The Gary Sinise lecture was bound to be a hit at the California State University Summer Arts program. He's a laudable stage actor, of character actor working roots, who's co-founder of one of the country's most prestigious theatre companies. He's also carved out a successful niche in the dog-eat-dog world of Hollywood and worked with some of the biggest names in the business, from Tom Hanks to Mel Gibson to Ron Howard.

If he's in Fresno, how could you not want to hear him talk about his experiences? The answer was obvious Sunday evening at Fresno State's John Wright Theatre. The venue was packed. The buzz was palpable. When Sinise walked on stage, he got a standing O (and at the end, too). The guy in front of me leaned forward in his seat and never sat back.

The setup was simple. Two chairs were placed toward the front of the stage. John Mayer, who teaches at CSU Stanislaus and has known Sinise for nearly 40 years, served as James Lipton for the evening. A short video offered highlights from Sinise's career, including clips from his Oscar-nominated turn as Lt. Dan in "Forrest Gump" (which, naturally, got the biggest cheers from the audience) and "Apollo 13." But it also showed scenes from Steppenwolf Theatre Company's landmark 1982 stage production of "True West," which Sinise also directed and co-starred in with John Malkovich, and from the company's adaptation of "The Grapes of Wrath" (which won a 1990 Tony Award for Best Play).

The video was a reminder of what an intense, compelling actor Sinise can be. And yet, the man who chatted for about an hour Sunday came across as modest and grateful for the career that he has enjoyed.

There were a lot of laughs during the discussion, probably because Sinise -- dressed in a blue dress shirt, black slacks and black dress shoes and looking fit -- has a comfort level with Mayer, who got things rolling by asking Sinise, of all the famous folks he's worked with, "What was it like working with John Mayer?" After the laughs died down, Sinise quipped: "It's been all down hill from there."

Here's some of the highlights from Sinise's talk:

• He stumbled into acting while attending Highland Park High School in Highland, Ill. He and a few "grungy" looking pals were in the hallway when day when the drama teacher spotted them and said to them: "We're doing 'West Side Story' and you look perfect for the gang members." Sinise went to the auditions and discovered "there were so many girls there." Well, aside from that wonderful revealment, he got the acting bug.
• Steppenwolf grew out of an extension of his high school experience. He kept working with other high school students because the camaraderie was "pure and wonderful." Those activities became the core of Chicago-based Steppenwolf, which started in the basement of a church in the mid-1970s. In a few short years, the company began attracting critics' attention and media coverage. They took productions to Broadway. One of their early acclaimed shows was Lanford Wilson's "Balm in Gilead," a play about low-lives and thieves and losers who frequent a cafe. Sinise said that one of the play's influences was William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life."
• Hundreds of acting groups establish themselves but don't soar to the national acclaim of Steppenwolf. What made the company different? Sinise said part of it was luck, but part of it was also that "fire would happen" when the troupe worked together, no matter what kind of meltdowns and dramas were happening off stage. He said even the failures were fun. They also learned to focus and establish artistic leadership, with Sinise at one point serving as artistic director.
• Which brings us to author John Steinbeck's role in Sinise's career. He saw a production of "Of Mice and Men" when he was 16. He didn't know who wrote it but later found out and something in him connected to Steinbeck's work. When Steppenwolf wanted to do a stage adaptation of "The Grapes of Wrath," they had to get the approval of Steinbeck's widow, Elaine. The production won great plaudits, and Sinise then asked Elaine Steinbeck if she would grant permission for a film version of "Of Mice and Men." The result was the 1992 film starring Malkovich and Sinise (and directed by Sinise). They shot it just one year after Sinise got the rights, had found a studio and had in hand a screenplay by Horton Foote. "It never happens that way," Sinise said.
• "Of Mice and Men" provided the cache Sinise needed to break into Hollywood. It gave him a legitimacy of being part of the business. He had spent two years with "The Grapes of Wrath" and now found himself "auditioning for 'Knots Landing' or whatever was out there." He auditioned for the Lt. Dan role but didn't hear anything for two weeks. He was very close to winning roles in two other films but "thankfully" the "Forrest Gump" role came through. "That clearly sent my career to a whole other place," he said.
• So why do a television series? Sinise has acted in TV movies (he earned a 1998 Emmy Award for portraying the late Alabama governor George Wallace. And he said other shows were discussed with him before "CSI:NY," but he didn't have a riveting interest. Then Sept. 11, 2001 happened, and Sinise said he re-evaluated what was important in his life. He wanted to spend more time with his family. He wanted to do more for charities and humanitarian efforts. The CBS show, he said, provides stability so that he can schedule other activities. In the past month, for example, he's been performing with his band (the, what else? Lt. Dan Band) on a USO tour. He then visited troops in Kuwait and Iraq. (FYI: He also established with "Seabiscuit" author Laura Hillenbrand in 2004, "Operation Iraqi Children" to help rebuild schools in the war-stricken region.

And maybe this part was more for the aspiring actors and writers in the crowd than the general audience, but Sinise said that auditions are tough. Like with the Lt. Dan role, Sinise said, "I wanted it. I wanted it badly." But you try to learn to let it go if it doesn't happen: "It's a business that rejects you constantly." The rewards, however, can be joyous if you believe in your talent and can put up with a lot. As he said: "You gotta love it."