Tom Sizemore: 1961 - 2023

Actor Tom Sizemore has passed away at 61. 

Born in Detroit in 1961, Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. had his big-screen debut in two high profile films in 1989: Sylvester Stallone’s prison drama LOCK UP, and Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY. 

High-profile films seemed to be his calling-card, as in the 1990’s he appeared in some of the most well-known and acclaimed films of the decade, with the top two being Steven Spielberg’s epic war film SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998), and Michael Mann’s crime masterpiece HEAT (1995). Other notable films in the 90’s included BLUE STEEL (1990), POINT BREAK (1991), HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE MARLBORO MAN (1991), PASSENGER 57 (1992), WYATT EARP (1994), THE RELIC (1997), ENEMY OF THE STATE (1998), and Martin Scorsese’s BRINGING OUT THE DEAD (1999). 

He moved into the new millennium with another solid run including BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001), PEARL HARBOR (2001), and DREAMCATCHER (2003). On television he appeared on LAW AND ORDER, CSI: MIAMI, IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, and provided the voice of Metamorpho in DC Comics’ animated JUSTICE LEAGUE. He also played Pete Rose in a 2004 TV film, and appeared in the 2017 TWIN PEAKS revival. 

Other notable roles include RED PLANET (2000), TRUE ROMANCE (2003), TICKER (2001), and BIG TROUBLE (2002). His highest accolade came in 1998 when he and his castmates were nominated for a Best Ensemble Cast by the Screen Actors Guild for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. 

*

Tom Sizemore’s struggles in the back half of his life had him removed from the spotlight, but he still leaves us with an impressive resume. Between SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and HEAT, he has his name attached to two of the greatest films of all time, and not many actors can say that. His talent for playing a tough-guy every-man made him the right guy to be the guiding voice in Tom Hanks’ ear, and the driving force behind Robert DeNiro. He acted with the best and showed he belonged on that big screen with them.