Tom Sizemore Tough-guy actor Tom Sizemore was born Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. on November 29, 1961, in Detroit, Michigan. After earning a Master's Degree in theater from Temple University in 1986, Sizemore set off for the Big Apple to pursue a career in acting. In 1989, Sizemore landed a role in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July, also starring Tom Cruise, Kyra Sedgwick, and Willem Dafoe. He went on to land steady roles throughout the 90s, starring in such films as Marlboro Man in 1991, True Romance in 1993, and Natural Born Killers in 1994, with Juliette Lewis, Woody Harrelson, Rodney Dangerfield, Robert Downey Jr., and Tommy Lee Jones. Sizemore’s biggest box-office endeavor came in 1998 when he was cast in Steven Speilberg’s Saving Private Ryan alongside Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, and Vin Diesel.
In 1995, Sizemore’s role in the film Heat would prove to be a positive influence in his personal life. Sizemore’s childhood icon Robert de Niro also starred in the film, and convinced Sizemore to seek treatment for his drug addiction. On the small-screen, Sizemore has starred in popular TV drama China Beach in the late 80s and early 90s, as well as the short-lived 2002 series Robbery Homicide Division, which was canceled during its first season. Also in 2002, Sizemore made a foray into music when he began fronting the Hollywood rock band, Day 8. In 2003, Sizemore was convicted of assaulting and battering his girlfriend, the infamous Hollywood Madam, Heidi Fleiss. Although he claimed that Fleiss had faked the bruises depicted in pictures that were submitted as evidence during the trial, he was sentenced to seventeen months in jail and four months of drug treatment. Sizemore’s struggle with drug addiction has been highly publicized, particularly his alleged attempt to fake a urine sample using a device sold on the Internet known as the "Whizzinator." After being caught tampering with his drug test, Sizemore’s subsequent tests showed methamphetamine in his system. Scandal continued to follow Sizemore in 2005, when a sex tape in which he starred was leaked onto the Internet. He has also stirred up scandal by alleging to have had sexual relations with another member of Hollywood’s fast crowd, Paris Hilton.
In January 2007, VH1 debuted the reality series Shooting Sizemore, which follows the actor as he exits his latest stint in rehab and attempts to rehabilitate himself into society. The show features Sizemore, a father of twins, dealing with his past relationships, drug problems, anger, and paranoia. YUDDY |
