When was Gary Sinise’s wife Moira Harris diagnosed with cancer? Family struggles explored amid actor’s retirement

Director-actor Gary Sinise, husband of Moira Harris, stepped away from acting amidst the family’s battles with cancer.

The Forrest Gump star left Los Angeles a few years ago and moved to Tennessee. He recently opened up about leaving showbiz and reflected on his son’s death during a conversation with People. Gary Sinise, seemingly retired from acting, was asked about his potential return. The Green Mile actor said,

“Something may come along and it’ll be right, but it’s harder to leave home now. 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.”

Gary’s wife, Moira Harris, and their son, McCanna Anthony, also known as Mac, battled cancer for years. Harris was diagnosed with the disease in the summer of 2018, while her son received his diagnosis in August of that same year.

Moira had stage 3 breast cancer, and after surgery to remove lymph nodes, she began her chemotherapy and radiation treatment. She eventually went into remission and has been cancer-free ever since, per the Gary Sinise Foundation.

In Mac’s case, he was battling a rare bone cancer called chordoma and underwent multiple surgeries. Amid his years-long fight with the disease, McCanna passed away last year.

Moira Harris and Gary Sinise’s son, Mac, died in January 2024 after five-year-long cancer battle

Last year, 33-year-old McCanna Anthony “Mac” Sinise passed away after battling chordoma, a rare bone tumor that had left him paralyzed from the chest down. Despite his condition, he continued pursuing his passion for music. The albums Resurrection & Revival Part 1 and 2, which Mac had worked on, were posthumously released.

Although Moira Harris had stepped away from acting years earlier, Gary Sinise remained active until 2020, with the fourth season of 13 Reasons Why being one of his final roles. According to People, the actor took time during breaks on set to call doctors and research chordoma. After Mac spent most of 2020 in the hospital, Gary decided to leave acting He told People,

“That’s when I stopped acting. I started putting everything I had into trying to find a miracle for Mac.”

He added,

“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.”

During the conversation, Gary Sinise also talked about the music his son made and asserted,

“I want people to hear his music. I want people to share it. I’m on a mission.”

People also highlighted that the profits from Resurrection & Revival Part 1 and 2 will go to the Gary Sinise Foundation, per Mac’s request. Sinise also talked about working on his son’s music projects,

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“I thought the other day, ‘What happens when all these projects are done?’ Well, I’m going to drag them on as long as I can.”

Gary Sinise and Moira Harris, who married in 1981, raised three children together. In addition to Mac, they have two daughters—Sophie and Ella—and five grandchildren.

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