# Don Swayze

Donald Carl Swayze (born August 10, 1958) is an American character actor, noted for acting in dramatic series and soap operas as well as several feature films, and theatrical work.

## Early life

Swayze was born in Houston, Texas, the middle child of Patsy Swayze (née Karnes; 1927–2013), a dance teacher; and Jesse Wayne Swayze (1925–82), an engineering draftsman. Patsy owned a dance studio where neighborhood students took dance lessons. Donald and his older brother Patrick Swayze (1952–2009), both attended and graduated from Frank Black Junior High School and then Waltrip High School in northwest Houston. He also had an older sister, Vickie Lynn (1949–94). Furthermore, Donald also has one younger brother, Sean Kyle (born 1962), and one younger sister Bora Song "Bambi" (born 1966), who was adopted by the Swayzes’.

## Career
### Film

Swayze's film work has included an appearance as a dancer in the 1980 film Urban Cowboy, as Ruben in the film Father for Charlie, and as Mark in the film Shy People, along with a role alongside Corey Feldman in a movie called Edge of Honor where he played the part of a "Homicidal Lumberjack". He had a brief (2 minute) cameo appearance role as Obnoxious Guy in The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold (Video 2006) - IMDb. He also played Col. Sherman Rutherford in a western–noir hybrid titled Heathens and Thieves in 2012. He also starred in the film Death Ring, and as the Alamo courier James Bonham in Alamo: The Price of Freedom, an IMAX film shown in San Antonio, Texas.

### Television

Swayze played ‘pug’ in Street Hawk 1984 Episode 12, and Tommy Jenks in Matlock’s The Thoroughbred in 1989. He performed the role of James (Jim) Mackey in the seventh episode of season five on the Netflix series Longmire. He appeared in two soap operas: The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives. In 2010, Swayze guest-starred in six episodes in a recurring role as Gus, a werewolf, on the HBO series True Blood. His television drama work includes multiple appearances in Murder, She Wrote, The X-Files, NYPD Blue, NCIS, Carnivàle, and dozens of other programs. Swayze had a role as an intellectually disabled man suspected of murder in an episode of the television drama Matlock. In 1989 he portrayed a member of a gang that held hostages in the hotel in the Western drama Paradise. He played Jesse James in a season-two episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. He played the demon Lucius in an episode of Charmed in 2005. He had a recurring role on Criminal Minds, specifically the episodes "The Big Game" and "Revelations", in which he played Charles Hankel, the father and alternate personality of serial killer Tobias Hankel. On Cold Case, Swayze played the adult Grant Hall. Swayze had a small guest appearance on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as a crazy boat captain. He has also appeared on Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, and The Bridge. Swayze also appeared in an episode of Sons of Anarchy. In 2017, he joined the cast of General Hospital for a stint in the role of Buzz. Additional roles include a non-speaking role as rapist William Dollar on L.A. Law. In 2019, Swayze appeared in the season premiere of American Horror Story: 1984, the ninth installment of the FX horror anthology television series American Horror Story, and played Dennis Seacrest, a murderous henchman working for George Hearst, in Deadwood: The Movie that same year.

### Stage

In 2001, Swayze was on stage as Pedro in Man of La Mancha at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center. In 2005, he played Roy in the comedy Lone Star at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. In the fall of 2011, he co-starred with Anne Archer in an original stage play titled Jane Fonda: In the Court of Public Opinion at the Edgemar Theater in Santa Monica, California; he played U.S. Army Sgt. Don Simpson (retired), a wounded veteran of the Vietnam War.

## Personal life

Don Swayze is an avid cyclist and skydiver, and races cross country mountain bikes in his spare time. Don is married to Charlene Swayze. Don and Charlene have established an animal therapy ranch in San Diego County, California known as Swayze Ranch. Charlene has also established the Swayze Foundation.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | Shy People | Mark | |
| 1987 | Death Blow: A Cry for Justice | Andy | |
| 1988 | Alamo: The Price of Freedom | James Bonham | Short |
| 1989 | Driving Force | Nelson | |
| 1989 | Trapper County War | Walt Luddigger | |
| 1991 | Edge of Honor | Ritchie | |
| 1991 | Payback | Jeremy | |
| 1992 | Death Ring | John Blackwell | Video |
| 1993 | Body of Influence | Biker | Video |
| 1993 | Eye of the Stranger | Rudy | |
| 1993 | Beach Babes from Beyond | Gork | |
| 1993 | Broken Trust | Sgt. Barnes | |
| 1994 | The Other Man | Curran | |
| 1994 | Forced to Kill | Dwayne | |
| 1994 | Pontiac Moon | Local | |
| 1995 | Digital Man | Billy | |
| 1996 | Squanderers | Scott | |
| 1998 | Evasive Action | Ian Kellen | |
| 2000 | The Prophet's Game | Joseph Highsmith | |
| 2003 | Lady Jayne: Killer | Fred | |
| 2004 | Knuckle Sandwich | Larry | |
| 2005 | Waterborne | Otis | |
| 2006 | The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold | Obnoxious Guy | Video |
| 2006 | The Visitation | Abe | |
| 2007 | The Colony | State Dept. Official #1" | Short |
| 2008 | Prairie Fever | James | Video |
| 2009 | Powder Blue | Bouncer | |
| 2010 | Quit | Ward | |
| 2011 | Miss Feet | Jesus | Short |
| 2012 | Lizzie | Daniel Allen | |
| 2012 | Heathens and Thieves | Sherman | |
| 2012 | Ambush at Dark Canyon | Chale Lord | |
| 2014 | Iniquitios | John Duncan | Short |
| 2014 | The Appearing | Sheriff Hendricks | |
| 2014 | Nellie Nellie | Mr. Townsend | Short |
| 2015 | The Night Crew | Big Willy | |
| 2019 | Beneath the Leaves | Whitley Senior | |
| 2024 | On Swift Horses | Terence | |
| 2025 | Honey Don't! | TBA | Post-production |
| TBA | All Saints Day | Kier Connolly | Post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1984 | I Married a Centerfold | Actor #2 | TV movie |
| 1985 | Street Hawk | Pug | Episode: "Follow the Yellow Gold Road" |
| 1985 | J.O.E. and the Colonel | Max Carney | TV movie |
| 1986 | Prince of Bel Air | Darryl | TV movie |
| 1986 | Tall Tales & Legends | Groom | Episode: "My Darlin' Clementine" |
| 1986 | The Fall Guy | Stretch | Episode: "War on Wheels" |
| 1986 | 1st & Ten | Clay Daniels | Episode: "A Second Chance" |
| 1986 | L.A. Law | William Dollar | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1988 | Dead or Alive | Brewer | TV movie |
| 1989 | Paradise | Langston | Episode: "A House Divided" |
| 1989 | Matlock | Tommy Jenks | Episode: "The Thoroughbred" |
| 1989 | Hunter | Lyle | Episode: "On Air" |
| 1990 | The World According to Straw | Abalone | TV movie |
| 1991 | Dragnet | Pete Brown | Episode: "The Vandals" |
| 1991 | The New Adam-12 | Don | Episode: "Families" |
| 1991–1993 | Murder, She Wrote | Gus Tardio / Edge Potter | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | Columbo | Albert Wagner | Episode: "No Time to Die" |
| 1993 | Dark Justice | Fitzimmons | Episode: "Crash Course" |
| 1993 | Renegade | John Poe / T-Bone | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Beyond Suspicion | Duke | TV movie |
| 1995 | A Father for Charlie | Reuben Cantwell | TV movie |
| 1995 | NYPD Blue | Alex | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Jesse James | Episode: "Tempus Fugitive" |
| 1995 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Harry Peterson | Episode: "The Guardians" |
| 1995 | Land's End | Thomas Dwayne Boller | Episode: "A Line in the Sand" |
| 1998 | The Magnificent Seven | Gage Lawless | Episode: "Inmate 78" |
| 1998 | Babylon 5: Thirdspace | Raider Leader | TV movie (uncredited) |
| 1998 | Profiler | Gelb | Episode: "Do the Right Thing" |
| 1999–2000 | Movie Stars | Don Swayze | 14 episodes |
| 2000 | Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | William Pope | Episode: "Anatole" |
| 2000–2002 | V.I.P. | Merrick | 2 episodes |
| 2001–2004 | The Division | Gary Gold / Elvin 'Tupelo' Seaforth | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | The X-Files | Terry Pruit | Episode: "Hellbound" |
| 2003 | Tremors | Orville James | Episode: "Water Hazard" |
| 2003–2005 | Carnivàle | Tattooed Man | 6 episodes |
| 2004 | Karen Sisco | Jackie | Episode: "No One's Girl" |
| 2004–2021 | NCIS | Logan Clay / Peter Walker | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | CSI: Miami | Norm Buford | Episode: "Nothing to Lose" |
| 2005 | Charmed | Lucius | Episode: "Little Box of Horrors" |
| 2005 | Without a Trace | Randy Stone | Episode: "Lost Time" |
| 2006 | Love, Inc. | Troy | Episode: "Major Dad" |
| 2006 | My Name Is Earl | Bail Bonds Man | Episode: "The Bounty Hunter" |
| 2006 | Shark | Beau Dawkins | Episode: "Déjà Vu All Over Again" |
| 2007 | Mystery Woman: In the Shadows | Bishop | TV movie |
| 2007 | Criminal Minds | Charles Hankel | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Cold Case | Grant Hall - 2007 | Episode: "Shuffle, Ball Change" |
| 2008 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Dave Bohr | Episode: "The Theory of Everything" |
| 2009–2017 | Family Guy | Patrick Swayze (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | True Blood | Gus | 6 episodes |
| 2010 | The Young and the Restless | Shaw Roberts | 5 episodes |
| 2010 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Ray | Episode: "The Gang Buys a Boat" |
| 2010 | Passenger | Kylek | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Days of Our Lives | Pawn Broker / Rip | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Wilfred | Shady Guy | Episode: "Letting Go" |
| 2013 | Southland | Gus Jameson | Episode: "Under the Big Top" |
| 2013 | Hawaii Five-0 | Lloyd Grimes | Episode: "Ho'opio" |
| 2013 | The Bridge | Tampa Tim | 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Blood Type | James Ryder | Episode: "A Rare and Precious Commodity" |
| 2014 | Sons of Anarchy | Carl Egan | Episode: "The Separation of Crows" |
| 2016 | Longmire | Jim Mackey | Episode: "From This Day Forward" |
| 2017 | General Hospital | Buzz | Episode #1.13720 |
| 2017 | Tucker's War | Charlie Caleb Carson | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Decker | General Coover | Episode: "Space Wall" |
| 2019 | Deadwood: The Movie | Dennis Seacrest | TV movie |
| 2019 | American Horror Story: 1984 | Ed Gibson | Episode: "Camp Redwood” |
| 2020 | Sons of Thunder | Angie D. | 5 episodes |
| 2020 | The Rookie | Sgt. Sharp | Episode: "Under the Gun" |
| 2021 | Lucifer | Gas Station Owner | Episode: "Pin the Tail on the Daddy" |
| 2022 | Magnum P.I. | Melvin Muchado | Episode: "Run, Baby, Run" |
| 2022 | NCIS: Hawaiʻi | Joe | Episode: "Primal Fear" |
| 2023 | Perry Mason | Man at Business Meeting | Episode: "Chapter Fifteen" |