Thirty years have passed since Gary Sinise played Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump. The 69-year-old now wears a different look from back then, as seen during Friday’s episode of The Morning Show. One feature that has not changed much, however, is his signature smile.
Gary has long locks that fell to his shoulders in the movie, and now he sports short gray hair and a clean shave. He discussed his post-Forrest Gump endeavors with hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies, who brought him on the show via a live video chat.
Gary Sinise and his legacy in helping our nation’s veterans
Inspired by his role as Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump, who lost the use of his legs in the Vietnam War, Gary founded the Gary Sinise Foundation to support injured army veterans and their children. He also co-founded Operation Iraqi Children to help rebuild schools in war-torn Iraq and care for affected children.
Gary, who is involved in several other initiatives for veteran care, has received accolades for his humanitarian work, such as a Presidential Citizen’s Medal from former U.S. President George W. Bush. He noted during his recent interview that he is doing good work all over the world.
Life after ‘Forrest Gump’
Gary’s most popular role remains Lt. Dan; however, he went on to collaborate with his co-star Tom Hanks in more productions like Apollo 13 and The Green Mile while starring in other films and TV commercials. He has explored military-based endeavors like executive producing for the Iraq War documentary Brothers at War and narrating History Channel’s World War II.
Gary is the frontman of the Lt Dan band, and he recently fulfilled his goal of performing at all five U.S. service academies—West Point, Annapolis, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine—in September. Aside from work, Gary is a dedicated family man who is still married to Moira Harris 43 years later.
Watch the full interview with Gary Sinise below: