Cancer won't delay Swayze project

NEW YORK, June 7 (UPI) -- Having pancreatic cancer will not stop U.S. actor Patrick Swayze from starring in the new A&E network series "The Beast," studio officials say.

Sony Pictures Television official Zack Van Amburg said Swayze's determination to continue with production of the dramatic series was "inspiring," The New York Times reported Saturday.

"It's amazing, it's inspiring, and it's almost unprecedented," the co-president of the company's TV studio said.

The "Dirty Dancing" star informed the studio he was diagnosed with a life-threatening form of the disease in March, months after the series' pilot was filmed.

Van Amburg said the 55-year-old actor informed studio officials he was confident his physical training would enable him to overcome his illness and fulfill his work on the show.

"But he talked about the work he does on his ranch," Van Amburg told the Times. "He said: 'I'm in great condition. I'm a cowboy. I'm a dancer. I'll beat this.'"