Gary Sinise
Gary Alan Sinise (born
March 17,
1955, in
Blue Island,
Illinois) is an
Emmy winning
American actor and
film director. Sinise was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in
1994 for his role as Lieutenant Dan Taylor in
Forrest Gump. He won a
Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for his role in
Truman. In
1996, he played a corrupt cop in the
Ron Howard dramatic hit
Ransom which he also did particularly well. In
1998, Sinise was awarded an
Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for
George Wallace.
In
1973, Sinise and two friends,
Terry Kinney and
Jeff Perry, founded the
Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Since its founding, Steppenwolf has showcased the talents of such notable actors as
Kevin Anderson,
Joan Allen,
Gary Cole,
Glenne Headly,
John Malkovich,
Jim True-Frost and
Laurie Metcalf. At Steppenwolf, Sinise was able to hone his acting and directing skills. 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, Gary directed
Miles from Home, a movie starring
Richard Gere, about two brothers' fight against the foreclosure of the family farm. It is considered a commentary on the issue that troubled many family farms in the 1980s. It was shot entirely on location in
Iowa.
Sinise has also appeared in
Of Mice and Men (which he also directed),
Apollo 13,
The Green Mile,
Reindeer Games,
Mission to Mars, and
The Stand.
Since
2003, he has been involved with the Lieutenant Dan Band, performing for charities and non-profit organisations including the
United Service Organizations and
Operation Iraqi Children. He plays the bass guitar for the band.
In
2004, he began his first regular
television series, in the crime drama
, in which he plays Detective Mac Taylor.
Sinise has appeared in three movies with
Tom Hanks:
Forrest Gump,
The Green Mile and
Apollo 13.
He has been married to actress
Moira Harris since
1981 and they have three children together: Sophia Ana (b. 1988), McCanna Anthony (b. 1990), and Ella Jane (b. 1992).
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Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band |
*Sinise's musical prowess is demonstrated in
season 2 episode 14, where, in the last moments of the episode, he plays the bass guitar in a jazz club with musicians Kimo and Carol Williams.
Kimo Williams is a real life friend outside of television, and they belong to a band called the
Lt. Dan Band, which frequently plays for the
USO and other events.
*He has starred in two adaptations of
John Steinbeck novels,
Of Mice and Men, which he also directed, as well as the television broadcast version of
The Grapes of Wrath. He also narrated the audio book for
Of Mice and Men and is reportedly a great Steinbeck fan.
*While most of the
cast is from
New York, Sinise is one of three exceptions. The others are
Melina Kanakaredes (born in
Ohio) and
Anna Belknap (born in
Maine). However, Sinise and
Belknap have both lived in NY at some point in time.
*Good friends with singer/songwriter
Melanie Doane and helped launch her album "You Are What You Love" through an independent label named ActorBoy Records.
*He once directed an episode of
thirtysomething, where his friend
Terry Kinney had a recurring role.
*He is the host in the video for the
Epcot ride
Mission: SPACE, at
Walt Disney World,
Orlando, FL,
*He is set to star in
Die Hard 4.
*He is one of the few outspoken conservatives in Hollywood.
*
Gary Sinise*
Gary Sinise fans page*
Lt. Dan Band homepage*
Steppenwolf Theatre Yahoo Group*
MP3 of Gary Sinise Interview with KFI Host John Ziegler Part I*
MP3 of Gary Sinise Interview with KFI Host John Ziegler Part II*
MP3 of Gary Sinise Interview with KFI Host John Ziegler Part III*
MP3 of Gary Sinise Interview with KFI Host John Ziegler Part IV
