In 1982, Sinise's career began to take off when he directed and starred in Steppenwolf's production ofTrue West. In 1983, he earned anObie Award for his direction, and a year later appeared with John Malkovich in thePBS'American Playhouse production of the play. Sinise received a Joseph Jefferson Award for his direction ofLyle Kessler's playOrphans in 1985. In 1988, Sinise directedMiles from Home, a film starringRichard Gere, about two brothers' fight against the foreclosure of the family farm.
Sinise earned the Regional Theatre Tony Award alongside the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. He has received a total of four Tony Award nominations, including nominations for his performances inThe Grapes of Wrath (1988) andOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (2001).
In late 2002, Sinise began appearing inCadillac commercials, starting with the 2002–2003 Season's Best commercial. He was with the Break Through campaign from 2002 to 2006.
In 2004, Sinise began his first regular television series, in the crime dramaCSI: NY, in which he plays Detective Mac Taylor. He was credited as a producer from season two onwards and wrote the storyline of an episode. Several episodes have allowed Sinise to demonstrate his musical prowess, including a season-two episode where Mac Taylor plays the bass guitar in a jazz club with musicians Kimo and Carol Williams andDanny Gottlieb, members of theLt. Dan Band, which Sinise andKimo Williams co-founded in 2003. The band is named for Sinise's character inForrest Gump. The series ended in 2013.
In November 2009, Sinise narrated the highly acclaimedWorld War II in HD on theHistory Channel. Also in 2009, Sinise lent his voice talents in theThomas Nelson audio Bible production known asThe Word of Promise, playing the character ofDavid.[15] In 2010, he narrated the World War II documentaryMissions That Changed the War on theMilitary Channel. In 2014, he narrated aSmithsonian Institution exhibit in the filmCaptain America: The Winter Soldier.
On October 30, 2017, Sinise was selected as Grand Marshal of thePasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, which took place on January 1, 2018.[18]
Sinise has been a regular celebrity narrator atDisney's Candlelight Processional, appearing at Disneyland in 2011 and at Disney World in 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2019.[19]
Sinise co-founded Operation Iraqi Children. Sinise said, "Iraq is in the news every day, and most of it is bad. But there are some positive stories. And how our soldiers are rebuilding schools and helping kids is one of them."[20]
Sinise was awarded thePresidential Citizens Medal by PresidentGeorge W. Bush for work he did supporting the U.S. military and humanitarian work supporting Iraqi children.[21] He narrated Army and Army ReserveArmy Strong recruitment ads[22] in late 2008.
Sinise is a supporter of various veterans' organizations, both personally and through theLt. Dan Band. He frequently performs onUSO tours at military bases around the world, and volunteered for the National Vietnam Veterans Arts Museum now called the National Veterans Art Museum. Since 2003, Gary Sinise has visited 174 military bases and 21 military hospitals around the world.
Sinise is also on the Advisory Council ofHope For The Warriors, a national nonprofit dedicated to provide a full cycle of nonmedical care to combat-wounded service members, their families, and families of the fallen from each military branch.[23] Sinise narrates the audiobook of John Steinbeck'sOf Mice and Men which was released on April 13, 2011.[24] In December 2011, Sinise was the narrator at the Candelight Processional atDisneyland.
He serves as the national spokesperson for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial and spends much of his time raising awareness for the memorial and other veterans' service organizations.[29] In 2012, he was honored by theJoe Foss Institute for his dedication to veterans.
In 2013, he was awarded the third highest honor within the Department of the Army Civilian Awards, theOutstanding Civilian Service Award, for substantial contributions to the U.S. Army community through his work with theGary Sinise Foundation. Each year the foundation raises over $30 million which it uses to benefit military veterans, including buildingsmart homes for those who are disabled.[30] He participated inTroopathon VI for 2013, as he has in the past, to help raise money for care packages for American troops.[31]
He received the 2015Sylvanus Thayer Award, awarded by the West Point Association of Graduates to a non-West Point graduate whose character, service, and achievements reflect the ideals prized by the U.S. Military Academy.[32][33]
In 2020, theLocation Managers Guild honored Sinise with its Humanitarian award at their annualawards ceremony in recognition of the work he does with theGary Sinise Foundation. In accepting the award. Sinise read a quote from PresidentCalvin Coolidge saying,"The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten".[35]
Sinise married actressMoira Harris in 1981.[37] She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and as of 2024 she is cancer-free. They have three children.[38]
His son, McCanna "Mac" Anthony Sinise, was diagnosed in 2018 withchordoma, a rare cancer of the spine. He died on January 5, 2024 and was laid to rest on January 23, 2024, in a Catholic service. Mac was a musician who had worked for his father's charitable foundation, and before his death, he had completed work on an albumResurrection & Revival.[39][38][40]
Sinise is a practicingCatholic. He converted to the faith on December 24, 2010, following his wife, Moira, who was raised Catholic and re-converted in 2000.[41]
In September 2012, Sinise donated to Republican presidential nomineeMitt Romney.[49]
Sinise's Republican-leaning views have been written into the character ofMac Taylor onCSI: NY. Taylor has a picture of Reagan displayed in his office and was once the subject of a joke by one of his colleagues about an eight-hour Reagan documentary he watched over and over again.
Despite being a lifelong supporter of the Republican Party, Sinise refused to endorse or vote forDonald Trump in the2016 presidential election,[citation needed] or in the 2024 election and also criticized Trump after the then-candidate questioned McCain's status as a war hero because he wascaptured as aprisoner of war.[50]
^Petrelli, Gianni (December 22, 2005)."Un attore ripacandidese" [An actor from Ripacandida].Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. RetrievedDecember 25, 2015.
^"Soldier Life > Army Families". GoArmy.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2009. RetrievedDecember 17, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (Archived by WebCite at )
^Christiansen, Richard (March 12, 1993)."STEPPENWOLF'S ODD COUPLE".chicagotribune.com.Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2019.
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