ‘Urban Cowboy,’ which led to his being cast in a number of other films and television shows in which the characters were required to dance. He’s most recently been seen in the Netflix series ‘Longmire,’ and he’s also been busy in the theater scene. In 2001, he appeared in the play ‘Man of La Mancha,’ which was a rough adaptation of the cult novel ‘Don Quixote.’ Don Swayze is the younger brother of late famed actor Patrick Swayze, and while he has never had the same level of popularity as his brother, he has carved out a niche for himself in his own right.
Childhood and Adolescence
Don Swayze was born on August 10, 1958, in Texas, and has been involved in the performing arts since he was a toddler. Since the moment he opened his eyes, he has seen his mother Patsy Swayze teaching dance and performing on stage. His father, Jesse Swayze, who also happens to be an engineer, created a wonderful contrast between his artistic youth and his professional life. Don was more drawn to his mother and attended most of her performances as a choreographer, dance instructor, and stage performer, all of whom were well-known in the city.
Don was born into a large family with five siblings: two brothers, Patrick and Sean, and two sisters, Vicky and Bambi. The family lived in the Oak Forest area, where the children played with other children and received their early education. Don describes his childhood as “pretty average,” similar to that of any other middle-class family’s children. Patrick, his older brother, was always interested in theater and took acting classes at The Beverly Hills Playhouse. Don followed in his brother’s footsteps, but was originally hesitant about pursuing a career in acting, which he eventually came to enjoy.
Don’s father died of a heart attack in 1982, but by that time, he was able to care for himself and didn’t allow the terrible occurrence impact him badly. Instead, he focused on developing skills that would later benefit him in his acting career. He learnt to ride a bike, ride a horse, sing, dance, fight choreography, skydive, and cycle. By 1983, he was all set to enter the tumultuous world of American entertainment, and he began auditioning for television roles.
Career of Don Swayze
He had one film credit at the time, dancing in the film ‘Urban Cowboy,’ but it couldn’t be included as one of his acting roles because his part was only that of a background dancer. ‘I Married a Centrefold,’ a 1984 TV movie, was his first official acting role. He appeared in the film as an unnamed character actor in a tiny role. In the following year, he made a cameo as Pug in an episode of ‘Street Hawk.’ He continued to do a few more jobs, but he understood that with his ordinary acting talents and average looks, he would never be able to play big roles in films or television.
He had a little larger role in the TV movie ‘Prince of Bel Air,’ and a flurry of other TV jobs followed in which he played character roles. He began auditioning for films in the late 1980s, and after being turned down for a number of them, he was finally cast in the action movie ‘Driving Force,’ in which he played Nelson. With a significant picture under his belt, he began to win slightly larger roles in TV series, and his acting talent was clearly increasing by then.
He became highly busy in the early 1990s, appearing in over half a dozen films in 1991 alone, including B pictures such as ‘Edge of Horror’ and ‘Payback.’ ‘Dragnet’ and ‘The World According to Straw’ were two of his TV gigs at the time. The’straight to video B flicks’ were the buzz of the town at the time, and he appeared in a number of them. In the mid-1990s, he appeared in the low-budget films ‘Death Ring’ and ‘Body of Influence,’ both made for video. His attempts at tiny roles in films and television continued, but the fact that he was obtaining more film jobs than ever before was a welcome shift.
Toward the close of the century, he appeared in ‘The Prophet’s Game’ and ‘Evasive Action,’ and the year 2000 brought him the largest role of his career up to that point. He was a regular on the comedic TV show ‘Movie Stars,’ in which he appeared in several episodes. He went on to perform minor roles in films like ‘Knuckle Sandwich’ and ‘Betrayal,’ as well as slightly larger ones in TV shows like ‘CSI: Miami’ and ‘Carnivale.’
In the extremely successful HBO series ‘True Blood,’ he portrayed a werewolf. He was cast in the part of Gus, a werewolf, and agreed to a six-episode deal with the show. The show was a huge hit, and Don’s performance was much praised. His portrayal of a mentally handicapped guy in the TV drama ‘Matlock,’ as well as his recurrent role as Charles Hankel in ‘Criminal Minds,’ received high appreciation from critics.
Don currently has recurrent parts in the soap operas ‘Young and the Restless’ and ‘Days of Our Lives.’ In 2017, it was also reported that Don would be joining the cast of the popular medical drama ‘General Hospital,’ where he would portray Buzz for a few episodes.
Don has been actively contributing his abilities to theatre performances in addition to his film and television parts. Pedro in 2001’s ‘Man of La Mancha’ is one of his most unforgettable parts. When the performance was held at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Centre, he received a standing ovation. Apart from the comedy ‘Lone Star’ and a few others, ‘Jane Fonda: In the Court of Public Opinion’ was another notable performance for the theatre.
Personal Experiences of Don Swayze
Don Swayze is a sports fan who enjoys traveling to challenging terrains in his spare time. He’d spend hours bicycling, mountain climbing, hiking, and exploring the outdoors.
Don was extremely close to his brother, and while Patrick was battling cancer, Don remained by his side and attended to his needs. When Patrick died in 2009, it crushed Don’s heart, and he had a nervous breakdown, barely surviving.
Don married Charlene Lindstrom in June 2014, and it was a small wedding with only family and close friends in attendance at the private chapel where the ceremony took place. Don married Marcia Swayze in 1985, when they were both struggling to build a name for themselves in the film and television industries. The pair had a daughter together before being divorced in 1993 after eight years of marriage.