Gary Sinise
Gary Alan Sinise (/sɪˈniːs/ sih-NEESS; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor of stage and screen, as well as a director, producer, musician, and humanitarian. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,[1] and he has been nominated for an Academy Award.[2] Sinise has also received numerous awards and honors for his extensive humanitarian work and involvement with charitable organizations. He is a supporter of various veterans' organizations and founded the Lt. Dan Band (named after his character in Forrest Gump), which plays at military bases around the world.
Gary Sinise
Actor
1973–present
George Milton in Of Mice and Men
Lt. Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump
Ken Mattingly in Apollo 13
Harry S. Truman in Truman
Cmdr. Kevin Dunne in Snake Eyes
Jimmy Shaker in Ransom
Det. Mac Taylor on CSI: NY
Agent Jack Garrett in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders
3
Sinise's acting career started on stage with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1983, when he directed and starred in a production of Sam Shepard's True West for which he earned an Obie Award. In 1985, he earned the Regional Theatre Tony Award alongside the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He also received Tony Award nominations for his performances in The Grapes of Wrath (1988) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (2001).
Sinise starred as George Milton in the 1992 film adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. He also directed and produced the film. Sinise received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Lieutenant Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump (1994). He also appeared in Ron Howard's Apollo 13 (1995), Ransom (1996), Frank Darabont's The Green Mile (1999), and Impostor (2002).
On television, Sinise is known for portraying Harry S. Truman in Truman (1995), a portrayal that won him a Golden Globe Award; and for playing the title role in George Wallace, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award. Sinise is widely known for his leading role as Detective Mac Taylor in the long-running CBS series CSI: NY (2004–13). He also played Special Agent Jack Garrett in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (2016–17).
Early life[edit]
Sinise was born in Blue Island, Illinois, the son of Robert L. Sinise (born 1931),[3] a film editor, and Mylles (Alsip) Sinise.[4][5] His paternal grandfather was of Italian descent. Sinise's great-grandfather, Vito Sinisi, emigrated to the United States from Ripacandida, in the Italian region of Basilicata.[6][7] Sinise briefly attended Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and later graduated from Highland Park High School in Highland Park, Illinois.[8]
Humanitarian work[edit]
Sinise 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."[18]
Sinise was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush for work he did supporting the U.S. military and humanitarian work supporting Iraqi children.[19] He narrated Army and Army Reserve Army Strong recruitment ads[20] in late 2008.
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.
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.[21] Sinise narrates the audiobook of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," which was released on April 13, 2011.[22] 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.[23] On August 29, 2013, he was named an honorary Marine by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.[24][25] 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.[26]
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.[27] 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.[28] He participated in Troopathon VI for 2013, as he has in the past, to help raise money for care packages for American troops.[29]
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.[30][31]
In 2019 a video went viral of Gary Sinise reacting to a video of active duty service men and women, veterans, first responders, their families, and Colin Powell, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Ron Howard, Steve Buscemi, Jay Leno, Tim Allen, Rob Lowe, Judd Apatow and Robin Roberts giving thanks to Sinise for all his humanitarian work.[32]
In 2020, the Location Managers Guild honored Sinise with its Humanitarian award at their annual awards ceremony in recognition of the work he does with the Gary Sinise Foundation. In accepting the award. Sinise read a quote from President Calvin Coolidge saying, "The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten".[33]
On April 16, 2021, Sinise hosted the inauguration ceremony of the World War I memorial in Washington D.C.[34]
Politics[edit]
In 2005, Sinise founded Friends of Abe, a support and networking group for conservative members of Hollywood.[44][45]
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.[46] In May 2009, Nicolle Wallace, a former adviser to George W. Bush and John McCain, mentioned Sinise as a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2012.[47] Sinise narrates the online virtual tour for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and spoke at the centennial celebration of Ronald Reagan's birth at the library in February 2011.
In September 2012, Sinise donated to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.[48]
Sinise's Republican-leaning views have been written into the character of Mac Taylor on CSI: NY. Taylor has a picture of Reagan displayed in his office and was once the subject of a joke by one of his colleagues about an eight-hour Reagan documentary he watched over and over again.
In spite of being a lifelong supporter of the Republican Party, Sinise refused to endorse or vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, and also criticized Trump after the then candidate questioned McCain's status as a war hero because he was captured as a prisoner of war.[49]