Jun 15, 2009 3:46 pm US/Pacific
A&E Cancels Patrick Swayze's 'Beast'
NEW YORK (AP) ―
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Headshot of Patrick Swayze
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The 1990 film "Ghost" starred Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze.
Paramount Pictures
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A worker air dries a cleaning solvent as he restores actor Patrick Swayze's star on Aug. 13, 2002 in Hollywood.
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Actor Patrick Swayze accepts the Independent Career Achievement Award at the Video Software Dealers Association's award show at the organization's annual home video convention at the Bellagio on July 27, 2005 in Las Vegas.
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Actor Patrick Swayze attends Paramount Pictures 90th Anniversary Gala July 14, 2002 in Los Angeles.
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Actor Patrick Swayze (L) gives actress Whoopi Goldberg a kiss after Swayze presented her with the award for favorite actress in a comedy motion picture at the 21st Annual People's Choice Awards on March 5, 1995.
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Actors Patrick Swayze and his wife, Lisa Niemi, pose at Borders Bookstore at the signing of their new movie "One Last Dance" on Aug. 24, 2005, in New York City.
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L-R)John Lequizamo,Wesley Snipes and Patrick Swaze appear in the 1995 movie "To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar."
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Actor Patrick Swayze and his wife, Lisa Niemi, pose for a portrait at the AFI portrait studio presented by Audi at the Arclight Theatre on Nov. 5, 2005, in Hollywood, Calif.
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"The Beast," a police drama that starred the ailing Patrick Swayze, will not return for a second season, A&E announced Monday.
The series, which premiered in January, starred Swayze as Charles Barker, a rogue undercover FBI agent teamed up with rookie Ellis Dove (Travis Fimmel). The series was filmed on location in Chicago.
Reviews for the series were mixed and its audience averaged 1.3 million viewers through the 13 episodes, which concluded its run in April.
But Swayze was unstinting in a rough-and-tumble performance that he maintained while battling pancreatic cancer. His illness had no discernible effect on his gritty portrayal.
A&E President Bob DeBitetto called the performance "an inspiration to us all."
DeBitetto said the series "has truly been a labor of love for everyone," but added that "after careful deliberation we have reluctantly decided not to attempt a second season."
Known for such films as "Ghost" and "Dirty Dancing," the 56-year-old Swayze went public with his diagnosis in 2008.
A memoir by him and Lisa Niemi, his wife of more 30 years, is scheduled for publication in the fall. The book is expected to offer an intimate account of his childhood, career and marriage, as well as his fight against the cancer.
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