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Tom Sizemore, the talented but troubled actor who brought tough-guy bravado to movies like Heat, born killers And Saving Private Ryandied at the age of 61, rolling stone confirmed.
The actor died on Friday after his family made the decision to remove him from life support at a Los Angeles hospital.
“It is with great sadness and grief that 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 in Burbank,” manager Charles Lago said in a statement. Rolling stone. “Her brother Paul and twins Jayden and Jagger were by her side.”
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of my big brother Tom,” said Paul Sizemore. “He was larger than life. He influenced my life more than anyone I know. He was talented, loving, generous and could entertain you endlessly with his wit and storytelling ability. I am devastated he is gone and I will always miss him.
The actor was found unconscious after suffering a brain aneurysm following a stroke at his Los Angeles home in the early morning hours of February 19. He was transferred to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after his collapse, where he remained in critical condition and in a coma in intensive care. On February 27, a representative confirmed that his family was “deciding end-of-life matters” and that doctors had said there was no chance of recovery.
After a brief role in Oliver Stone’s 1989 anti-war film Born July 4Sizemore seemingly exploded in Hollywood overnight: Within a year, he was starring alongside Robert De Niro in Guilty by suspicionWillem Dafoe in flight of the intruderand playing the villain in the 1991 biker movie Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man.
In the 1990s and around the turn of the millennium alone, the Detroit-born actor and his unique, intimidating presence on the big screen were enlisted by such great directors as Tony Scott (true romance, enemy of the state), Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan), Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down), Martin Scorsese (Bring out the dead), Catherine Bigelow (blue steel, Breaking point, strange days), Michael Mann (Heat) and Michael Bay (wearing pearls).
After establishing himself as a supporting actor for the cinema elite, Sizemore landed the lead role in the 1997 horror film The relicand portrayed both John Gotti and baseball great Pete Rose in made-for-TV biopics mafia witness And Hustle, respectively. The actor also dubbed the character of Sonny Forelli in the cult 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto Vice City.
However, Sizemore’s drug addiction issues – he claimed to have been addicted to drugs since his teenage years – would eventually put an end to his promising career. The descent itself began in 2003, when he was convicted of domestic violence against his then-girlfriend, Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss. Sizemore served seven months in prison and another four months in a drug rehabilitation center after repeatedly failing drug tests while on probation.
Sizemore’s drug problems with heroin and crystal meth continued throughout the 2000s, with his attempt to end his addiction the focus of a 2007 documentary series. Shooting sizemore. Three years later, Sizemore would appear on the VH1 reality series Celebrity Rehab And Celebrity Rehab: Sober Housethe latter reuniting him with Fleiss after her restraining order against him ended.
Over the past two decades, Sizemore has appeared widely in dozens of direct-to-DVD films, although in 2017 he is back in front of mainstream audiences with roles in Mark Felt: The man who brought down the White House and David Lynch twin peaks the comeback. That same year, however, Sizemore did not contest the domestic violence charges and was charged and prosecuted for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl on a film set in 2003. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed by a judge in 2020.
Despite his off-screen issues, Sizemore’s teammates often spoke enthusiastically about working with him; De Niro, his Heat co-star, reportedly even paid for one of the actor’s stints in rehab. “He has this myth about him,” Sizemore said. The red road co-star Jason Momoa said rolling stone in 2014. “He’s the nicest guy. I had the most beautiful scenes with him. He is super supportive, constantly in line and very available. He’s been through so much and he’s so open that he’s not afraid to fall on his face. It doesn’t stop pushing, so it really helps you do what you need to do. It does it effortlessly, and it’s really, really fun to be around.
In 2013 Sizemore recounted his personal struggles and career in a memoir he titled By a miracle, I got him out of there. Lago, the director of Sizemore, added that there will be a “private cremation service for the family with a larger celebration of the life event planned in a few weeks”.