Gary Sinise's portrayal of Lt. Dan in the Oscar winning film "FORREST GUMP" made him a mainstream movie star, and earned him nominations for an Academy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He received the Best Supporting Actor Award from the National Board of Review and the Commander's Award from the Disabled American Veterans. He then went on to take starring roles in the acclaimed "APOLLO 13" opposite Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon; the thriller "RANSOM" with Mel Gibson and Rene Russo; and in Brian DePalma's psychological thriller "SNAKE EYES." He was last seen on the big screen in Columbia Pictures’ “THE FORGOTTEN” with Julianne Moore, and “THE HUMAN STAIN” for director Robert Benton and Miramax films, opposite Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman and Ed Harris. He also provided the voice of Shaw in Sony’s animated feature “OPEN SEASON.”

As a result of Sinise’s first two trips to Iraq, he started “Operation Iraqi Children” with subsequent author Laura Hillenbrand. Through this charitable organization, and with the support of corporate sponsors, schools in the United States can visit operationiraqichildren.org, and learn how to organize their own school drive to collect and send much needed classroom supplies to the children of Iraq. “Operation Iraqi Children” also established the OIC/Katrina Relief Fund for people who wish to support sending school supplies and other children's needs to those affected by hurricane Katrina. Since 2003 Gary has traveled to Iraq three times and Afghanistan in support of the troops, returning to Iraq for a third time in May 2007. In his travels abroad he also performs with his Lieutenant Dan Band for the USO and for other military and veterans causes.

At the age of 18, the Chicago native co-founded The Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago (along with Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry), where he served as Artistic Director for seven years. He has since starred in over a dozen productions at the renowned theatre including the role of Tom Joad in "THE GRAPES OF WRATH," for which he garnered a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award; as well as "TRUE WEST,” "BALM IN GILEAD," "STREAMERS" and "THE CARETAKER." He received a Joseph Jefferson Award for Marsha Norman's "GETTING OUT" at Chicago's Wisdom Theatre. He starred as Stanley Kowalski in "A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE," and Randle Patrick McMurphy in "ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST" at Steppenwolf, the Barbican Theatre in London, and then Broadway in April

In 1982, Mr. Sinise directed the landmark production of Sam Shepard's "TRUE WEST" at Steppenwolf and on Broadway, where he won an Obie Award for directing. In 1996, he also directed Sam Shepard's "BURIED CHILD" which kicked off Steppenwolf's 20th Anniversary and continued with a successful run on Broadway where it was nominated for five Tony's, including one for Sinise for best director. His other directing credits include "ORPHANS," "TRACERS,""FRANK'S WILD YEARS" with Tom Waits, "THE MISS FIRECRAKER CONTEST," "WAITING FOR PARADE," "ACTION," "ROAD TO NIRVANA" and "LANDSCAPE OF THE BODY" at The Second Stage in New York. In 1985, he received a Joseph Jefferson Award for his direction of Lyle Kessler's "ORPHANS," which also played off-Broadway and in London with Albert Finney.

He has also made his mark as a feature film director with "OF MICE AND MEN," which he co-produced and co-starred in with John Malkovich, and "MILES FROM HOME" starring Richard Gere, Kevin Anderson, Helen Hunt and John Malkovich. Both were screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. 2001.

Melina Kanakaredes starred for five seasons as Dr. Sydney Hansen on the NBCTV critically acclaimed series Providence. For her performance, Melina received the 2000 TV Guide Award for Favorite Actress in a Drama (as voted by more than one million TV viewers) and was nominated for the same award in 2001. In 2003, Melina gave birth to her second child, took to the stage as Sally Bowles in the Broadway play Cabaret and shot the indie film “Into the Fire,” which was released in September 2005. In the fall of 2004, she returned to television in CSI: NY.

In 2001 she appeared on the big screen co-starring opposite Robert De Niro in the film 15 Minutes. Other film credits include Rounders, Dangerous Beauty and The Long Kiss Goodnight. In the same year, she became a celebrity spokesperson for Maybelline as featured in their national television and print campaigns.

Melina Kanakaredes is a second-generation Greek-American who was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. Her love of musical theater, especially the work of Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera, inspired her as a child. She began performing locally; singing with her sisters and making her acting debut at age eight in the community theater production of Tom Sawyer.

Kanakaredes attended Ohio State University to study music, dance and theater, later transferring to Point Park College in Pittsburgh. She appeared in commercials, industrial films and on stage in the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Pittsburgh Public Theater. Upon graduation, Kanakaredes moved to New York City where she supported her acting dreams by working in off-Broadway plays.

Kanakaredes’ previous television credits include a recurring role as Jimmy Smits’ reporter-girlfriend in NYPD Blue. She starred in the drama series New York New and Leaving L.A. and guest-starred on The Practice and Oz. She also received two Emmy nominations for her work on The Guiding Light.

Away from the set, Kanakaredes enjoys, reading, swimming, working out with the Pilates system, traveling (especially to Greece), listening to James Taylor, and is a sports fan of the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Bulls. She lives with her family in Los Angeles. Her birthday is April 23.