Lisa Niemi – Bio, Son, Net Worth, Facts About Patrick Swayze’s Ex-Wife

Quick Facts

Lisa Niemi is an American actress, writer, director as well as dancer who is best known as the widow of Hollywood Icon . The pair who had met during their teenage years remained married for over 3 decades and it was only death that was able to separate them. Moreso, the couple had a good influence on each other’s careers as it is known that Lisa directed some films in which Patrick starred in.

Apart from her acting exploits, Lisa is also a prolific writer and has to her name two memoirs titled “This Time Of My Life” and ”Worth Fighting For”, which were listed as best sellers. Get details about her bio and know other interesting facts about Patrick Swayze’s widow as you read on.

Lisa Niemi Bio

The American writer cum actress has her birth name as Elisabeth Anne Haapaniemi and she was born in Houston, Texas on the 26th of May 1956. Her father’s name was Edmond Happaniemi and he served as a Director of Water Safety Services of Red Cross while her mum, Karin was a Registered Nurse. It is also known that Lisa has 5 brothers but it has not been confirmed whether she has any sisters.

During her growing years, Lisa Niemi had interest in diverse activities which include swimming and acting. She, later on, opted to go with acting and she was admitted into Alley Theatre sometime in 1967 at age 10. As her skills improved, offers came for her to feature in TV productions and her initial appearance in the silver screen was in the sitcom, Two Boys. Subsequently, Lisa diverted to music and she enrolled into Houston Music Theater after which she proceeded to Houston Ballet Dance Company where she completed her program as a dance expert in 1974.

The multi-faceted entertainer later moved to New York City to establish herself in the acting profession under the acting tutor cum comedian, Warren Robertson. By 1976, she landed a cameo in the remake of Hellzapoppin alongside the likes of Lynn Redgrave and Jerry Lewis. In the ’80’s she was seen in Steel Down and between 1990 to 1991, Lisa Niemi depicted Carla Frost in the sitcom Super Force.

The actress also tried her hands on script writing as well as directing and she is credited with the 1990 film titled Dance. Moreso, Lisa Niemi can be seen in movies like Beat Angel, Letters from a Killer, Slam Dance, Younger, and Younger, Live! From Death Row, She’s Having a Baby and Next of Kin. She was also part of the directors in the sitcom The Beast.

Apart from her thriving film career, Lisa is an accomplished writer who has not only penned down film scripts but also memoirs titled This Time Of My Life as well as Worth Fighting For.

Net Worth

From her diverse endeavors, one will not expect anything less than for the talented lady to have a net worth that reflects her years of hard work as a dancer, actress, and writer.  Although the actual sum she earns as income has not been specified, we know that she has an estimated net worth of $40 million which is sourced from her various careers.

Lisa Niemi’s Husband & Son

It was during her days in ballet school that Lisa met Patrick Swayze who was the son of Patsy, her dance tutor then. Upon meeting her, Patrick was lovestruck and immediately started making advances at her but she was not moved initially by his antics. However, after becoming friends for a while, the pair got fond of each other as Patrick revealed that she got to know the real Patrick and that was the person she fell in love with.

A little while later, the two youngsters walked down the aisle on June 12, 1975, and since then they lived happily until Patrick’s demise on the 14th of September 2009 after suffering from Pancreatic Cancer. It was also admirable on the part of Lisa Niemi who stood gallantly by her hubby’s side till the very end.

After his demise, the actress was grief-stricken but things turned around a few years later when she started a relationship with a jewelry dealer known as Albert DePrisco whom she tied the knot with on the 25th of May 2014. The couple is still together although we are yet to hear about them becoming parents however, hopes are high the pair will share the good news soon.

Moreso, Lisa Niemi has never had a child in her past marriage and the son that was linked to her deceased husband, Patrick is a man identified as Jason Whittle who claims that his mum had a fling with Patrick back in the ’70s which resulted to her getting pregnant. Jason’s mum is also no more and it is believed that she did not tell him about his dad’s identity until she was about to die.

Other Facts About Patrick Swayze’s Ex-Wife

• Lisa is an activist for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and she has even earned Spirit of Hope Award for her work.
• In 2011, she was given an AARP Inspire Award in recognition of her efforts in ensuring a better world.
• It is interesting to note that Lisa is a certified pilot and was even the pilot that took Patrick Swayze for his cancer treatments.
• She has a soft spot for animals especially horses.
• Lisa’s books have made it to the list of bestsellers.
• She is a very talented swimmer, a skill she acquired as a young child.
• It was during the time she was building her career that she coined Lisa Niemi from her birth name.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.