Tom Sizemore, the actor who played supporting parts in dozens of beloved ’90s films like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Heat,” died on Friday, March 3 in Los Angeles after being taken off life support. Variety first confirmed the news. Sizemore’s death comes more than a week after the actor suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm in his home and was hospitalized in critical condition. On Monday, it was reported that Sizemore’s family was making end-of-life decisions for the actor at the recommendation of his doctors, who believed there was “no further hope” for recovery. He was 61.
Sizemore is best known for his work as a character actor during the ’90s, making supporting appearances in acclaimed and award-winning films like “Born on the Fourth of July,” “Point Break,” “True Romance,” “Natural Born Killers,” “Heat,” and “Strange Days.” He was best known for his role in “Saving Private Ryan” as Mike Horvath, the loyal second-in-command and longtime friend of Tom Hanks’ Capt. John H. Miller. In 2001, he appeared in the films “Pearl Harbor” and “Black Hawk Down.”
During the 2000s, however, Sizemore attracted attention for various legal issues and sexual abuse or domestic violence allegations against him. In 2017, a Hollywood Reporter investigation uncovered allegations of sexual abuse on the part of Sizemore during the making of the 2005 film “Born Killers.” Sizemore was accused of molesting an anonymous 11-year-old child actor on the set of the film, with various crew members saying he was removed from production after the incident, though he later returned to production for reshoots. Sizemore denied the allegations. The alleged victim, then 26, filed a lawsuit a year later, but it was dismissed in 2020, and Sizemore continued to deny all allegations.
Sizemore — who revealed in a 2010 episode of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” that he struggled with substance issues since age 15 — was also convicted or arrested for numerous domestic issues and drug charges during his career. In 2003, he was convicted of domestic violence against his girlfriend, prostitution ring manager and media personality Heidi Fleiss. He faced another two charges of domestic violence in 2017 against another ex-girlfriend, pleading no contest to receive 36 months of probation and 30 days of community service. In 2005, he served seven months in jail after repeatedly failing drug tests while on probation, and he was arrested two additional times in 2007 and 2019 for possession of illegal narcotics.
Sizemore was born in 1961 in Detroit, Michigan. His father was a lawyer, while his mother worked in Detroit’s city government. He attended Wayne State University and Temple University before pursuing a professional acting career. Aside from film work, he also appeared on TV in recurring and guest roles for shows like “China Beach,” “CSI: Miami,” “Crash,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and “Hawaii Five-0.” In 2017, he played the recurring role of insurance agent Anthony Sinclair in the acclaimed 2017 revival of “Twin Peaks,” “The Return.” During the 2000s, he remained active on film, appearing in dozens of low-budget independent projects each year. Outside of film and TV, he voiced the main villain, Sonny Forelli, in the 2002 video game “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.”
From 1996 to 1999, Sizemore was married to “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “South of Nowhere” actor Maeve Quinlan. He is survived by his two sons, whom he had with his former partner Janelle McIntire.
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