Moira Harris

American actress

Gary Sinise

(m. 1981)

Children3

Moira Jane Sinise (née Harris; born April 19, 1954) is a former American actress. She appeared in several films and television shows. She is the wife of actor-filmmaker Gary Sinise.

Biography

Harris was born in Pontiac, Illinois, and is a Roman Catholic convert.^[1]^[2] She graduated from Illinois State University in Normal. During her college years, she met her husband, Gary Sinise, and they have been married since 1981. They had three children, Mac, Sophie and Ella.^[3] Their son, McCanna "Mac" Anthony Sinise, who was a musician, died on January 5, 2024 at the age of 33 from chordoma, which is a rare type of cancer. He had been diagnosed with chordoma in 2018 and eventually became paralyzed from the waist down.^[4]

Career

Harris has appeared in such films as One More Saturday Night, Of Mice and Men (directed by and co-starring her husband), and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. She also played the evil trucker's wife in the Kurt Russell movie Breakdown. She has made a guest appearances on the TV shows Karen Sisco, The Equalizer, and Crime Story. At one time, she was a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company that Gary Sinise was instrumental in establishing. In 1987 she won a Chicago / Midwest Emmy Award for her role in Murder in Green Meadows.^[5] She also starred in Disney's Tall Tale in 1995. Harris retired in 2003, although she briefly returned to the stage in 2013, appearing in Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party at Steppenwolf.

Filmography

Welcome Home, Bobby (1986, TV movie) - Ann Marie
The Fantasist (1986) - Patricia Teeling
One More Saturday Night (1986) - Peggy
Crime Story (1986, TV series) - Dressler's Wife
The Equalizer (1987, TV series) - Linda
Miles from Home (1988) - Frank's Girl (uncredited)
Of Mice and Men (1992) - Girl in Red Dress
Between Love and Hate (1993, TV movie) - Katherine Templeton
Nannie & Alex (1995) - Nonnie's Mother
Tall Tale (1995) - Sarah Hackett
Three Wishes (1995) - Katherine Holman
Breakdown (1997) - Arleen Barr
Chicago Cab (1997) - Religious Mother
Steppenwolf Theatre Company: 25 Years on the Edge (2000, documentary) - Herself
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) - Betsy
Karen Sisco (2003, TV series) - The Waitress
Lt. Dan Band: For the Common Good (2011, documentary) - Herself

Personal life

Harris married actor Gary Sinise in 1981.^[6] She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and as of 2024 she is cancer-free. They had three children, Mac, Sophie and Ella.^[7]

Her son, McCanna "Mac" Anthony Sinise (born on November 10, 1990), died on January 5, 2024 and was laid to rest on January 23, 2024 in a Catholic service. He had been diagnosed in 2018 with chordoma, a rare cancer of the spine. Mac was a musician who had worked for his father's charitable foundation, and before his death, he had completed work on an album Resurrection & Revival.^[8]^[9]

Moira is a practicing Catholic; she converted to the faith in 2000.^[10]

References

^ "Sinise's Catholic Hurricane". National Catholic Register. December 17, 2008.
^ "Gary Sinise". National Catholic Reporter. November 25, 2005. Republished by TheFreeLibrary.com. Sinise thanked his wife of 29 [recte 24] years, actress Moira Harris, for leading their family by her decision to embrace her Catholic faith,...
^ "Steppenwolf's Odd Couple". Chicago Tribune. March 12, 1993. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
^ "Gary Sinise's Son McCanna Dead at 33 After Rare Cancer Battle". ET Online.com. February 27, 2024. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
^ "1986 to 1988 Chicago Emmy Award Winners" (PDF). chicagoemmyonline.org. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
^ Christiansen, Richard (March 12, 1993). "STEPPENWOLF'S ODD COUPLE". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
^ "Gary Sinise's Son, McCanna Anthony 'Mac' Sinise, Dead at 33". Peoplemag. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
^ "Gary Sinise's Son McCanna Dead at 33 After Rare Cancer Battle". ET Online.com. February 27, 2024. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
^ Evans, Greg (February 27, 2024). "Gary Sinise's Son Mac Dies Of Rare Cancer At 33". Deadline. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
^ "Actor Gary Sinise describes his road to the Catholic Church". Catholic News Service. February 12, 2019. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2024.