The rise and fall of Tom Sizemore: How violence, drugs and THAT sex tape destroyed a glittering career
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actor Tom Sizemore, who is known for his role in ‘Saving Private Ryan’ as Mike Horvath, suffered a brain aneurysm on Saturday, February 18. The 61-year-old actor's health declined around 2 am at his home in Los Angeles and he was rushed to a hospital. His manager. Charles Lago revealed that “he is currently in critical condition and it’s a wait-and-see situation.”
Sizemore shared his most recent post on Instagram on February 17 with the cast of 'Heat' and was scheduled to teach a weekly acting class on February 18 at 1 pm at Harvelle's Nightclub in Los Angeles, as per his Instagram bio. Following the update, many wished for his speedy recovery with singer Bret Michaels writing, "As someone who's been there, I'm sending my thoughts, prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery to @tomsizemore, an absolutely incredible actor."
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As someone who's been there, I'm sending my thoughts, prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery to @tomsizemore, an absolutely incredible actor 🙏
— Bret Michaels (@bretmichaels) February 19, 2023
Sizemore as Sgt Mike Horvath in ‘Saving Private Ryan’
The Detroit-born actor shot to fame for his roles in action films in 1990s. But he is best known for playing Sgt Mike Horvath in Oscar-winning World War II film ‘Saving Private Ryan' directed by Steven Spielberg. The 1998 film also starred Tom Hanks and received four Academy Awards including best director, with an additional six nominations including best picture in 1999. Sizemore also acted in 2001's 'Black Hawk Down' and Pearl Harbor' and 'Twin Peaks' in 2017.
Speaking about his career spanning 30 years in a recent interview, when Sizemore was asked, 'What do you attribute to your longevity?', he told Age Of The Nerd, "My passion for the work. I’ve always loved movies. That’s why I started doing this and after all these years I still adore movies. The business has changed a whole bunch. A friend of mine just turned me onto Ozark and I can’t stop thinking about it. So, it’s about just having a real passion for stories and my nascent curiosity." Sizemore was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2000 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for his role in 'Witness Protection,' reports CNN. And according to IMDb, Sizemore currently has 33 upcoming credits for various productions, including 'The Legend of Johnny Jones' and 'The Street Avenger.'
Struggle with substance abuse issues for years
Sizemore had a history of drug abuse. In 2007, Sizemore was jailed for 16 months after the discovery of methamphetamine in his car, reports The Guardian. He was booked at the Kern County Jail for investigation of possession of methamphetamine, being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of narcotic paraphernalia, states The Seattle Times.
In 2019, he was arrested during a traffic stop for meth and heroin possession in California, reports The Daily Beast. And again in 2020, for drug possession. In an interview in 2021, as per Fox News, Sizemore shared that he want to get sober, saying, "I’ve been trying to get sober since 1991 ... It became really big news much later than that, but I was trying to stop. I’ve had a problem for a long time. I had periods, long periods, of sobriety and I would end up relapsing. I still go to meetings and work my steps, but I had reached a place in my life where I knew I had to stop," he explained. "I couldn’t be arrogant anymore. If I wanted to reach a nice and pleasant old age, I had to stop. And if I wanted to watch my kids grow up, I needed to reach a place where I knew it was over. So far, it has remained over. I still have to do my daily inventory and show up."
History of alleged aggressive behavior towards women
In 2003, Sizemore was convicted of domestic violence against his girlfriend, Heidi Fleiss, and was also given three years probation and ordered to undergo anger management counseling at that time, states CNN. Fleiss said in a statement in 2003, she "loved that man and I was very good to him and what he did to me was wrong. I want to pretend I never met him." In 2009, he was arrested again on charges of domestic violence against his fiance, who was not identified, and was held on bail of $20,000, reports Reuters. In 2016, he was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence, reports USA Today. In 2017, The Hollywood Reporter reported that he was removed from the set of a movie in Utah in 2003, after it was alleged that he had touched the genitals of an 11-year-old actress. Roi Maufas, who worked as a production assistant during that incident, told, "He was this guy who was already known for making inappropriate comments, being drunk, being high. We’re talking about consistent behavior, just being ‘Tom Sizemore’ on set every day," reports US Weekly.
The Tom Sizemore sex scandal
In 2005, it was reported that he had the starring role in a home-made porn movie that was released under the title 'The Tom Sizemore Sex Scandal.' Sizemore said in a statement, issued by sex film studio Vivid Entertainment, "This is the maraschino cherry on the banana split of bad luck I have been having," reports SMH.
Sizemore, in his 2013 book 'By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There: A Memoir' wrote, "I was a guy who'd come from very little and risen to the top. I'd had the multimillion-dollar house, the Porsche, the restaurant I partially owned with Robert De Niro. And now I had absolutely nothing." And added, as quoted by CS Monitor, "I've led an interesting life, but I can't tell you what I'd give to be the guy you didn't know anything about."