Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. (; November 29, 1961 – March 3, 2023) was an American actor. Born in Detroit, he started his career with supporting appearances in Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Lock Up (1989), and Blue Steel (1990). The appearances led to more prominent roles in films like Passenger 57 (1992), True Romance (1993), Striking Distance (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), Strange Days (1995), Heat (1995), and The Relic (1997).
In 1998, Sizemore starred in Saving Private Ryan, his most commercially successful film. He later appeared in Bringing Out the Dead (1999), Black Hawk Down (2001), and Pearl Harbor (2001). He received a Golden Globe nomination for his lead role in the television film Witness Protection (1999). He also provided the voice of mobster Sonny Forelli in the acclaimed 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
In 2007, VH1 aired the reality series Shooting Sizemore (2007), which depicted Sizemore's struggle to regain his career amid addictions to methamphetamine and heroin. He also participated in other reality series related to his addiction, including Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (2010) and Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House (2010). He appeared in the revival series of Twin Peaks (2017).
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Early life and education
Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. was born on November 29, 1961 in Detroit. His mother, Judith (née Schannault), was a member of the city of Detroit ombudsman staff and his father, Thomas Edward Sizemore Sr., was a lawyer and philosophy professor. Thomas Jr. grew up as a Catholic and his parents divorced when he was a teenager. Thomas Sizemore Jr. said that his maternal grandfather was of French and Native American ancestry and also that his grandfather was African-American. He graduated from Wayne State University near downtown Detroit in 1983; he earned a bachelor's degree in Theater there. He received a master's degree from Temple University in Philadelphia in 1986.
Career
One of Sizemore's earliest film roles was in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July (1989). His other early appearances included Lock Up (1989), Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991), Point Break (1991), Passenger 57 (1992), True Romance (1993), Striking Distance (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), and Strange Days (1995). He had a recurring role on the television series China Beach (1988–1991) as an enlisted man named Vinnie who was in love with Dana Delany's character. For his performance in Heart and Souls (1993), he was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. He starred in the independent drama film Love Is Like That (1993) with actress and model Pamela Gidley and had a supporting role in Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp (1994) as Bat Masterson.
A succession of well-received supporting parts followed, beginning with his portrayal of Michael Cheritto in the heist film Heat (1995). Sizemore's first major leading role was as Vincent D'Agosta in The Relic (1997). Sizemore continued to play leading and character parts in Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), and Witness Protection (1999). In Saving Private Ryan (1998), he played against type—"one of cinema's scariest sleazebags cast as a soft-spoken guardian of civilization". He also had an uncredited role in Enemy of the State (1998). In the early 2000s, he appeared in the action films Pearl Harbor (2001), which also starred Ben Affleck and Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down (2001). Sizemore had a voice role as Sonny Forelli in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He starred in Ticker (2001), an action film directed by Albert Pyun, with Steven Seagal and Dennis Hopper. Sizemore also starred in the well-reviewed but short-lived television drama series Robbery Homicide Division (2002–2003). He appeared in the Mel Gibson-produced Paparazzi (2004), played Pete Rose in Hustle (2004) depicting his illegal gambling while managing the Cincinnati Reds, and played an undercover cop in Swindle (2006), opposite Sherilyn Fenn.
In the same year, Sizemore starred in The Genius Club (2006), playing a terrorist who taunts seven geniuses into solving the world's problems in one night. He had a leading role in the action/thriller film Splinter (2006) with Edward James Olmos. The next year, television network VH1 aired a six-episode reality TV series called Shooting Sizemore (2007), depicting the actor's life as he struggled to regain his career in the midst of battling long-standing addictions to methamphetamine and heroin. The series also covered an ongoing legal appeal of his conviction for an assault of former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss. In the same year, the actor starred in the indie drama film Oranges (2007) with Tom Arnold and Jill Hennessy, which was directed by Syrian director and producer Joseph Merhi. Sizemore performed in two films that screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Red (2008) and American Son (2008). He was highly prolific that year starring in The Last Lullaby (2008), The Flyboys (2008) with Stephen Baldwin, action film Stiletto (2008) with Tom Berenger and Michael Biehn, drama film Toxic (2008) with Costas Mandylor, and the Canadian drama A Broken Life (2008) with Ving Rhames.
Music
Sizemore fronted the Hollywood rock band Day 8. Formed in 2002, the band recorded a four-song EP produced and recorded by Bradley Dujmovic and former Snot/Soulfly guitarist Mike Doling. Originally called the Bystanders, the group included guitarist and co-writer Rod Castro, Alan Muffterson, Tyrone Tomke, and Michael Taylor.
Personal life
Sizemore married actress Maeve Quinlan in 1996. They divorced in 1999 because of Sizemore's drug problems. He dated Heidi Fleiss, known as the onetime "Hollywood Madam". Sizemore had twin sons from a previous relationship, born in 2005.
On October 19, 2005, Vivid Entertainment released The Tom Sizemore Sex Scandal, a pornographic video featuring Sizemore and three women. In the video, Sizemore claimed to have had sex with Paris Hilton. Hilton denied his claim and said it was a ploy by Sizemore to increase sales of the video.
Substance abuse and legal issues
Sizemore said that he battled drug addiction from age 15.
In 2003, Sizemore was convicted of domestic violence against ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss. On March 25, 2005, he was sentenced to seven months in jail and four months of drug treatment for repeatedly failing drug tests while on probation. He was caught attempting to fake a urine test using a Whizzinator. Fleiss' restraining order against him lapsed by 2010.
On May 8, 2007, while still on probation for a previous drug conviction, he was arrested outside the Four Points Sheraton hotel in Bakersfield, California, for possession of methamphetamine.
In 2010, Sizemore appeared as a patient/castmember on VH1's third season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Because Fleiss was also in treatment on the show that season, both she and Sizemore had to consent to appear together. His reunion with Fleiss was amicable.
In 2013, he appeared on the episode "Explosive Relationships" of the talk show Dr. Phil in which he discussed his rise to stardom and the subsequent fallout after his years of struggling with substance abuse. Also in 2013, Sizemore claimed in an interview that he had begun to achieve sobriety after a stern interrogation from fellow actor Robert De Niro. De Niro personally checked Sizemore into rehabilitation.
In early 2014, a recording emerged of Sizemore alleging that former girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley had an affair with Bill Clinton in 1998. Under threat of legal action, Sizemore admitted that the allegation was false. He elaborated that the recording was made without his knowledge during a time when he was battling substance abuse.
In February 2017, he pleaded no contest to two charges of domestic abuse for assaulting his girlfriend. He was sentenced to 36 months of summary probation, 30 days of community service and a year-long domestic violence program. He was subject to two protective orders associated with the charges and ordered to pay various fees. The deal was made by Sizemore to avoid spending 210 days in jail.
Death
On February 18, 2023, Sizemore suffered a brain aneurysm at his Los Angeles home and was hospitalized at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in critical condition. On February 27, his representative issued a statement indicating that doctors had determined that there was "no further hope" for Sizemore to recover and had "recommended end-of-life decisions" to his family. Sizemore died on March 3, 2023, at the age of 61.
Filmography
Book
Sizemore, Tom (with Anna David) (April 9, 2013). By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There: A Memoir. Atria Books. ISBN 978-1-451-68167-3.
