Gary Sinise

Gary Alan Sinise (/sɪˈniːs/; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, director, musician, producer and philanthropist.[1] Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame[2] and was nominated for multiple Tony Awards and an Academy Award.[3]

Gary Sinise
Sinise in May 2011
Born	Gary Alan Sinise (1955-03-17) March 17, 1955 Blue Island, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, director, musician
Years active	1973 (1973)–present
Notable work	George Milton in Of Mice and Men Lt. Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump Ken Mattingly in Apollo 13 Harry S. Truman in Truman Jimmy Shaker in Ransom Det. Mac Taylor on CSI: NY
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Moira Harris ( m. 1981)
Children	3

Sinise first starred in a film when he directed, produced, and starred in the film adapatation of John Steinbeck's classic novel Of Mice and Men. Sinise played George Milton alongside John Malkovich who played Lennie. Subsequent roles include Lieutenant Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump (1994), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Harry S. Truman in Truman (1995), for which he won a Golden Globe, Ken Mattingly in Apollo 13 (1995) and Detective Jimmy Shaker in Ransom (1996).

Sinise has appeared in other films including The Green Mile (1999) and Impostor (2002). On television, he has played Detective Mac Taylor in the CBS series CSI: NY (2004–13), and George C. Wallace in the television film George Wallace (for which he won an Emmy). From 2016 to 2017, Sinise starred as Special Agent Jack Garrett in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. He is a supporter of various veteran organizations and founded the Lt. Dan Band; they play at military bases around the world.

Early life

Sinise was born in Blue Island, Illinois, son of Robert L. Sinise, a film editor, and Mylles (Alsip) Sinise.[4][5][6] His paternal grandfather was of Italian descent, Sinise's great-grandfather Vito Sinisi having immigrated from Ripacandida, in the Italian region of Basilicata.[7][8] Sinise briefly attended Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and later graduated from Highland Park High School in Highland Park, Illinois.[9]

In 1974, Sinise and two friends, Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry, founded the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.[10] Since then, Steppenwolf has showcased the talents of notable actors such as Joan Allen, Kevin Anderson, Gary Cole, Ethan Hawke, Glenne Headly, John Mahoney, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Martha Plimpton, Jim True-Frost, and most recently William Petersen. Sinise honed his acting and directing skills at Steppenwolf, and received a Joseph Jefferson Award for his direction of Lyle Kessler's play Orphans. That took him from Chicago to New York City, and then to London's West End, where he worked on more than thirty of the company's productions.

Career

Sinise on the set of Forrest Gump, in 1993

In 1982, Sinise's career began to take off when he directed and starred in Steppenwolf's production of True West. In 1983, he earned an Obie Award for his direction, and a year later appeared with John Malkovich in the PBS' American Playhouse production of the play. In 1988, Sinise directed Miles from Home, a film starring Richard Gere, about two brothers' fight against the foreclosure of the family farm. Sinise collaborated with fellow actor Tom Hanks five times, including Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, and The Green Mile. Other noteworthy films in which Sinise has appeared include Of Mice and Men (which he directed), Reindeer Games, Snake Eyes, Ransom, Mission to Mars, The Stand and Impostor. He narrated the audiobooks for John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley.

In 2004, he began his first regular television series, in the crime drama CSI: New York, in which he plays Detective Mac Taylor. He was credited as a producer from season two onwards and wrote the storyline of an episode. Several episodes have allowed Sinise to demonstrate his musical prowess, including a season-two episode where Mac Taylor plays the bass guitar in a jazz club with musicians Kimo and Carol Williams and Danny Gottlieb, members of the Lt. Dan Band, which Sinise and Kimo Williams co-founded in 2003. The band is named for Sinise's character in Forrest Gump.

Apart from his television and movie work, Sinise is the host in the video for the Epcot ride Mission: SPACE, at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, and a model for Baume & Mercier watches.[11] He co-founded Operation Iraqi Children. Sinise said, "Iraq is in the news every day, and most of it is bad. But there are some positive stories. And how our soldiers are rebuilding schools and helping kids is one of them."[12]

Sinise was the narrator for the Discovery Channel's miniseries When We Left Earth in 2008. He was awarded the Presidential Citizen Medal by George W. Bush for work he did supporting the U.S. military and humanitarian work supporting Iraqi children.[13] He narrated Army and Army Reserve Army Strong recruitment ads[14] in late 2008. He is also the national spokesperson for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.

Sinise is the executive producer—along with David Scantling—of the Iraq War documentary Brothers at War.[15] The film features an American military family and the experiences of three brothers: Jake Rademacher, Isaac Rademacher, and Joseph Rademacher.[16]

In November 2009, Sinise narrated the highly acclaimed World War II in HD on the History Channel. In 2010, he narrated the World War II documentary Missions That Changed The War on the Military Channel. In late 2002, he started the Cadillac commercials starting with the 2002–2003 Season's Best commercial and has been with the Break Through campaign since it started the campaign in the 2002 Super Bowl with Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" then ended in late 2006. In 2009, Sinise lent his voice talents in the Thomas Nelson audio Bible production known as The Word of Promise, playing the character of David.[17]

On April 17, 2017, Sinise received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in the television industry, located at 6664 Hollywood Boulevard.[18][19]

On October 30, 2017, Sinise was selected as Grand Marshal of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, which took place on January 1, 2018.[20]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	A Wedding	Extra	Uncredited
1988	Miles from Home		Director
1992	Of Mice and Men	George Milton	Also director and producer
	A Midnight Clear	Vance 'Mother' Wilkins
	The Witness	Young Soldier	Short film
1993	Jack the Bear	Norman Strick
	The Stand	Stu Redman
1994	Forrest Gump	Lieutenant Dan Taylor
1995	Apollo 13	Ken Mattingly
	The Quick and the Dead	The Marshal
1996	Ransom	Detective Jimmy Shaker
	Albino Alligator	Milo
1998	Snake Eyes	Commander Kevin Dunne
1999	The Green Mile	Burt Hammersmith
	It's the Rage	Morgan
2000	Bruno	Dino Battaglia
	Mission to Mars	Jim McConnell
	Reindeer Games	Gabriel Mercer
2002	Impostor	Spencer Olham	Also producer
	A Gentleman's Game	Foster Pearse
	Made-Up	Duncan Tivey
2003	The Human Stain	Nathan Zuckerman
	Mission: SPACE	Capcom	Short film
2004	The Forgotten	Dr. Jack Munce
	The Big Bounce	Ray Ritchie
2005	Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D	Gene Cernan	Voice role
2006	Open Season	Shaw
2011	None Less Than Heroes: The Honor Flight Story	Narrator	Documentary
	Lt. Dan Band: For The Common Good	Himself
2014	Captain America: The Winter Soldier	Smithsonian Narrator	Voice role
2016	Beyond Glory	Military Voice
2019	Sgt. Will Gardner	Larry
2020	I Still Believe	Tom Camp
	Good Joe Bell		Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Knots Landing	Lee Maddox	Episode: "Small Surprises"
1984	Family Secrets	Motorcyclist	TV movie
	True West	Austin	American Playhouse broadcast of play
1986-87	Crime Story	Howie Dressler	2 episodes
1989	The Final Days	Richard Ben-Veniste	TV movie
	Hunter	Lord Rutherford	Episode: "Lullabye"
	My Name Is Bill W.	Ebby, Bill's best friend	Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie
1991	The Grapes of Wrath	Tom Joad	American Playhouse broadcast of play
1994	The Stand	Stu Redman	Miniseries; 4 episodes
1995	Truman	Harry S. Truman	TV movie
	Frasier	Sid	Episode: "The Club"; voice only
1997	George Wallace	George C. Wallace	TV movie
1999	That Championship Season	Tom Daley
2002	Path to War	George Wallace	TV movie, uncredited
2003	Fallen Angel	Terry	TV movie
2004–05	CSI: Miami	Detective Mac Taylor	Episodes: "MIA/NYC NonStop", "Felony Flight"
2004–13	CSI: NY	Detective Mac Taylor	Lead role; 197 episodes
2008	When We Left Earth	Narrator	Documentary miniseries; 6 episodes
2009	WWII in HD	Narrator	Documentary miniseries; 10 episodes
2013	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Detective Mac Taylor	Episode: "In Vino Veritas"
2010–12	Missions That Changed the War	Narrator	14 episodes
2015	Criminal Minds	Agent Jack Garrett	Episode: "Beyond Borders"
2016–17	Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders	Agent Jack Garrett	Lead role, also producer
2020	13 Reasons Why	Dr. Robert Ellman	Lead role (Season 4); 10 episodes.

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	True West	Austin	Cherry Lane Theatre, Broadway
1984	Balm in Gilead	Dopey	Circle Reporatory Theatre
1985	The Caretaker	Mick	Steppenwolf Theatre Company
1986			Circle in the Square Theatre
1990	The Grapes of Wrath	Tom Joad	Cort Theatre, Broadway
1997	A Streetcar Named Desire	Stanley Kowalski	Steppenwolf Theatre Company
2000	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	McMurphy
2001			Royale Theatre, Broadway

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	CSI: NY	Detective Mac Taylor	Voice role

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
1985	Tony Award	Regional Theatre Award	The Steppenwolf Theatre Company	Won
1990		Best Featured Actor in a Play	The Grapes of Wrath	Nominated
1994	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Forrest Gump	Nominated
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture		Nominated
	National Board of Review	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Chicago Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Saturn Awards	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role		Nominated
		Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie	The Stand	Nominated
1995	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie	Truman	Nominated
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film		Won
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie		Won
		Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture	Apollo 13	Won
1996	Tony Award	Best Play	Buried Child	Nominated
		Best Direction of a Play		Nominated
1997	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie	George Wallace	Won
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie		Won
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film		Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film		Won
2001	Tony Award	Best Play	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	Nominated

Personal life

Sinise playing bass guitar in the Lt. Dan Band

Sinise with President George W. Bush after receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2008

Sinise married actress Moira Harris in 1981.[21] They have three children.[21] In 2003, Sinise was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Amherst College.[22] He was awarded the U.S. Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush in 2008.[23]

Sinise is a devoted fan of the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears. He also is a fan of the band Kansas.[24]

Sinise is a practicing Roman Catholic. He converted to the faith on December 24, 2010. His wife, Moira, converted in 2000.[25]

Politics

In 2005, Sinise founded Friends of Abe, a support and networking group for conservative members of Hollywood.[26][27]

Sinise's name was in an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times (August 17, 2006) that condemned Hamas and Hezbollah and supported Israel in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.[28] In June 2008, Sinise donated $2,300 to the Republican presidential primary campaign of Arizona Senator John McCain.[29] Nicolle Wallace, a former adviser to George W. Bush and the presidential campaign of John McCain, stated in May 2009 that she believed Sinise could help bring about a resurgence of the Republican Party. Wallace stated, "The natural strengths that an actor brings to politics would come in handy to anyone going up against Obama in 2012. We will need an effective communicator who can stand toe to toe with Obama’s eloquence." Other names mentioned were those of Generals David Petraeus and Ray Odierno.[30] Sinise narrates the online virtual tour for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and spoke at the centennial celebration of Reagan's birth at the library in February 2011.

In September 2012, Sinise donated to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.[31] Sinise's Republican-leaning has been written into his character of Mac Taylor who has a picture of Ronald Reagan displayed in his office, and is once the subject of a joke by one of his colleagues about an eight-hour documentary about Reagan he keeps watching over and over.

Although a staunch supporter of the Republican Party, Sinise refused to vote or show support for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. After Trump questioned McCain's status as a hero because he was captured as a prisoner of war, Sinise rebuked Trump.[32]

Humanitarian work

Sinise is a supporter of various veterans' organizations, both personally and through the Lt. Dan Band. He frequently performs on USO tours at military bases around the world, and volunteered for the National Vietnam Veterans Arts Museum now called the National Veterans Art Museum. On June 8, 2011, he put on a space suit to become one of the few people to fly in a U-2 spy plane up to 70,000 feet (21,000 m).[33] Sinise is also on the Advisory Council of Hope For The Warriors, a national nonprofit dedicated to provide a full cycle of nonmedical care to combat-wounded service members, their families, and families of the fallen from each military branch.[34] Sinise narrates the audiobook of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," which was released on April 13, 2011.[35] In December 2011, Sinise was the narrator at the Candelight Processional at Disneyland. In August 2012, Sinise was honored at the United States Navy Memorial, by Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Rick West, and was made an honorary U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer for his efforts in helping veterans.[36] On August 29, 2013, he was named an honorary Marine by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.[37][38] In 2006, Sinise began co-hosting the National Memorial Day Concert on the Mall in Washington, D.C., with actor and Illinois native Joe Mantegna.[39] He serves as the national spokesperson for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial and spends much of his time raising awareness for the memorial and other veterans' service organizations.[40] In 2012, he was honored by the Joe Foss Institute for his dedication to veterans. In 2013, he was awarded the third highest honor within the Department of the Army Civilian Awards, the Outstanding Civilian Service Award, for substantial contributions to the U.S. Army community through his work with the Gary Sinise Foundation. Each year the foundation raises over $30 million which it uses to benefit military veterans, including building smart homes for those who are disabled.[41] He participated in Troopathon VI for 2013, as he has in the past, to help raise money for care packages for American troops.[42] He received the 2015 Sylvanus Thayer Award, awarded by the West Point Association of Graduates to a non-West Point graduate whose character, service, and achievements reflect the ideals prized by the U.S. Military Academy.[43][44]

Honors

Over the years, Sinise has received numerous honors for his humanitarian work and his work on behalf of military veterans and families.[45]

• 2007 - the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment
• 2008 - the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush.
• 2008 - Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition
• 2008 - Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Cal State Stanislaus
• 2009 - Spirit of the USO Award from the USO
• 2012 - Boy Scouts of America Leader of the Year
• 2012 - United States Navy, Honorary Chief Petty Officer[46]
• 2012 - Spirit of Hope Award from Department of Defense
• 2013 - Civic Statesmanship Award
• 2013 - Honorary Marine[47]
• 2016 - FDNY, Honorary Battalion Chief[48]
• 2017 - James Cardinal Gibbons Medal from The Catholic University of America
• 2018 - The Kennedy Center Award for the Human Spirit (Citizen Artist)
• 2018 - American Spirit Award from The National WWII Museum
• 2018 - Grand Marshal, Rose Bowl Game, Honorary
• 2019 - The Eisenhower Award from Business Executives for National Security
• 2019 - Marine Corps League Honorary Membership
• 2020 - United States Naval Academy, Honorary Graduate
• 2020 - The Congressional Medal of Honor Society Patriot Award

Bibliography

• Sinise, Gary; Brotherton, Marcus (contributor) (2019). Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. ISBN 978-1-40020-812-8.

References

1. "Gary Sinise". Biography. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
2. "Gary Sinise Awarded Walk of Fame Star For footballer Acting, Pro-Military Activism". Fox News. April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
3. Eller, Claudia; King, Susan. "The 67th Academy Award Nominations: Bubba Gump Oscar Co." Los Angeles Times, February 15, 1995
4. John O'Mahony (July 15, 2000). "The guts and the glory". The Guardian. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
5. "Gary Sinise Biography (1955–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
6. The Film daily year book of motion pictures, Volume 47. J. W. Alicoate. 1965. p. 324.
7. Byrne, Bridget (February 7, 2007). "SouthCoastToday.com – Living – This 'CSI' has a New York state of mind – February 7, 2007". Archive.southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
8. Petrelli, Gianni (December 22, 2005). "Un attore ripacandidese" [An actor from Ripacandida]. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
9. 2014 Alumni Directory
10. "Gary Sinise: Ensemble Member Bio". Archived from the original on December 15, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
11. "Baume & Mercier and Gary Sinise". Archived from the original on December 3, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
12. "In Step With: Gary Sinise". Parade Magazine. September 12, 2004.
13. "New Recipients Of Presidential Citizen Medals". WBKO. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
14. "Soldier Life > Army Families". GoArmy.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link) (Archived by WebCite at )
15. "Sinise produces pro-military documentary". Upi.com. March 11, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
16. "Film review: 'Brothers at War' – Military Movies". Military Times. Archived from the original on March 16, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
17. Groves, Martha (November 16, 2009). "BELIEFS : Stars lined up for elaborate audio Bible : Michael York, Jason Alexander and many others gave voice to a 79-CD reading of Old and New Testaments". Los Angeles Times.
18. "Gary Sinise | Hollywood Walk of Fame". www.walkoffame.com. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
19. "Gary Sinise Gets Star for TV Work". NBC Southern California. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
20. "Actor and Humanitarian Gary Sinise Selected as 2018 Tournament of Roses Grand Marshal". October 30, 2017.
21. critic, Richard Christiansen, Chief. "STEPPENWOLF'S ODD COUPLE". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
22. "Amherst College Commencement: 2003 Honorary Degree Citations". Archived from the original on September 16, 2006. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
23. "New Recipients Of Presidential Citizen Medals". WBKO.com. December 10, 2008. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
24. "Gary Sinise In His Mission as The Messenger". Amici Journal. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
25. "Actor Gary Sinise describes his road to the Catholic Church". Catholic News Service. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
26. Carroll, Rory (June 13, 2017). "Club for Hollywood Republicans locked in dispute –". the Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
27. Cieply, Michael; Confessore, Nicholas (January 22, 2014). "Leaning Right in Hollywood, Under a Lens". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
28. "Nicole Kidman and 84 Others Stand United Against Terrorism Archived September 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine" Hollywood Grind. August 18, 2006
29. "Gary Sinise's Federal Campaign Contribution Report". Archived from the original on September 16, 2008.
30. "Actor Gary Sinise floated as possible GOP savior". CNN. May 11, 2009.
31. Dominic Patten. "Romney Eyes Hollywood Return After Successful Weekend Fundraiser". Deadline.
32. "Gary Sinise - Mr Trump, with all due respect, I fail to..." Facebook. July 20, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
33. "'Lt. Dan' flies high". June 10, 2011. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
34. "Board of Directors" Archived November 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Hope for the Warriors. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
35. "OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck Read by Gary Sinise | Audiobook Review". AudioFile Magazine. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
36. Rosprim, Thomas (August 27, 2012). "MCPON Names Gary Sinise Honorary Chief". Navy News Service NNS120827-07. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
37. Seck, Hope Hodge (August 30, 2013). "Lt. Dan' Gary Sinise becomes newest honorary Marine". Marine Corps Times. Archived from the original on September 3, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
38. "Actor Gary Sinise becomes Honorary Marine". USMC - Marine Barracks Washington. August 30, 2013. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
39. "Families of Disabled Vets | National Memorial Day Concert". PBS. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
40. Sinise, Gary (March 2016). "Gary Sinise on Giving Back to Veterans". Guideposts. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
41. Warner, Kara (February 13, 2019). "Forrest Gump Star Gary Sinise Opens Up About Raising $30 Million Annually for Veterans". People. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
42. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 20, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
43. "TWS". Facebook.
44. "Gary Sinise to Receive 2015 Sylvanus Thayer Award". Westpointaog.org.
45. "Gary Sinise - Awards". garysinisefoundation.org. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
46. "United States Navy - Honorary Chief Petty Officer - Gary Sinise". NAVY.mil.
47. "Gary Sinise named an Honorary Marine". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
48. "FDNY - Honorary Battalion Chief Gary Sinise". NYC.gov.

External links

• Gary Sinise on IMDb
• Gary Sinise at the Internet Broadway Database
• Gary Sinise at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Gary Sinise at AllMovie
• Gary Sinise Foundation
• Lt. Dan Band homepage
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Operation Iraqi Children
• Gary Sinise interview on PMAKid.com
• "Sinise: A Man for All Services" by Andrew Breitbart (The Washington Times December 15, 2008)
• "Lt. Dan rocks out" by Sarah Feldberg (Las Vegas Weekly 9/4/09)
• Gary Sinise interview on the Ben Shapiro Sunday Special
• Gary Sinise interview on the Jocko Podcast ( February 18, 2020)