Gary Sinise was a rarity in Hollywood. Not only is he an outspoken conservative and patriotic American, but he is also someone who puts his money where his mouth is. For years, he has supported our military and first responders and donated countless hours and dollars to veterans' causes. His humanitarian resume is much longer than his acting and directing one, and that's saying a lot considering he's been acting since the 1970s and has quite a number of TV, theater, and film credits under his belt.
But if you take a look at Sinise's acting resume, you'll also notice it drops off around 2019 or 2020. That's around the time his son, Mac, was diagnosed with chordoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the bones in the skull and the spine. Chordoma tumors affect about one in one million people, and they're difficult to treat because of their proximity to certain nervous system tissue. Even when they're treated successfully, they often come back, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In this case, Mac has a tumor on his lower spine. "It looked like a monster grabbing my son’s spine," Sinise told People magazine in a recent exclusive interview.
When Mac was diagnosed, Sinise's wife, Moira, was already undergoing treatment for stage three breast cancer (she is now cancer-free after multiple radiation and chemo treatments). That's when the Sinise decided to put his acting career on hold. Taking care of his son was far more important. Between January and August of 2020, Mac spent six months in the hospital, and their family, which includes Gary and Moira's daughters, Ella and Sophie, rallied to support him.
Sinise told People that he became his son's "air traffic controller." He said, "I started putting everything I had into trying to find a miracle for Mac," adding:
I didn’t want Mac to be thinking of the next treatment or to worry. So I thought about cancer all the time. You’re trying to take the pain away. A few times I felt like I couldn’t do enough, or I didn’t know what to do. Then you say a little prayer, get back up and go back into the fight.
Mac, who had been a musician — a drummer since the age of nine — fought an extremely tough battle over the next four or five years. Despite trying everything, more tumors developed, and treatment didn't work. He ended up paralyzed from the chest down and lost some use of his arms, but he didn't let that prevent him from continuing to explore his passion for music. His mother encouraged him to learn how to play the harmonica, which he did, and in 2023, on his 33rd birthday, Mac recorded an album, "Resurrection and Revival."
Sadly, in December of that year, Mac ended up in the hospital, and he died in January 2024.
Sinise said three things helped him keep going. First, he'd met numerous kids who had lost their parents through his work with the Gary Sinise Foundation, which supports veterans and first responders. The second was his faith (he converted to Catholicism in 2010). "I’ve wrapped my arms around lots of kids who have lost a mom or a dad. I’ve been around people that have persevered through difficult things. It’s given me strength. There’s no question God prepared me well for dealing with our loss."
The third was his family.
Even though he's no longer caring for his son, Sinise has not returned to acting. He and his family moved to Nashville, Tenn., in 2023, where they live a simpler, quieter life. These days, you'll find Sinise, who is 70, playing the role of grandpa or "Papa" to his five grandchildren, who range in age from one to eight years old. You might even see him in the school drop-off line, hanging out at the local trampoline park, or shopping for the kids' favorite ice cream to have on hand when they visit. Sinise's daughter, Sophie, told People that he "spoils them rotten."
After Mac's death, Sinise said he found more music on his son's laptop and was able to make a second album. He released both, and the proceeds went to the Gary Sinise Foundation, but he's not done yet. He has big plans to continue bringing his son's music to the world.
As for acting again, he says the right role could come along, but don't necessarily count on it. For now, he just wants to be around his family and continue his work supporting the military and first responders.
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