Gary Sinise was born in Blue Island, Illinois on March 17, 1955. After attending Highland Park High School and the Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, he co-founded the Steppenwolfe Theatre Company. It was here were he honed his acting and directing skills. In 1982, he directed and starred in a Steppenwolf production of True West, which earned him an Obie Award for direction. He also appeared in a television broadcast of the play, alongside John Malkovich.
In 1988, Sinise made his directorial debut with the film Miles from Home, which stars Richard Gere and Kevin Anderson. In 1992, Sinise directed and starred in an adaptation to John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, again starring opposite Malkovich. In 1994, he appeared in the Tom Hanks-starrer Forrest Gump, where he plats Lieutenant Dan Taylor, Forrest Gump’s (Tom Hanks) commanding officer during the Vietnam War; his performance won him a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. He would again star opposite Hanks in the 1995 drama Apollo 13.
In 1995, Sinise starred in the miniseries Truman, a dramatization of the life of President Harry S. Truman. His portrayal of the title role gave him his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries. In 1997, another one of his television performances—as the title role in the miniseries George Wallace—won him an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries. In 1996, he starred opposite Mel Gibson and Rene Russo in the crime thriller Ransom. In 1999, he starred with Hanks for a third time in an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel The Green Mile.
Sinise’s film credits in the 2000s include Mission to Mars, Path to War, Impostor and The Human Stain. However, he is recently known for his first regular television role, as Mac Taylor, the head investigator of the New York police’s CSI team, in CSI: New York.
# "CSI: NY" .... Detective Mac Taylor / ... (96 episodes, 2004-2008)
- Veritas (2008) TV episode .... Mac Taylor
- Hostage (2008) TV episode .... Detective Mac Taylor
- Taxi (2008) TV episode .... Detective Mac Taylor
- Personal Foul (2008) TV episode .... Detective Mac Taylor
- Admissions (2008) TV episode .... Detective Mac Taylor
(91 more)
# Open Season (2006) (voice) .... Shaw
# "CSI: Miami" .... Detective Mac Taylor (2 episodes, 2004-2005)
- Felony Flight (2005) TV episode .... Detective Mac Taylor
- MIA/NYC Nonstop (2004) TV episode .... Detective Mac Taylor
# Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D (2005) (voice) .... Gene Cernan
# The Forgotten (2004) .... Dr. Jack Munce
... aka Stranger (Philippines: English title: review title)
# "Biography" .... Host - Narrator (1 episode, 2004)
- The Barrymores (2004) TV episode .... Host - Narrator
# The Big Bounce (2004) .... Ray Ritchie
# Fallen Angel (2003) (TV) .... Terry McQuinn
# The Human Stain (2003) .... Nathan Zuckerman
... aka Couleur du mensonge, La (France)
... aka Menschliche Makel, Der (Germany)
# Mission: Space (2003) .... Capcom
# Path to War (2002) (TV) (uncredited) .... George Wallace
# Made-Up (2002) .... Duncan Tivey
# Hideous Man (2002) .... Hideous Man
# Impostor (2001) .... Spencer Olham
# A Gentleman's Game (2001) .... Foster Pearse
# Bruno (2000) .... Dino Battaglia
... aka The Dress Code (USA: alternative title)
# Mission to Mars (2000) .... Jim McConnell
... aka M2M (USA: promotional abbreviation)
# Reindeer Games (2000) .... Gabriel
... aka Deception (UK) (USA: working title)
# The Green Mile (1999) .... Burt Hammersmith
... aka Stephen King's The Green Mile (USA: complete title)
# All the Rage (1999) .... Morgan
... aka It's the Rage (USA: cable TV title)
# That Championship Season (1999) (TV) .... Tom Daley
# Snake Eyes (1998) .... Commander Kevin Dunne
# George Wallace (1997) (TV) .... George C. Wallace
# Ransom (1996) .... Det. Jimmy Shaker
# Albino Alligator (1996) .... Milo
... aka Albino Alligator (France)
# Truman (1995) (TV) .... Harry S. Truman
# Apollo 13 (1995) .... Ken Mattingly
... aka Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience (USA: IMAX version)
# "Frasier" .... Sid (1 episode, 1995)
- The Club (1995) TV episode (voice) .... Sid
# The Quick and the Dead (1995) .... The Marshal
# Forrest Gump (1994) .... Lt. Dan Taylor
# "The Stand" (1994) TV mini-series .... Stu Redman
... aka Stephen King's The Stand
# Jack the Bear (1993) .... Norman Strick
# Of Mice and Men (1992) .... George Milton
# A Midnight Clear (1992) .... Vance 'Mother' Wilkins
# The Witness (1992) (TV) .... Young Soldier
# The Grapes of Wrath (1991) (TV) .... Tom Joad
# "Hunter" .... Lord Tony Rutherford (1 episode, 1990)
- Lullaby (1990) TV episode .... Lord Tony Rutherford
# The Final Days (1989) (TV) .... Richard Ben-Veniste
# My Name Is Bill W. (1989) (TV) .... Ebby, Bill's best friend
# "Crime Story" .... Howie Dressler (3 episodes, 1986-1987)
- Top of the World (1987) TV episode .... Howie Dressler
- Crime Pays (1986) TV episode (uncredited) .... Howie Dressler
- For Love or Money (1986) TV episode .... Howie Dressler
# Family Secrets (1984) (TV) .... Motorcyclist
# "American Playhouse" .... Austin (1 episode, 1984)
- True West (1984) TV episode .... Austin
# "Knots Landing" .... Lee Maddox (1 episode, 1980)
- Small Surprises (1980) TV episode .... Lee Maddox