Actor Tom Sizemore, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ dies at 61

Tom Sizemore, the “Saving Private Ryan” actor whose 1990s fame waned due to domestic abuse and drug arrests, died on Friday at 61.

On February 18, the actor suffered a brain aneurysm at his Los Angeles residence. According to his manager Charles Lago, he passed away quietly in a hospital in Burbank, California, on Friday.

Sizemore rose to prominence with his well-received performances in “Natural Born Killers” and the cult classic murder drama “Heat.” Unfortunately, his career was wrecked, he became homeless, and he was incarcerated due to his severe drug addiction, allegations of abuse, and countless legal encounters.

Despite his lengthy legal issues, Sizemore had numerous regular film and television credits, but his career never regained its former velocity. Except for “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor,” most of his appearances in the twenty-first century were in low-budget, rarely-seen projects in which he continued to portray the grizzled, rough men for which he became renowned.

“I was a man who overcame significant barriers to reach achievement. The Detroit-born Sizemore claimed in his 2013 book, “By Some Miracle, I Got It Out of There,” “I had the multimillion-dollar home, the Porsche, and the restaurant I co-owned with Robert De Niro.” Because at this moment, I had absolutely nothing.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FOX 10 Phoenix (@fox10phoenix)

The remark that serves as the book’s subtitle is attributed to his character in the Oscar-nominated film “Saving Private Ryan.” He stated that his fame had transformed him into a “spoiled movie star,” a “arrogant fool,” and eventually a “hope-to-die addict.”

He was arrested multiple times for domestic violence. Formerly married to actress Maeve Quinlan, Sizemore was arrested in 1997 on charges of abusing her. The couple divorced in 1999 despite the charges being dropped.

Sizemore was convicted of abusing his ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss in 2003, the same year he accepted a no-contest plea to avoid prosecution in a separate case of violence. In a Beverly Hills hotel, he hit the former Hollywood madam in the jaw and beat her so severely that they could not attend the “Black Hawk Down” premiere in New York.

The sentencing court observed that while drug misuse was likely a major factor, the testimony revealed that the defendant had significant problems with women. In an interview with The Associated Press, Fleiss referred to Sizemore as “a zero” after being found guilty.

Sizemore expressed regret in a letter and stated that “inner demons” had taken control of his life. However, he then denied ever beating her and said she fabricated the photograph of her bruises.

Fleiss sued Sizemore, alleging that his threat to revoke her probation caused her severe distress. Fleiss was found guilty of operating a dubious call girl business in 1994. In settlement of this case, terms remain unknown.

Sizemore, who portrayed a police detective on the 2002 CBS television series “Robbery Homicide Division,” was the subject of two sexual harassment claims in the workplace. In a second episode of domestic abuse, he was arrested as recently as 2016.

Sizemore was incarcerated from August 2007 to January 2009 because he frequently failed drug tests while on probation, and methamphetamine was detected in his vehicle.

In a jailhouse interview, Sizemore told The Bakersfield Californian, “God is trying to tell me he doesn’t want me using narcotics because every time I do, I get caught.”

Sizemore told the Associated Press in 2013 that he believed his habit was related to the trappings of success. He fought to maintain control when he looked in the mirror during a low period, remarking, “I appeared to be 100 years old. I lacked a bond with my children and was unemployed. I was staying in a squat.

He told the Associated Press that he participated in “Celebrity Rehab” and its spin-off “Sober House” to pay off the large debts he had acquired over the years and receive help.

In 2022 alone, Sizemore acted in films with sci-fi, horror, or action-oriented names such as “Impuratus,” “Night of the Tommyknockers,” and “Vampfather.” However, Sizemore did earn a few big roles, including one in the reboot of “Twin Peaks” and cameos on popular shows such as “Entourage” and “Hawaii Five-O.

In 2016, a stuntman filed a lawsuit against Sizemore and Paramount Pictures because the actor injured him while filming “Shooter” in the United States. According to state documents obtained by the AP, Sizemore “improvised after the scene and drove away in his automobile.” He was just meant to be seated in the parked vehicle. Sizemore was terminated from “Shooter,” and an undisclosed amount was agreed upon to settle the stuntman’s claim.

In 2002, he was a member of the voice cast for the video game “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City,” in addition to his work in film and television. Recent advertisements indicate that he also taught at the LA West Acting Studio.

His brother Paul, who was there by his side when he died away, and twin sons Jayden and Jagger, both 17 years old, survive him.

Sizemore wrote in his autobiography, “I’ve led an intriguing life, but I wouldn’t give anything to be the person you didn’t know anything about.