Gary Alan Sinise was born in Blue Island, Illinois, to Mylles S.
(Alsip) and
Robert L. Sinise, A.C.E., a
film editor. He is of Italian (from his paternal grandfather), English,
Scottish, Irish, French, German, and Swedish ancestry. His family moved
to Highland Park, where he attended high school. He was something of a
rebel, playing in bands but paying little attention to school.
Gary and some friends tried out for "West Side Story" as a lark, but
Gary was hooked on acting for life by closing night. Gary credits his
love for theatre to his drama teacher, Barbara Patterson. In 1974,
Gary,
Terry Kinney, and
Jeff Perry founded the Steppenwolf
Theatre Company in Chicago. Initially performing in a church basement,
the company grew and gained stature in the Chicago area. In addition to
acting in many plays, Gary also directed some of Steppenwolf's most
notable productions, including
Sam Shepard's
"True West". The company made its off-Broadway debut with that
production, starring Gary and
John Malkovich, and its Broadway debut
with "The Grapes of Wrath" at the Cort Theatre in 1990. Gary's
Hollywood career also started in the director's chair with two episodes
of the stylish TV series
Crime Story (1986), followed in
1988 by the feature
Miles from Home (1988) starring
Richard Gere. Gary's first feature film as
an actor was the World War II fable
A Midnight Clear (1992) in 1992.
That year also found Gary combining his acting and directing talents
with the critically acclaimed
Of Mice and Men (1992). His first
real notice by the public came in 1994, however. He starred in the
blockbuster miniseries
The Stand (1994), rapidly followed
by his bravura performance as "Lt. Dan" in
Forrest Gump (1994). His portrayal
of the disabled, emotionally tortured veteran earned Gary numerous
awards and an Oscar nomination. Busy 1994 was followed by busy 1995,
first reuniting with
Tom Hanks in
Apollo 13 (1995) and then starring in
the HBO film
Truman (1995) which
earned him the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards and an Emmy
nomination.
Gary is married to
Moira Sinise, an actress
and original member of the Steppenwolf company. They have three
children,
Sophie Sinise,
McCanna Anthony Sinise and
Ella Sinise.