I’ve always liked Gary Sinise as an actor. I think the first role I saw him in was in a TV movie “My Name Is Bill W” about the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous which starred James Woods and James Garner, two other great and versatile actors IMO, in which he played Ebby, Bill Wilson’s best friend who was a great inspiration to the founding of AA but who tragically could not stay sober himself.
I next remember seeing Gary Sinise in “Of Mice and Men” and I remember thinking to myself, this guy is an amazing actor and he’s going to be around for many years to come.
His role as Lt. Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump was compelling and believable as was his role in Apollo 13 as a real life American hero, Ken Mattingly. Even when he’s playing a villain such as the kidnapping policeman in Ransom, he brings a genuine honesty and believability to all his roles.
It’s nice to see an actor who is dedicated to his craft as an actor but isn’t part of the Hollywood “scene”, has been married to the same woman for over 25 years, raising three children together far out of the spotlight.
And it’s good to know he also finds the time to give time to entertain our service men and women and honors their service.
In addition to his work with the USO and “Operation Iraqi Children”, he was also awarded the GI Spirit Award for the 2007 GI Film Festival and is scheduled to appear this weekend at the 2008 GIFF in DC.
The GI Film Festival (GIFF), a 501 c(3) non-profit organization, is the first film festival in the nation to exclusively celebrate the successes and sacrifices of the American military through the medium of film. The four-day festival will be held on May 14-18, 2008 in Washington DC.
The GIFF will present films from new and established international and domestic filmmakers that honor the heroic stories of the American Armed Forces and the worldwide struggle for freedom and liberty. Some of the films screened will be fan favorites. Others will be screened for the first time. All will in some way express the courage and selflessness of our fighting men and women and the value of their work.
GI Film Festival 2008
Click on the link to the 2007 festival and listen to the interview with Gary Sinise. Says a lot about him where he stands.
