Gary Sinise says he's unsure about returning to acting after son's death

Friday, May 16, 2025 at 10:01 AM

Gary Sinise is prioritizing family following the heartbreaking loss of his son.

In an recent interview with People, the actor, known for his roles in Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, The Green Mile, and CSI: NY, opened up about life after the death of his son Mac Sinise, who died in January 2024 at age 33 from chordoma, a rare form of cancer.

"It looked like a monster grabbing my son's spine," Sinise raid, describing the MRI scan that revealed his son had chordoma. "It was a one-two punch."

Chordoma is a slow-growing cancer of tissue found inside the spine, according to the National Cancer Institute, which states that 1 in 1 million people worldwide are diagnosed with the disease each year.

Sinise shared that he first stepped away from acting in 2020, when Mac spent six of the first eight months of the year in the hospital.

"I started putting everything I had into trying to find a miracle for Mac," he said. "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."

Now, in the aftermath of Mac's death, Sinise said he finds comfort in being close to home and is unsure whether he'll return to acting.

"Something may come along and it'll be right, but it's harder to leave home now," he explained. "I just want to be around family. Since losing Mac, I hold my daughters a lot tighter. You think about the things that are really important."