Nobody puts baby in a corner, but they’re putting her in the National Film Registry.

(CNN) - Who doesn't love Patrick Swayze in "Dirty Dancing," or "Ghost" or "Road House?" But the real Swayze will soon be seen in "I Am Patrick Swayze," a new documentary about his life made by the late actor's wife, Lisa Niemi. Niemi discussed Swayze's career and his 2009 death at the age of 57 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. "It's the worst thing in the world to go through," Niemi said of Swayze's cancer fight. "The first time Buddy (her nickname for Swayze) and I danced together was at a school exhibition," Niemi said.

But perhaps no one knew the real Swayze -- the man behind the brash and bold characters -- better than the late actor's wife, Lisa Niemi. "It's the worst thing in the world to go through," Niemi says of Swayze's fight against the disease, which took his life at just 57 years old. The actor and his wife met as teenagers, when Niemi was taking dance lessons from Swayze's mother. "He knew going into Dirty Dancing, he goes, 'This is it,'" Niemi says in the documentary. I Am Patrick Swayze premieres Aug. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the Paramount Network.

Patrick Swayze is being honored with a new documentary exploring his rise in Hollywood. The first trailer has been released for I Am Patrick Swayze, the Paramount Network's upcoming film on the titular actor, which includes his friends, loved ones and former co-stars lovingly describing Swayze's drive to perform and his magnetic personality. "As soon as we started dancing, it was just like[passionate sigh]," Jennifer Grey, Swayze's Dirty Dancing co-star, shares as fans are shown clips from the classic film. The new documentary also includes interviews with Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Sam Elliott, Kelly Lynch and more. I Am Patrick Swayze airs at 9 p.m. EST on Aug. 18 on the Paramount Network.