Oscar winning star Forest Whitaker has said his cancer-stricken fellow actor Patrick Swayze is “doing alright”.

Whitaker worked with Swayze on ‘Powder Blue’ last year, and speaking before the Hollywood premiere of his new film ‘Street Kings’ Forest said he was surprised by the shock news Patrick had been struck down by pancreatic cancer.

He told Entertainment Tonight, “We did Powder Blue about a year ago. It's the second movie I've produced that he was in and the third thing we'd done together.

“He was good during the movie, you know. I hear he's doing alright."