Gary Sinise

My wife and I are huge Gary Sinise fans, and one of my hopes is to see Sinise perform on stage in Chicago at the Steppenwolf Theater. Sinise, currently starring in CSI: NY, was involved in the founding of Steppenwolf. I am not sure on the details, but John Malkovich and Terry Kinney were also in on the founding of this troupe.

Sinise just commands your attention. Like other great actors, he achieves this with some sort of inner power—like Nicholson, Pacino, Brando, etc… Unlike actors such as Kevin Kline, who insists on flailing about and chewing on the scenery, Sinise uses his speech, eyes and demeanor to bring his character to reality. In our house, we believe Sinise was ripped off when he lost the 1994 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Forrest Gump to Martin Landau (for Ed Wood). Are you kidding me?

Two interesting facts about Sinise: He once directed an episode of “thirtysomething.” That makes sense because his buddy Terry Kenney had a recurring role. Also, he plays bass in the Lt. Dan Band (so named for his Forrest Gump character).

Sinise has made me a fan of CSI:NY. We also started watching (or recording) CSI: Miami. I have long been a fan of David Caruso since he played a punk gang leader in Hill Street Blues.