Some surprises in this list of Hollywood actors who also are/were military veterans

Actors Who Served: Hollywood Stars Who Are Military Veterans - The Moviefone Blog

They missed quite a few - Audie Murphy, Chuck Norris, Tyrone Power, Gene Autry, Lee Marvin, James Arness, Neville Brand, Eddie Albert, Russ Meyer, Jackie Coogan, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Glenn Ford, Charlton Heston, William Holden, Brian Keith, Werner Klemperer, Nancy Kulp, Burt Lancaster, Burgess Meredith, Glenn Miller, Robert Montgomery, Wayne Morris, Alan Alda(!), Ed Asner

They missed many! I can think of many more. Off the top of my head, james arness and neville brand. Both were wounded. Eddie albert---

Added them and a bunch of others

Kriss Krissofferson.

It always impressed me that Jimmy Stewart actually flew combat missions, instead of opting for USO duties.

From Wikipedia:

Later in 1940, Stewart was drafted into the United States Army but was rejected for failing to meet height and weight requirements for new recruits—Stewart was five pounds (2.3 kg) under the standard. To get up to 148 pounds, he sought out the help Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's muscle man and trainer Don Loomis, who was noted for his ability to add or subtract pounds in his studio gymnasium. Stewart subsequently attempted to enlist in the Army Air Corps, but still came in under the weight requirement, although he persuaded the AAC enlistment officer to run new tests, this time passing the weigh-in,[29] [N 1] with the result that Stewart enlisted in the Army in March 1941. He became the first major American movie star to wear a military uniform in World War II.

Stewart flew as command pilot in the lead B-24 on numerous missions deep into Nazi-occupied Europe. These missions went uncounted at Stewart's orders. His "official" total is listed as 20 and is limited to those with the 445th. In 1944, he twice received the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions in combat and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. He also received the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. In July 1944, after flying 20 combat missions, Stewart was made Chief of Staff of the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing of the Eighth Air Force, and though he was no longer required or expected to fly missions, he continued to do so. Before the war ended, he was promoted to colonel, one of the few Americans to rise from private to colonel in four years.[6][30]

There is much more about him, including his later service in the Viet Nam years. He was also a life long supporter of the Boy Scouts, and a staunch Republican. He was also very modest and moral in his personal life...all in all, a very admirable man.

Too bad some of the current Hollywood stars like Sean Penn can't follow his example!

...get the opportunity, visit the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton.

They have an entire section devoted to actors and other famous people who have served in the Army Air Corps/Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force.

It's well worth the trip and the time.

What some folks didn't know, was that Clark Gable was officially grounded after his commanding officers found out he was flying on combat missions so he could do his documentary assignments.

They weren't called the "greatest generation" for nothing.

How about "current" Hollywood stars who are veterans???

Somehow I think the list wil be much shorter...

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Dean
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Dennis weaver was a navy pilot.

Sabu Dastigir - Sabu the Elephant Boy was a tail gunner in WWII's Pacific Theater. He was awarded the DFC.

Russ

Jonathan Winters - USMC WWII.

Russ

Actor Denis Arndt is a true combat helicopter pilot coming out of US Army Aviation as a Captain. He was shot down three times while flying helicopter gunships. I got to know him while he was a helicopter pilot in Alaska. He is a great guy and very humble about his Vietnam exploits. ....... Big Cholla

James McEachin and David Huddleston

YouTube - Reveille


Charles Durning was no slouch either:
http://www.nndb.com/people/939/000022873/

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Here is one who isn't *quite* a star yet, but has had supporting roles in several movies with big name actors. It looks like he is moving towards being more of a producer lately.

Sean Huze - IMDb

No doubt! Of course, they don't make Hollywood tough guys like they use to either.

Current stars who were in the military? I can't think of many......

Tom Berenger was in the USMC in real life, I know that much....

There's a country singer who was a SSG in the Army, I forget his name.

There's probably a few others but the list is not nearly as long as "older" movie stars.

This is an old topic, but I just had to add to it.

William Windom served as a paratrooper with Company B, 1st Battalion, 508h Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. He was in Operation Overlord where one of their objectives was the capture of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Of the 2056 troops who participated in the D-Day landings, only 995 returned. Later he was in action with Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge. I just learned about his record. I am impressed.

I don't think I will live long enough to see men of this caliber and heroism in Hollywood again.

Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson come to mind. Bronson - Army Borgnine--Navy.
Bronson (Buchinsky) in WWII:

Borgnine:

I'll add to a thread I've already contributed to; all three Bridges men (Lloyd, Beau and Jeff) served in the Coast Guard.

Russ

Don't forget Mr. Rogers ( of the neighborhood )
Incredible story there considering his screen persona

Eddie Albert was interviewed in the late '70's about his experiences in World War II. Like many others, he seemed a bit embarrassed and uneasy about the publicity over his service.

At the invasion of Tarawa, he was in command of a boat that was handling salvage duties during the actual invasion. U.S. Marines lost a huge number of landing craft while trying to navigate the coral reefs, and several had been sunk or damaged. He ordered his boat to rescue Marines who were stranded in the water, doing so under heavy enemy fire. He took the forty-seven rescued Marines back to a ship, got supplies and ammunition, went back and rescued more.

He received the Bronze Star with Combat "V" for his deeds.

Funny, how these of the Greatest Generation were "just doing their part" to win the war.

God bless them!

Sorry, but Mr. Rogers never served in the military. He was born in 1928, and he didn't graduate from high school until 1946. Stories about his military service are another internet rumor.

Fred Rodgers was a Presbyterian Minister and never served in the Armed Forces

snopes.com: Rumors About Fred Rogers

Only actor that comes to mind from "this" generation that is a veteran(I'm sure there are more) but need help with this: Lou Diamond Phillips, from The movie Young Guns-USMC...

I just got back from Las Vegas and came to find out from the Clark County museum that Carol Lombard was killed in a DC3 crash taking off from where Nellis is now after a fuel stop. She was doing war bond work and traveling with military personnel. No survivors.

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Back to back World War Champs.

Damn! I hate it when this happens, ( fooled em' again didn't we Josie? )
Wait a minute... Does this mean Eddie Murphy is still alive??!!

Dirty Dan, I could find nothing about lou diamound phillips ever being in the military! He was born a navy brat though. Also he plays indians but is of Philippine blood. I dont mean to say this trying to down grade phillips as I like him as a actor and I havent been in the military either. If I am wrong someone please show a source. I do find it odd he was chosen to do interviews on the military channel. (If he indeed wasnt military). I like him.

How about these Coast Guardsmen: Ted Turner, Tab Hunter, Jack Dempsey, Arthur Godfrey, Walter Kronkite, Lloyd Bridges, Beau Bridges, Humphrey Bogart, Alex Haley, Otto Graham, Arthur Fiedler, Arnold Palmer and the Coast Guard's only Medal of Honor recipient...Douglas Munro.

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Phillips hosted a movie show, something like "Dinner and a Movie", but I know that wasn't the name. All the films he showed were military films and he interviewed military guys at breaks in the film.

He mentioned more than once during his interviews, that he, himself, never served.

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Just west of Las Vegas on the north side of 10, just before the Ca. border is a small group of houses on the side of the mountan that her plane crased on...There is a old time bar there, legend has it Clark "Gable stayed drunk a whole week in that bar.....You know how legands are but the locals swear to it.....He was so broken up about her death...She was a beauty or so her pictures indecate...

George, they also got married at oatman ariz on old rt 66 not that far from
laughlin and bull head city. There is a old hotel there that claimed they got married in it. I googled and they claim the pair got married in kingman, however kingman is real close to oatman. Now days oatman is out of the way but is sort of a tourist gost town. Its a fun place to go if your in laughlin for a couple hour jaunt away from the tables.

Some 'Boomers' that served, Jimi Hendrix (Airborne), Elvis (Infantry), Clint Eastwood (Marines), Steve McQueen (Marines), R. Lee (Gunny) Ermey (the Corp), Me (Navy), Ted Nugent (DRAFT DODGER BIGTIME!).

Here's a more current star:

Rob Riggle who does the comedy sketch on Fox NFL Sunday and used to be a reporter on Comedy Central's The Daily Show. He recently retired as a Lt. Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Rob Riggle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I thought Clint was a SCUBA instructor for the Army at Ft Ord.


Sgt Lumpy

Lou Diamond Phillips was named for a Marine mortarman-Lou Diamond.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Diamond

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Bruce Springsteen was another draft-dodger--which is why I dont support his gigs.

Clint was Army--just like Charles Bronson was. Also, myth busted about Bronson--he was NOT a gunner in a Bomber--he never saw combat--unless it was in a Bar in Arizona. He was an Army truck diver.