Thomas Edward "Tom" Sizemore, Jr. is an American film and television actor and producer. He
is known for his supporting roles in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down,
Heat, Strange Days, Pearl Harbor, True Romance, Natural Born Killers, and is known for voicing
Sonny Forelli in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Early life Sizemore was born in Detroit, Michigan. His
mother, Judith, was a member of the city of Detroit ombudsman staff, and his father, Thomas
Edward Sizemore, Sr., now retired, was a lawyer and philosophy professor. Sizemore has stated
that his maternal grandfather was of French and Native American ancestry. He has three
brothers, Charlie, Aaron and Paul, who is also an actor. Sizemore attended Michigan
State University for one year, as well as Wayne State University. He earned a Master's
degree in theatre from Temple University in 1986. He subsequently moved to New York City
to pursue an acting career. Acting career
One of Sizemore's earliest film appearances occurred in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth
of July in 1989, followed by roles in Lock Up, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man,
Point Break, True Romance, Heart and Souls, Natural Born Killers, and Strange Days. Sizemore
also starred in the independent drama film Love Is Like That with actress and model Pamela
Gidley. He had a supporting role in Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp as Bat Masterson.
A succession of well-received supporting parts followed, perhaps the most well known being
his portrayal of Michael Cheritto as an armed robber in the heist film Heat. His first major
leading role was as Vincent D'Agosta in 1997's The Relic. Sizemore had a recurring role on
the television series China Beach as an enlisted man named Vinnie who was in love with Dana
Delany's character. Sizemore continued to play leading and character parts in many films,
notably Devil in a Blue Dress, Saving Private Ryan, Bringing Out the Dead, and Witness Protection.
In the early 2000s, he appeared in actions films such as Pearl Harbor, starring Ben Affleck,
and Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down. He had a voice part as Sonny Forelli in the video
game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. In 2001, Sizemore starred in Ticker, an action film
directed by Albert Pyun, with Steven Seagal and Dennis Hopper. In 2002, Sizemore starred
in the well-reviewed but short-lived television drama series Robbery Homicide Division. It
was cancelled mid-way through its first season. He also played an undercover cop in the film
Swindle opposite Sherilyn Fenn. In 2004, he starred in Paparazzi.
In 2006, he starred in The Genius Club, playing a terrorist who taunts seven geniuses into
solving the world's problems in one night. Also that year, he had a leading role in the
action/thriller film Splinter with Edward James Olmos. In 2007, the television network
VH1 aired a six episode reality TV series called Shooting Sizemore, which depicted the
life of the actor as he struggled to regain his career in the midst of a continuing battle
with addiction. The series also covered an ongoing legal appeal on his conviction for
an assault of former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss. In this year, the actor also starred
in the Indie drama film Oranges with Tom Arnold and Jill Hennessy, which was directed by Syrian
director and producer Joseph Merhi. Recently, Sizemore has worked in films that
include Red and American Son, both of which were screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2008, Sizemore starred in The Last Lullaby, playing a killer, and appeared also in The
Flyboys with Stephen Baldwin, action film Stiletto with Tom Berenger and Michael Biehn,
drama film Toxic with Costas Mandylor, and is the star in the Canadian drama A Broken
Life with Ving Rhames. In 2009, he appeared in the comedy film Super
Capers. In addition, Sizemore also appeared in five episodes of the TV series Crash with
Dennis Hopper. In 2010, Sizemore starred in the indie horror film C.L.A.S.S. which is
written by Sheldon Robins, and co-starred with Kyra Sedgwick and Vincent D'Onofrio in
drama/comedy film Chlorine. He also starred alongside martial arts actor Mark Dacascos
in the action movie Shadows in Paradise. He also appeared in an episode of It's Always
Sunny in Philadelphia. Sizemore also appeared alongside the Insane
Clown Posse in the comedy film Big Money Rustlas and the drama 513 with Michael Madsen. Sizemore
has roles in the upcoming films, the Age of Reason, Suing the Devil and White Knight.
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
While speaking in an interview about friend Mickey Rourke, Sizemore stated that he is
Catholic: "He's been a good friend. He's a real good Catholic and I'm Catholic."
Sizemore married actress Maeve Quinlan in 1996, but divorced in 1999 because of issues
associated with his drug problems. In 2010, Sizemore appeared as a patient/castmember
on VH1's third season of Celebrity Rehab. In July 2005, Sizemore became a father when
Janelle McIntire gave birth to their sons, Jagger and Jayden Sizemore. On October 19,
2005, Vivid Entertainment released Sex Scandal Sizemore, a sex tape featuring Sizemore and
multiple women. Substance abuse and legal problems
Sizemore, who had battled drug addiction since he was 15, was convicted in 2003 of assault
and battery against his girlfriend, the former "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss. Sizemore was
then sentenced to 7 months in jail and four months in drug treatment for repeatedly failing
drug tests while on probation on March 25, 2005. Sizemore was caught attempting to fake
the urine test using a Whizzinator. Fleiss' restraining order against him had lapsed by
the time they appeared together in the third season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in
2010. On May 8, 2007, while still on probation for
a previous drug conviction, Sizemore was arrested outside the Four Points Sheraton hotel in
Bakersfield, California for possession of methamphetamines. Police found what appeared
to be two bags under 1 gram in weight of methamphetamine and three glass pipes used
for inhaling methamphetamines that were coated with drug residue inside his car. On June
25, Sizemore was sentenced to 16 months in prison. The sentence was reduced to nine months
because Sizemore had already served 213 days in county jail after he was unable to post
bail. On March 27, 2009, Sizemore avoided a prison sentence in the same case for an
alleged probation violation. On May 28, 2009, Sizemore was arrested in
Los Angeles on an outstanding warrant for drug charges. Sizemore and a friend were questioned
by police, and the outstanding $25,000 warrant for Sizemore from 2007 was discovered. Sizemore
did not have any narcotics in his possession, but was arrested on the warrant; he was later
released. Sizemore had been approached to appear in
the first season of the reality television series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, but
declined. He met with Dr. Drew Pinsky about appearing in the second season, sitting in
Pinsky's office for two hours, as Pinsky recounted, "sweating and completely high on drugs, talking
a million miles an hour, acting like he was going to do it then deciding he didn't want
to." Sizemore ultimately decided to appear in the show's third season, but did not appear
in the season premiere. Because Heidi Fleiss was also in treatment on the show that season,
both she and Sizemore had to consent to appear together. The season premiered in January
2010, with Sizemore's arrival at the clinic chronicled in the third episode, and his reunion
with Fleiss was amicable. By the season's end Fleiss lashed out at Sizemore at their
graduation ceremony, taunting him that "the thought of being with [him] would turn women
gay." After they received their coins, both Sizemore and Fleiss agreed to Sober House
treatment. Later, during a guest appearance on the fourth season of Celebrity Rehab, a
healthy-looking Sizemore praised Dr. Drew and his program, stating he has been sober
for fourteen months. Filmography
References
External links Tom Sizemore at the Internet Movie Database
Tom Sizemore on Twitter Tom Sizemore on Facebook
Tom Sizemore at AllMovie