Tom Sizemore Passes Away at 61 After Aneurysm and Stroke Complications
Tom Sizemore, a veteran actor acclaimed for his intense and vivid tough-guy performances in movies such as “Heat” and “Saving Private Ryan.,” directed by Steve Spielberg, passed away on Friday, his manager confirmed.[0] He was[1]
Sizemore’s death comes nearly two weeks after he collapsed at his Los Angeles home on Feb. 18 and was hospitalized with a brain aneurysm, which occurred as a result of a stroke.[2] He remained hospitalized in a coma until his death on Friday.
Steven Spielberg directed Tom Sizemore in his memorable role in the Academy Award-winning World War II epic, Saving Private Ryan.,. In 1999, he starred alongside Tom Hanks and Matt Damon as Sgt. Mike Horvath in the Oscar-winning movie, which was awarded four statuettes, including Best Director for Spielberg, as well as a further six nominations, including Best Picture.[3]
Sizemore, born in Detroit on Nov. 29, 1961, made the move to New York City in the 1980s to pursue a career in acting.[4] In 1989, one of his earliest credits was a role in the Academy Award-nominated movie “Born on the Fourth of July.” directed by Oliver Stone.[4] Tom Hanks and Matt Damon collaborated with Sizemore in Steven Spielberg's World War II drama, “Saving Private Ryan.,” (CBS Photo Archive).
Sizemore had a lifelong battle with substance abuse. In 2003, he was found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, the former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss.[5] The two subsequently appeared on Celebrity Rehab together.[6] In 2017, The Hollywood Reporter reported that, in 2003, Sizemore had been dismissed from the set of Born Killers due to claims of sexual assault against an eleven-year-old girl.[6] Charges brought by the girl against Sizemore were dismissed.[6]
In the 2000s, Sizemore's struggle with heroin and methamphetamine addiction continued, and his efforts to overcome it were the subject of a 2007 documentary series called Shooting Sizemore. After the expiration of the restraining order Fleiss had against him, Sizemore appeared on the VH1 reality series Celebrity Rehab and Celebrity Rehab: Sober House three years later.[5]
0. “Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan and Heat Star, Dies at 61” TheWrap, 4 Mar. 2023, https://www.thewrap.com/tom-sizemore-saving-private-ryan-dies-61/
1. “Tom Sizemore Dead at 61 After Brain Aneurysm” PEOPLE, 4 Mar. 2023, https://people.com/movies/tom-sizemore-dead-at-61-following-brain-aneurysm/
2. “Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan and Heat Actor, Dies at 61” IGN, 4 Mar. 2023, https://www.ign.com/articles/tom-sizemore-saving-private-ryan-and-heat-actor-dies-at-61
3. “‘Saving Private Ryan' Star Tom Sizemore Dies at 61” Collider, 4 Mar. 2023, https://collider.com/tom-sizemore-dead-at-61/
4. “Tom Sizemore, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ Actor, Dies at 61” Variety, 4 Mar. 2023, https://variety.com/2023/film/news/tom-sizemore-taken-off-life-support-brain-aneurysm-1235538021
5. “Tom Sizemore, ‘Heat’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan’ Actor, Dead at 61” Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2023, https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/tom-sizemore-saving-private-ryan-actor-dead-obituary-1234682777/
6. “Tom Sizemore, ‘Saving Private Ryan' Actor, Dead at 61” Vulture, 4 Mar. 2023, https://www.vulture.com/2023/03/tom-sizemore-saving-private-ryan-actor-dead-at-61.html
