Tom Sizemore Dies at Age 61

‘Saving Private Ryan’ and ‘Heat’ Actor Tom Sizemore Dies, Age 61

With a turbulent private life but a successful career starring in films like 'Passenger 57,' 'True Romance,' 'Natural Born Killers,' and 'Black Hawk Down.'

(L to R) Vin Diesel, Tom Sizemore and Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg's 'Saving Private Ryan.'

Tom Sizemore, an actor known for his gruff style and hard-nosed characters, died on Friday.

Sizemore’s manager, Charles Lago announced his passing in a statement:

“It is with great sadness and sorrow I have to announce that actor Thomas Edward Sizemore aged 61 passed away peacefully in his sleep today at St Joseph’s Hospital Burbank,” the actor’s manager Charles Lago said in a statement. “His brother Paul and twin boys Jayden and Jagger were at his side. The Sizemore family has been comforted by the hundreds of messages of support and love shown to their son, brother and father. They are asking for privacy during this difficult time and I am asking for those wishes to please be respected.”

Sizemore was born on Nov. 29, 1961, in Detroit. After graduating from Wayne State University in Detroit with a bachelor’s degree in theater in 1983, he earned a master’s in the subject from Temple University in 1986. Three years later, he kicked off his acting career, making his debut on TV, in ‘Gideon Oliver,’ and on film, in ‘Lock Up,’ which starred Sylvester Stallone.

Saving Private Ryan

"The mission is a man."

R2 hr 49 minJul 24th, 1998

Showtimes & Tickets

Watch Saving Private Ryan Online

What movies was Sizemore known for?

Though ‘Lock Up’ wasn’t a box office success, Sizemore had a few other roles already in the can, including ‘Born on the Fourth of July’, ‘Blue Steel’ and ‘Pen & Teller Get Killed’.

Other notables on his resume include 'Heat,' 'The Relic,' ‘Back Hawk Down’, ‘Bringing Out the Dead’, ‘Enemy of the State’, ‘Natural Born Killers’, ‘Passenger 57’, ‘Devil in a Blue Dress’ and ‘Point Break’.

His most famous role was in Steven Spielberg’s ‘Saving Private Ryan’ as Sgt. Mike Horvath, the loyal second-in-command to Tom Hank’s Captain Miller. And Spielberg was far from the only top-level director to employ the actor’s services –– he also worked for Michael Mann, Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone and more.

Heat

"A Los Angeles crime saga."

R2 hr 50 minDec 15th, 1995

Showtimes & Tickets

Watch Heat Online

Yet outside of his acting work –– which was also filled with a variety of B-movies and straight-to-video appearances, his personal life was a whirlwind of drug abuse, lawsuits, accidents and stints in rehab.

“I should have been dead many times over, and honestly, I didn’t know that I was going to come back from the bottom I dropped to,” Sizemore told Deadline in a 2011 interview. “The fact that I’m now sober over two years — and that I’m acting as much as I did before — proves that people can overcome obstacles even when they’re sure they can’t.”

The actor suffered a brain aneurysm as a result of a stroke on February 18th and had been on life support in a coma since then.

Sizemore is survived by his mother, his twin sons, his brother Paul, his half-sister, Katherine Sizemore, and his half-brother, Charles Sizemore.

Paul Sizemore said this about his sibling:

“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, giving and could keep you entertained endlessly with his wit and storytelling ability. I am devastated he is gone and will miss him always.”