CSI: NY's Gary Sinise - acting is no crime

~ Gary Sinise & The Lt. Dan Band ~

Well, I've been to Iraq twice now. I was in Baghdad in June and then north of Baghdad in November.
Wherever I go for the military, they always call me Lt. Dan. They just can't help it. - Sinise

CSI: NY (Crime Scene Investigation: New York) is an American police procedural television series. The series was the second spin-off, indirectly, from the popular CBS show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and directly from CSI: Miami, during an episode of which several of the CSI: NY characters made their first appearance.

The show trails the investigations of a team of New York City Police Department forensic scientists as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths and other crimes.

CSI Detective First Grade: Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) is leader of the CSI team. This show's character was born in Chicago and even considered working for the Chicago Police Department. The death of his wife (on the show), Claire Conrad Taylor, in the 9/11 attacks, troubles him to this day, causing chronic insomnia. 

On the show Sinise served as a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and he also plays the bass guitar at jazz clubs during his off-time.

I've worked with a lot of really fine actors, both on stage and on screen. The level of their game lifts me up and brings the level of my game up to theirs. Always. It's like a constant upgrade." - Gary Sinise

Several episodes have allowed Sinise, in real life, to demonstrate his musical abilities, including an episode where Mac Taylor plays the bass guitar in a jazz club with musicians Kimo and Carol Williams and Danny Gottlieb, members of the Lt. Dan Band, which Sinise and Kimo Williams co-founded in 2003. The band is named for Sinise's character in Forrest Gump.

Acting is no stranger to Sinise. In 1974, Sinise and two friends, Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry, founded the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Since its founding, Steppenwolf has showcased the talents of such notable actors as Kevin Anderson, Joan Allen, Gary Cole, Glenne Headly, John Malkovich, Jim True-Frost and Laurie Metcalf.

Careers, like rockets, don't always take off on time. The trick is to always keep the engine running." - Gary Sinise

At Steppenwolf, Sinise honed his acting and directing skills and worked on more than thirty of the company's productions.  Sinise has appeared in many films including: Forrest Gump, Of Mice and Men (which he also directed), Apollo 13, Reindeer Games, Snake Eyes, Ransom, Mission to Mars, The Stand, Impostor and The Green Mile. He also narrated the audio books for John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley and Of Mice and Men.

Apart from his television and movie work, Sinise is the host in the video for the Epcot ride Mission: SPACE, at Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL and the current model for Baume & Mercier watches.

Sinise is the narrator for the Discovery Channel's mini series When We Left Earth in 2008.  In late 2008 he narrated an Army Strong commercial.

I started a theater called Steppenwolf. We've been very supportive of the veterans there." - Gary Sinise

Gary Sinise also recently narrated a biography for Navy Seal and Medal of Honor recipient Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor at the Republican National Convention in support of John McCain's candidacy for President of the United States of America.

In December 2008 Sinise was awarded the Presidential Citizen Medal, the second highest civilian medal awarded to U.S. civilians. He received the medal from President George W. Bush for his humanitarian contributions to Iraqi school children (he co-founded Operation Iraqi Children) and his involvement in the USO. He is the executive producer of Brothers at War, the award winning documentary about an American military family and the Iraq war.  

Yeah, I volunteered to support the troops, and get out there and show them that we care about them." - Gary Sinise

Gary Sinise