Tom Sizemore, who co-starred Private Ryan, save Black Hawk Down and in hundreds of other film and television roles spanning more than three decades, died Friday in a Burbank hospital. He was 61 years old and had been in a coma since suffering a stroke that led to a brain aneurysm on February 18.
His manager Charles Lago confirmed the news this evening and said Sizemore died peacefully in his sleep at St Joseph’s Hospital with his brother Paul and twins Jayden and Jagger, aged 17, by his side.
“The Sizemore family is comforted by hundreds of messages of support and love for their son, brother and father,” Lago said in a statement. “You ask for privacy in this difficult time and I ask that those wishes be respected.”
Sizemore’s brother Paul said: “I am deeply saddened by the loss of my big brother Tom. He was larger than life. He has influenced my life more than anyone I know. He was talented, loving, generous and could entertain you endlessly with his humor and storytelling. I am devastated that he is gone and I will always miss him.”
Sizemore has acted or been a leading actor in dozens of films and has worked with award-winning directors such as Steven Spielberg, Michael Mann, Arthur Penn and on several occasions with Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Kathryn Bigelow, Tony Scott and Lawrence Kasdan. Its 200+ credit list includes the features Private Ryan, save Black Hawk Down, Heat, Natural Born Killers, Pearl Harbor, Wyatt Earp, Passenger 57, Bringing Out the Dead, The Relic, Strange Days, Red Planet, dream catcher, Flight from the intruder, guilty by suspicion, bad love and much more.
On the small screen, Sizemore topped the short-lived 2002 CBS cop drama homicide detective, to play the head of this LAPD unit. He also came in series like back Law and Order: SVU, China Beach, Shooter, The Red Road, Crash, Dr. Vegas, The Hawaii Five-O generation and that of 2017 twin peaks.
Sizemore also played the key role of crime boss Sonny Forelli in 2002 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which sold over 1.4 million copies in its first two days and became the fastest-selling video game of all time. By 2008, approximately 8.2 million copies had been sold.
Born in Detroit on November 29, 1961, Sizemore began acting in small film roles in the late 1980s while appearing in Penn’s. Penn and Teller are killed stones Born on July 4th and Bigelow’s blue steel, amongst other things. In the early 90s, he got bigger roles starring Dylan McDermott and Sharon Stone Where sleeping dogs lie and directed the crime drama love hate He also starred alongside Bruce Willis and Sarah Jessica Parker in the 1993 thriller shot distance and as a detective chasing Mickley and Mallory (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis) at Stone’s Natural Killers (1994).
After co-starring with Denzel Washington in 1995 devil in a blue dressSizemore played the lead role of Michael in Cheritto. Heat, Mann’s classic crime thriller starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, and starring Val Kilmer and Jon Voight. He then landed his first major role as Penelope Ann Miller in Peter Hyams’ 1997 sci-fi/horror film. The Remnant.
But Sizemore may be best known for his role in Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated Best Picture Private James Ryan. He has Army Ranger Mike Horvath, the old friend and second-in-command of Tom Hanks’ Capt. John Miller, who led a rescue mission for a missing soldier whose three brothers died on D-Day. Known for its brutal realism, including the gripping 20-minute opening sequence showing the landing at Omaha Beach, the film was a favorite to win best picture Oscars but lost in a major upset Shakespeare in love.
Around the same time, Sizemore was also offered a role in another WWII film, Terrence Malicks the thin red line but decided Private James Ryan.
Sizemore had a long history of drug abuse, and he shared it Calgary’s sun In 2001, he entered a rehab program after his mother and De Niro showed up on his doorstep while filming Telepic Mafia Witness in 1998. Sizemore announced that they were taking him to prison or rehab and chose the latter. After completing the program, he counseled youth on substance abuse. Sizemore later appeared on the VH1 reality series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. pulled And Sober home Early 2010s.
“I should have died many times, and honestly, I didn’t know I was going to come back from the bottom I fell to,” Sizemore said in a 2013 interview with Deadline while announcing a memoir. “The fact that I’ve been sober for over two years now – and that I’m performing as much as before – proves that people can overcome obstacles, even when they know they can’t. I hope this book can inspire others to never give up.”
his book, Miraculously I made it: a memoryreleased in 2016.
He has had several run-ins with the law, including an arrest in 2019 for drug possession and for sexual misconduct in 2003. His accuser sued the actor in 2017 amid the #MeToo movement, losing him a film role, but a judge ruled him out of the case in 2020. Sizemore has always denied the allegations.
In 2016, Sizemore was involved in an accident on the set of the USA Network series that injured a stuntman Protect at Agua Dulce Airport north of Los Angeles. The actor was driving an SUV that accidentally hit Steve DeCastro, partially pinning him underneath. His injuries were described as “moderate”, but five months later he sued the actor, Viacom and Paramount. The case was settled in 2018.
Sizemore was married to soap actress Maeve Quinlan from 1996 to 1999 and was romantically involved with the likes of Sharon Stone and Elizabeth Hurley over the years. He also had a torrid relationship with former Hollywood wife Heidi Fleiss.
“My deepest condolences to the entire Sizemore family and to Tom’s old manager Charles Lago,” Quinlan said tonight. “My thoughts and prayers go out to Tom’s two sons, Jayden and Jagger. May God hold you both in his hands, give you strength and bless you every day of your life.”
Lago said there will be a private cremation service for the family in a few weeks, with a larger life event celebration planned.
Source: Deadline
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
