Veteran character actor Tom Sizemore, best known for roles in films such as “Heat” and “Natural Born Killers,” died on Friday at the age of 61….
Tom Sizemore — a veteran character actor best known for roles in films such as “Heat,” “Natural Born Killers” and “True Romance — died on Friday at the age of 61.
Sizemore had been hospitalized since February 19 after he suffered a stroke and brain aneurysm with doctors later stating that there “no further hope” for his recovery.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of my big brother Tom,” Paul Sizemore said in a statement. “He was larger than life. He has influenced my life more than anyone I know. He was talented, loving, giving and could keep you entertained endlessly with his wit and storytelling ability. I am devastated he is gone and will miss him always”
Born in Detroit in 1961, Sizemore was initially inspired to pursue acting after seeing Robert DeNiro in “Taxi Driver,” which led to him pursuing roles. His first major part came in 1989’s “Born on the Fourth of July” and he continued taking minor roles in several notable films “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man” and “Passenger 57.”
In 1993, Sizemore scored a small but memorable role in the film “True Romance,” which was directed by Tony Scott with a script written by Quentin Tarantino. A year later, Sizemore starred in an even bigger role in Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born Killers,” which was also written by Tarantino.
One of Sizemore’s most memorable roles came in 1995 when he starred alongside DeNiro and Al Pacino in Michael Mann’s critically acclaimed heist film “Heat.” He would also go onto star in 1998’s “Saving Private Ryan,” which was arguably his biggest role to date in the Oscar winning film.
While Sizemore remained a working actor for years to come, he also battled his demons including repeated struggles with substance abuse that landed him in rehab on numerous occasions. In 2003, Sizemore was also convicted of domestic violence against ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss.
He was later sentenced to seven months in prison with another four months required for rehab after he failed numerous drug tests while out on probation.
Over the course of his career, Sizemore had over 230 acting credits to his name and he also released a memoir in 2016 titled “By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There.” He is survived by his twin sons, Jayden and Jagger.
