Can You Believe "Dirty Dancing" Turns 38 Today? See a Glowing Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey at the 1987 Premiere Kate Hogan, Emily KrauserAugust 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze at the 'Dirty Dancing' premiere at the Gemini Theater i...
- - Can You Believe "Dirty Dancing" Turns 38 Today? See a Glowing Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey at the 1987 Premiere
Kate Hogan, Emily KrauserAugust 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze at the 'Dirty Dancing' premiere at the Gemini Theater in New York City on Aug. 17, 1987.
When Dirty Dancing hit theaters on Aug. 21, 1987, it changed summer vacations forever and originated the iconic catchphrase "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."
The now-pop culture staple followed the unlikely coming-of-age romance between resort dance director Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) and Catskills summer guest Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) during the summer of 1963. Though Grey's character, Baby, was 17 in the story, she was actually 26 at the time of filming, while Swayze was 34. The movie marked the second time Swayze and Grey appeared together on-screen, having acted alongside each other in 1984's Red Dawn.
Dirty Dancing went on to become a blockbuster, earning more than $210 million at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo. Beyond the two leads and veteran actor Jerry Orbach — who played a physician and Baby's stern father — the dance mainstay featured a relatively unknown cast at the time.
"Initially, I thought it was a little saccharine," Swayze told PEOPLE in 2007 in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the 1987 classic. "But as Jennifer and I started connecting, you do start to feel magic happen."
Before its theatrical release, many cast members and celebrities, including Cher and Eric Roberts, attended the film's New York City premiere at Gemini Theater and the afterparty at Ed Debevic's in Los Angeles.
Here's a look back at photos of Swayze, Grey, their costars and loved ones from Dirty Dancing's debut celebrations.
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Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze
Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze attend the premiere of 'Dirty Dancing' at the Gemini Theater in N.Y.C. on Aug. 17, 1987.
Upon admitting she and Swayze had a negative experience on the set of Red Dawn, Grey addressed the rumors of the pair butting heads and ultimately revealed that she and the late actor made amends before filming Dirty Dancing.
"The same way Baby and Johnny were not supposed to be together ... a natural match, right? And we weren't a natural match. And the fact that we needed to be a natural match created a tension," the Out of the Corner author told PEOPLE in 2022.
She continued, "Because normally when someone's not a natural ...both people move on, but we were forced to be together. And our being forced to be together created a kind of a synergy, or like a friction."
Swayze died at 57 of pancreatic cancer in 2009, with Grey telling PEOPLE, "I actually just had a thought about Patrick. I feel like if I could say anything to him now, I would say, 'I'm so sorry that I couldn't just appreciate and luxuriate in who you were, instead of me wishing you were more like what I wanted you to be.' "
02 of 12
Patrick Swayze
Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Patrick Swayze attends the premiere of 'Dirty Dancing' at the Gemini Theater in N.Y.C. on Aug. 17, 1987.
The Ghost star told PEOPLE in 2007 that Dirty Dancing taught him "how to do a love scene."
"It's not about a man and a woman jumping each other's bones, it's about two people not being complete until they look into each other's eyes," Swayze said. "I'm not [kidding]. This is why these romantic movies in my life succeeded."
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Lisa Niemi and Patrick Swayze
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty
Lisa Niemi and Patrick Swayze attend the premiere of 'Dirty Dancing' at the Gemini Theater in N.Y.C. on Aug. 17, 1987.
Lisa Niemi gazed lovingly at her husband at the premiere.
Though the Dirty Dancing sequel has been in development for years — with Grey serving as executive producer and returning as Baby — Niemi shared that Swayze was never interested in reprising his role.
"He would not do it again," she told Entertainment Tonight in 2022. "[The way they] left it was absolutely perfect. There were several iterations of a script for that movie, but Patrick had a high standard, and he wasn't gonna do it just for the money."
Swayze and Niemi costarred in films such as 1987's Steel Dawn and 2003's One Last Dance. She also had uncredited roles as a violinist in Swayze's Next of Kin (1989) and a woman in the crowd in Letters from a Killer (1998).
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Jo Wilder, Jennifer Grey and Joel Grey
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty
From left: Jo Wilder, Jennifer Grey and Joel Grey during the premiere of 'Dirty Dancing' at the Gemini Theater in N.Y.C. on Aug. 17, 1987.
At the N.Y.C. premiere, Grey was flanked by her famous actor parents.
Despite her family's Hollywood roots — her grandfather was also an entertainer, and Grey's dad won an Oscar in 1973 for Best Supporting Actor in Cabaret — the Ferris Bueller's Day Off actress was told she couldn't act until she was an adult.
"My father wanted to make sure we had as normal a life as possible as children,'' Grey told PEOPLE in 1987. "He wanted me to know who I was before I got my sense of worth from perfect strangers who were casting things.
05 of 12
Cynthia Rhodes and Richard Marx
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty
Cynthia Rhodes and Richard Marx attend the premiere of 'Dirty Dancing' at the Gemini Theater in N.Y.C. on Aug. 17, 1987.
Cynthia Rhodes, who played dance instructor Penny Johnson in Dirty Dancing, walked the red carpet with then-boyfriend Richard Marx. The actress and the "Right Here Waiting" singer later wed in 1989.
After separating in July 2013, Marx announced their divorce in April 2014 after 25 years of marriage.
"It has been a painful time," the musician said at the time of their separation. "But I don't necessarily want to bury myself in songs about it, frankly, out of respect. I have nothing but love and respect for my ex-wife, and I don't really want to delve into that in songwriting so much.
06 of 12
Patrick Swayze and Eric Roberts
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty
Patrick Swayze (left) and Eric Roberts attend the premiere of 'Dirty Dancing' at the Gemini Theater in N.Y.C. on Aug. 17, 1987.
Prolific actor Roberts hung out with Swayze at the N.Y.C. premiere, just days before Dirty Dancing arrived in theaters.
07 of 12
Jennifer Grey and Eric Roberts
Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Eric Roberts and Jennifer Grey during the premiere of 'Dirty Dancing' at the Gemini Theater in N.Y.C. on Aug. 17, 1987.
Roberts, who earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in 1985's The Runaway Train, also goofed around with Swayze's costar at the premiere.
08 of 12
Sydney Biddle Barrows
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Sydney Biddle Barrows attends the premiere of 'Dirty Dancing' at the Gemini Theater in N.Y.C. on Aug. 17, 1987.
Manhattan socialite Sydney Biddle Barrows brought summer vibes (and stripes!) to the Dirty Dancing red carpet premiere.
09 of 12
Jennifer Grey
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty
Jennifer Grey is all smiles during the premiere of 'Dirty Dancing' at the Gemini Theater in N.Y.C. on Aug. 17, 1987.
Grey took center stage at the N.Y.C. premiere in a belted off-the-shoulder red dress and matching lip.
She told PEOPLE in 2024 that filming Dirty Dancing was "grueling" because it was her first time being in every scene, as she was the "lead in a low-budget movie where you have to dance and rehearse and shoot really fast. It was rough, and we had really tough weather."
However, the actress also found a silver lining in the difficulties.
"I learned that very often, the more stressful and the less money you have and the less time you have, it creates a synergy that is very, very conducive to making magic," she added.
10 of 12
Rob Camilletti and Cher
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Rob Camilletti and Cher at the 'Dirty Dancing' premiere afterparty at Ed Debevic's in L.A. in 1987.
Cher and her then-boyfriend and baker, Rob Camilletti, matched in leather jackets at the Dirty Dancing afterparty at Ed Debevic's in L.A. on Aug. 19, 1987. The retro-themed diner shuttered in 2015 but later reopened a Chicago location in 2021, per its official website.
"He was making bagels," the Oscar-winning actress told The Washington Post in 1987. "I saw him and I said, 'God, that guy is so beautiful. Look at his eyes.' I thought if he was an actor, if he was talented at all, having those eyes would be really great."
Though the two called it quits romantically, Cher told Parade in 2010 that she and Camilletti, who had become a pilot, were still friends.
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Cher and Jennifer Grey
Barry King/WireImage
Cher (left) and Jennifer Grey at the 'Dirty Dancing' premiere afterparty at Ed Debevic's in L.A. in 1987.
Grey also had her moment with the "Believe" singer at the afterparty.
The pop icon would go on to work with Dirty Dancing actress-turned-choreographer Doriana Sanchez, according to Variety. The pair collaborated on projects for years, including Cher's Las Vegas residency and the tour to promote her 2023 album Christmas.
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David Oliver and Loree Rodkin
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David Oliver (center) and Loree Rodkin with a friend at the 'Dirty Dancing' premiere afterparty at Ed Debevic's in L.A. in 1987.
A Year in the Life actor David Oliver and jewelry designer Loree Rodkin posed with a friend at the L.A. afterparty.
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