Bambi Swayze is an American actress who is famous for movies such as The Other Side, Lethal Ninja, and One Last Dance. She is also the sister of the late actor Patrick Swayze. He was best known for playing lead, romantic, tough, and comedic roles.
It’s been over a decade since the death of Patrick Swayze but somehow the actor is still among the storylines and on occasional media talks. The attention sometimes also shifts toward his family members and in this case, it’s one of Patrick’s siblings, Bambi.
So, where is Swayze now? Is the celebrity sibling married or single? Also, how is Bambi doing career-wise? Well, here are several untold facts about Patrick’s sister, Bambi Swayze including her career, nationality, relationship status in 2022, and much more.
Bambi Swayze Was Born In South Korea: What Is Her Real Name?
Bambi’s exact date of birth and place is not disclosed yet however some records suggest Patrick Swayze’s sister was born in the year 1966/1965 on 3rd Oct.
She is South Korean by birth but was later adopted by Patrick’s parents. They sponsored her in 1969 when was four via the Christian Children’s Fund. Her real name is Song Bo Ra which in Korean means “beautiful velvet.”
When the Swayze family met Bambi, they were told she was found abandoned in a park when she was only a year old. She, at the time, was partly deaf and not normally intelligent.
She allegedly had a chronic ear infection. Bambi apparently also had a sister back in Korea whom she was separated from at an early age, possibly when she was still an infant.
Patrick’s mother Patsy initially would bring Bambi to her studio and pass them around among her dancers. Patsy and her husband thought of adopting her sometime later. At the time, it took years for a foreigner to adopt a Korean baby but Patsy’s persistence made the adoption of Bambi possible within six months.
During one of her first nights as a Swayze family member, Patsy read her Bambi as a bedtime story. Song ended up liking it so much that she decided then and there that people started calling her Bambi from thereon and not her birth name.
Her Nationality
Before adopting, Swayze was a South Korean but now holds American nationality. And as for her ethnicity, she has a mixed ethnical background.
Bambi Swayze Siblings
Although she is an adopted sister, Bambi has four siblings. She is the youngest among all. When she became the Swayze, she got three brothers Don Swayze, Sean Swayze, and Patrick Swayze, and one sister, Vickie Lynn Swayze.
However, her brother Patrick is no more alive. He died due to cancer. Bambi also lost her sister, Vickie Lynn Swayze. She committed suicide in 1994. The exact reason for her suicide, however, is yet to be known.
Professional Career: Bambi Has Worked In a Few Movies
Although not as much as her late brother, Patrick Swayze’s sister Bambi has some or few appearances in movies.
She was a dancer in the 1990 movie, The Other Side after which she played Rachel in the 1991 film, Lethal Ninja. Bambi again worked as a dancer but this time in a TV movie called Stompin’ at the Savoy. Two years later, she appeared in another TV movie, In Search of Dr. Seuss as one of the members of the Turtle Choir.
Following that, Swayze wouldn’t have a screen appearance until 2003. That year, she broke her years of absence in the film by playing Melinda in One Last Dance.
Her last screen credit was in the 2010 video, Reijoku no yakata where she played the English version of Tsugumi Shironouchi. Patrick’s sister hasn’t had a movie or TV work since.
What Does Bambi Do Now?
Despite having done some work in a few or two TV projects, Bambi Swayze was never a full-time actress like her late brother.
She instead has always identified herself as a choreographer and dancer, more or less. In fact, according to her LinkedIn, Bambi is a ballet dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher. Patrick’s sister apparently always had an interest in dancing. She reportedly started as early as age four.
Bambi additionally also works in Healthcare Support somewhere in California also where she is reported to be residing.
Bambi Swayze’s Brother Patrick Died Of Cancer
As mentioned above, Bombi’s elder brother Patrick is no more with us. He died of pancreatic cancer on 14th September 2009 at the age of 57. It was after 20 months of diagnosis. His ashes were distributed on his ranch in New Mexico.
Before knowing about cancer, Patrick was working for the series named The Breast. During the filming, he suddenly felt pain in his stomach. After the diagnosis, it was found Patrick was in stage 4 of pancreatic cancer. The actor started his treatment at Stanford University Medical Center.
The hospital discharged him after some time but on, 9th January 2009, he had to head back because of Pneumonia. Unfortunately, Patrick would die the same year on Sep 14.
Her Sister Vickie Lynn Swayze’s Death is Still Unknown
Bambi’s late brother, Patrick isn’t the only sibling that she has lost. One other sibling of hers too died rather untimely.
It was her adoptive sister, Vickie Lynn Swayze who died on 2nd December 1994 in Van Nuys California, United States. She died at the age of 45 years.
Vickie died by suicide and apparently it was a result of an overdose of painkillers. Vickie’s death made a huge impact on her brother, Patrick. Following her death, he stopped drinking alcohol which provided a positive impact on his health.
Similarly, Patrick also mended his relationship with his mother and his other siblings.
Bambi Swayze Husband; The Relationship Became Messy At The End
Late actor Patrick Swayze’s adopted sister, Bambi Swayze was married to quality and manufacturing engineer, Don Franzen. They were in a marital tie from 1987 to 2016 with no children.
Despite being together for almost three decades, their separation was rather ugly with Don accusing Bambi of alcohol abuse and many other criminal activities.
During the divorce proceedings, Don revealed his ex-wife, Bambi had an arrest history for shoplifting and DUI. She apparently had also stayed at a rehab for her occasional mental illness and rude behaviors.
Franzen, at the court, also complained of a debt of over $80,000 which he got into because of Bambi.
Swayze’s Net-Worth and Her Current Whereabouts
While her brother Patrick had an estimated net worth of 40 million dollars at the time of his death, whether Bambi herself is a millionaire or not is quite a mystery. But considering the financial trouble, she has had in the past, the odds of her being one seem bleak.
Whatever the case, because it’s been a while since anyone has heard about Bambi making any trouble one could guess she might be doing fine in terms of her career or her way of living. As to what her financial status is, that might took a while to get out in the open.
At present, Bambi Swayze lives in Simi Valley, California.
