Tom Sizemore, 'Saving Private Ryan' Actor, Dies at 61

[Armstrong]

Tom Sizemore has died after being taken off life support, his manager
Charles Lago confirmed to Variety on Friday. The 61-year-old actor
suffered a brain aneurysm on Feb. 18.

“It is with great sadness and sorrow I have to announce that actor Thomas
Edward Sizemore (‘Tom Sizemore’) aged 61 passed away peacefully in his
sleep today at St Joseph’s Hospital Burbank,” Lago said in a statement.
“His brother Paul and twin boys Jayden and Jagger (17) were at his side.”

Lago had previously said on Feb. 27 that “doctors informed his family that
there is no further hope and have recommended end of life decision.”

On Feb. 18, Sizemore collapsed in his Los Angeles home and was transported
to the hospital by paramedics. There, doctors determined that he had
suffered a brain aneurysm as the result of a stroke. Sizemore had remained
in critical condition since then and had been in a coma under intensive
care.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of my big brother Tom,” his brother Paul
Sizemore said in a statement. “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.”

Born in Detroit on Nov. 29, 1961, Sizemore moved to New York City to
pursue acting in the ’80s. One of his first credits came in 1989 with an
appearance in Oliver Stone’s best picture nominee “Born on the Fourth of
July.”

Known for playing the tough guy, he rose to fame in the 1990s with films
like “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man,” “Passenger 57,” “True
Romance” and “Natural Born Killers.” He got his big break in Steven
Spielberg’s 1998 war film “Saving Private Ryan,” in which he played
Technical Sergeant Mike Horvath. “Saving Private Ryan” went on to score a
best picture nomination at the Academy Awards. Along with his co-stars,
among them Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, Sizemore received a Screen Actors
Guild nomination for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion
picture. Over the course of his career, Sizemore has worked with directors
including Michael Mann, Martin Scorsese, Peter Hyams, Carl Franklin,
Oliver Stone, Ridley Scott and Michael Bay.

Sizemore was also a convicted abuser. In 2003, he was convicted of
domestic violence against his girlfriend at the time, and in 2017,
Sizemore pled no contest to two charges of domestic violence after being
arrested a few months earlier on suspicion of assaulting his partner.

In 2005, Sizemore was sentenced to several months in jail after being
caught attempting to fake a urine test. In 2007, he was arrested for
possession of methamphetamine, and in 2019, he was arrested for possession
of “various illegal narcotics.” Sizemore has been public about his
struggles with substance abuse, appearing on “Celebrity Rehab With Dr.
Drew” and “Dr. Phil” to discuss his legal troubles.

In 1998, the actor shared that his “Heat” and “Witness to the Mob” co-
star, Robert De Niro, personally assisted in helping Sizemore enter a drug
rehabilitation program. In 2013, the actor released a memoir detailing his
career and personal battle with addiction, titled “By Some Miracle I Made
It Out of There.”

Sizemore is survived by his two children, Jagger and Jayden. There will be
a private cremation service for Sizemore’s family, with a larger
celebration of life event planned in a few weeks.

<https://variety.com/2023/film/news/tom-sizemore-taken-off-life-support-
brain-aneurysm-1235538021/>