In Hollywood, the lines, the cues and the costumes are all given to the actors before the director shouts “ACTION!” But among the many who have been told what to say and what to do, are men and women who served their country in the most historical wars of our time. Here is a list of Hollywood stars who have good reason for not speaking about their service.
Bob Barker
Who else would better kick our list off than Bob Barker? We mostly know him from “The Price is Right”, but most of us don’t know that he was actually assigned as a pilot during World War Two.
Bob Barker
Henry Fonda
Most Hollywood celebrities who served in the military made their way to fame only after their service. For Henry Fonda, he had it quite the other way. He was already an established and famous actor when he enlisted in the Navy. For three years he served as a quartermaster 3rd class on the destroyer USS Satterlee.
Henry Fonda
Sherman Hemsley
The first name that pops into our heads when we see his picture is “George Jefferson” and there’s a good reason for that. But before he had us laughing in “The Jeffersons”, he served in the U.S. Air Force. He served for four years in Japan and Korea, then went on to become a mailman in Philadelphia before making the big time.
Sherman Hemsley
John Coltrane
John Coltrane was one of the most significant saxophonists in music history. He enlisted in the Navy on one of the most historical days in war history – August 6th, 1945 – the day America dropped the “Little Boy” atomic bomb on Hiroshima. He then moved to the base of Pearl Harbor where he joined a swing band called “The Melody Masters”.
John Coltrane
Fred Feast
Most people would never have guessed that Fred Gee from “Coronation Street” ever served time in the military. But the reality is that the English actor did not only reach the rank of sergeant in the British parachute regiment, he was also a physical training instructor.
Fred Feast
Johnny Carson
Before Johnny Carson was extracting information from other celebrities on The Tonight Show, he was busy extracting information elsewhere. During the Second World War he was responsible with decoding encrypted enemy messages while he was on board the USS Pennsylvania.
Johnny Carson
J.R.R. Tolkien
Not only is he noted with the awe-inspiring works of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but he is also known as a World War One hero. Many people have said that his books represented some of the experiences he went through while he served in the trenches of The Great War.
J.R.R. Tolkien
Charles Bronson
There aren’t many actors in Hollywood who are cooler than Charles Bronson, but it’s not the silver screen alone that has made him who he is. He contributed his best during WWII when he enlisted in the 760th Flexible Gunnery Training Squadron. After 25 successful battle missions that he flew, he received the “Purple Heart” award as he was wounded during one of the missions.
Charles Bronson
Paul Newman
After being told that his color-blindness prevented him from becoming a pilot during WWII, Paul Newman did anything but give up. He pushed to become a turret gunner on an Avenger torpedo bomber – one of the Axis’ worst nightmares. He narrowly escaped a terrifying death when during the Battle of Okinawa, kamikaze planes attacked the USS Bunker Hill where he was supposed to be on board. Newman wasn’t on the ship, simply because his pilot was suffering from an ear infection.
Paul Newman
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood had a military service unlike the one you probably imagined up in your mind. He drafted into the Army during the Korean War, but as a lifeguard on a base. Although it wasn’t related to his Army service, Eastwood was once aboard an airplane that crash-landed into the sea. Unbelievably, he and the pilot managed to swim over two miles to safely get on shore.
Clint Eastwood
Drew Carey
This one gets most by surprise, as the host of “Whose Line Is It Anyway” doesn’t look like a G.I. Joe type. But the fact is that Drew Carey did indeed serve in the U.S. Marine Corps during the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Drew Carey
Sidney Poitier
Not everyone knows two very important facts about Sidney Poitier. The first is that he was the first African-American to win the Best Actor award at the Oscars. The second thing is that when he was just 16 years old, he lied at the recruitment office in order to enlist to fight during World War II. Later though he would fake being insane in order to leave the military.
Sidney Poitier
Tony Curtis
Before we get to his military career, let’s just make sure we’re on the same page. We’re talking about Jamie Lee Curtis’ father, okay, great. After the fateful attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941, Curtis went to serve as a submarine tender. As if coming full circle, he also personally witnessed the Japanese surrender at Tokyo Bay.
Tony Curtis
J.D. Salinger
J.D. Salinger’s great mind served him well when he worked in the counter-intelligence division during WWII. Most of his service was spent in Europe and he managed to move up to the rank of staff sergeant.
J.D. Salinger
Harrison Ford
Han Solo? Indiana Jones? The president of The United States? You decide which character best suits the legend of Harrison Ford. When he isn’t working on the sets of Hollywood, a good place you can be sure to find him is in the pilot’s seat of his own chopper. He serves as a volunteer rescue pilot in his free time. What a hero!
Harrison Ford
Don Knotts
He’s either Mr. Furley from Three’s Company or he’s Barney Fife from the Andy Griffith Show, but the truth is that he could be many things. When the world was at war in the 1940’s, he made it his duty to use his special comedic talent to lighten the mood for his fellow soldiers which is why he established a comedy group called “Stars and Stripes”.
Don Knotts
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix AKA the guitar god and all things music, really. Before he found fame he was actually a paratrooper in the well-known 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. He discharged from the Army after an unsuccessful landing that broke his ankle. It was also his 26th jump.
Jimi Hendrix
Gene Roddenberry
Some people are made to be great, no matter what the circumstances. After graduating from Angeles City College in 1942, Gene Roddenberry enlisted in the Air Force and served in the 394th Bomb Squadron of the Air Force. Only years later would he bring to the world the magic of Star Trek.
Gene Roddenberry
Jesse Ventura
Trust me when I tell you that Jesse Ventura is anything but a “fake” fighter like on WWE. He actually used to be a Navy SEAL and served time in the Philippines during one of America’s most notorious wars – the Vietnam War.
Jesse Ventura
Tom Selleck
It’s no surprise that Tom Selleck was turning heads when he was a strapping young man serving in the U.S. Army. The California National Guard even used his picture to recruits youngsters to join the Army. Between 1967 and 1973 he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army infantry, National Guard. Looking back on those days, he proudly said, “I am a veteran, I’m proud of it.”
Tom Selleck
Roy Scheider
Before Roy Scheider even thought about hunting down the devil of the deep in “Jaws”, he was actually handing out orders in the U.S. Air Force. During the mid-1950’s he served as an active-duty Air Force officer. Even after he left the military, he served as a reservist.
Roy Scheider
Pat Sajak
Some people are just made for the stage and for the audiences. Pat Sajak is one excellent example and he had a job in the military that most people would die for. The Wheel of Fortune host became an “army DJ” and served his duty for 18 months during the Vietnam War.
Pat Sajak
Johnny Cash
Writing lyrics for country music or the blues takes a certain set of skills, and Johnny Cash had them. But he didn’t realize that while he was serving as a Morse code interpreter during the early 50’s. From his West German station, he was responsible for intercepting and cracking Soviet transmissions.
Johnny Cash
John Dillinger
John Dillinger sure was well-known, but most would call this American bank robber ‘infamous’. Before he joined the depths of the gang underworld he was a part of the fire brigade unit in the U.S. Navy.
John Dillinger
Buster Keaton
The side-effects of war are atrocious and usually life-long. This was true for Buster Keaton who, after being sent to fight the Germans in France during WWI, returned home with his hearing damaged for life. But after his time in the 40th Infantry Division, he impressed the world with his genius silent films. It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it?
Buster Keaton
James Avery
Doing the voice of Shredder in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did not constitute as the military service of James Avery, but something else did. His real service to his country was during the Vietnam War between 1968 and 1969.
James Avery
Montel Williams
Many of the celebrities on this list have decided to keep their military careers quiet, but Montel Williams is not one of them. He served in the Marine Corps for more than 10 years and received a number of decorations for his service. When the time came, he was discharged honorably with the rank of Midshipman.
Montel Williams
Glenn Miller
Some recruits lie about their age, pretending to be older in order to join the draft. For Glenn Miller it was quite the opposite. The recruitment officers turned the 38 year-old away since they believed he was too old to draft. When his ingenious idea of leading the Army band was accepted, he quickly started travelling between bases and played music for the soldiers. The greatest mystery about him to this day is when Miller and the plane he was on, vanished while flying between England and France. He is still considered “MIA”.
Glenn Miller
Jack Kerouac
Before Jack Kerouac started writing as a profession, he wrote himself on the “sick list” only 8 days after joining the U.S. Navy in 1942 as a cadet. He was convincing enough for the Navy to discharge him on the grounds of suffering from a schizoid personality.
Jack Kerouac
Sammy Davis Jr.
When all odds were against him, Sammy Davis Jr. understood how to look past the difficulties and aim for the best. During his stint in a special forces unit in the U.S. Army, he had to deal with a lot of racism. He didn’t let it affect him as he claimed: “My talent was the weapon, the power, the way for me to fight. It was the one way I might hope to affect a man’s thinking.”
Sammy Davis Jr.
Steve McQueen
On the screen he helped POWs escape from a German camp in “The Great Escape”, but in real life he did much more. During an exercise in the Arctic, he rescued five other marines from a sinking tank that had collided with an ice cap. Some heroes are given lines and cues, and others just know when it’s their turn.
Steve McQueen
Ernest Hemingway
During the First World War Ernest Hemingway served as an ambulance driver in Italy. One specific incident influenced his life greater than any other. An explosion ripped a munitions factory apart and he raced to the scene. He needed to rescue the bodies of women among the rubble. He later told of this everlasting experience in his book, “Death in the Afternoon”.
Ernest Hemingway
Humphrey Bogart
For many teenagers, figuring out what to do with your life is difficult and daunting. Humphrey Bogart was a teenager during a difficult time, and that time was the First World War. When he was just eighteen he enlisted in the Navy but only made it to France in 1919, after the Great War had already ended. He still had what to say about his experiences there, and it was that the women were beautiful and the food good.
Humphrey Bogart
Leonard Nimoy
There aren’t many characters more famous than “Spock” from “Star Trek”. But what is less publicized about this star is that during the 1950’s “Spock” was actually a soldier in the U.S. Army Reserves. During his time on base he would direct shows for soldiers and even sometimes perform for them.
Leonard Nimoy
Bill Cosby
Before Bill Cosby made his name big in showbiz, he was a Navy man. He served his country from 1956 and served for four years before they honorably discharged him from service. A great part of his military time was spent aiding injured soldiers during the Korean War.
Bill Cosby
Blake Clark
The comical Blake Clark showed us his hilarious comic talent throughout the 90’s and 2000’s with hits like “Boy Meets World”, “Home Improvement” and “Toy Story”. Before all of the Hollywood fame, he was a platoon leader of the 5th infantry division during the Vietnam War.
Blake Clark
Jamie Farr
Here are a couple of things you didn’t know about Corporal Klinger from M.A.S.H., we’re pretty sure. Firstly he was a stationed in Japan and Korea during the Korean War. And second, during his time on screen for M.A.S.H. he actually wore his real dog tags from his military service.
Jamie Farr
Chuck Norris
When Chuck Norris was asked how many push-ups he could do, his answer was, “All of them.” There are some things that only Walker Texas Ranger can do, and one of those things is his exceptional military service. In 1958 he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and got promoted to Air Policeman. Have you ever heard of such a position? Only Chuck Norris can become that.
Chuck Norris
Clark Gable
Clark Gable had the most beautiful wife in Hollywood, Carole Lombard. But when her plane crashed during her plight to raise money for the war effort, Gable’s life came crashing down too. While fighting depression caused by the accident, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served as a gunner during flight missions.
Clark Gable
Morgan Freeman
“The Shawshank Redemption”, “Bruce Almighty”, the “Dark Knight Trilogy”… you take your pick. Morgan Freeman is a master of what he does, and he has a voice that anyone would kill to have as the narration of their life. In 1955, Freeman wanted to become a pilot but he didn’t qualify and was sent to become a radar technician. Today, however, he is a certified pilot and has four airplanes to his name.
Morgan Freeman
John Amos
John Amos did his part for America by serving in the U.S. Coast Guard and New Jersey National Guard. Following his service, he went on to become recognizable as Toby from “Roots” as well as in “Norman Lear’s Good Times”.
John Amos
Hugh Hefner
That’s right! The Playboy mogul was actually an active duty soldier before he made it big with the babes. He was never a combat soldier, but he did work on his writing with the Army newspaper.
Hugh Hefner
Gene Hackman
Who didn’t know this name throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s? He started acting from a young age and he learned early that it had benefits. When he was just 16 years old he lied at the recruitment office and got himself drafted into the Marine Corps.
Gene Hackman
Lee Van Cleef
It’s hard to take your eyes off of Lee Van Cleef’s! When he put out his best in “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”, we all knew that we were watching one of the best. Before he dominated the 1950’s and 60’s, he was busy doing other things in the 1940’s. During WWII he got his assignment as a submarine chaser and minesweeper.
Lee Van Cleef
Ice T
It’s not all rainbows and butterflies for all celebrities and Ice T can attest to that. Ice T had a rough upbringing and youth with crimes and illegal activity. After he had his first daughter he made a decision to change his life. He drafted into the Army and served for four years in the 25th infantry division.
Ice T
Elvis Presley
What color boots do you think the king of rock ‘n roll would have in the military? Blue suede? Elvis was already famous when he decided to join the Army in 1958. Elvis Presley served until 1960 when he was honorably discharged.
Elvis Presley
Don Rickles
Where do we start on this brilliant man? That he was a member of the “Rat Pack”? That he was the voice of bossy “Mr. Potato Head” in Toy Story? Or should we start when he joined the U.S. Navy at 18 years old? Rickles served during the Second World War aboard the US Cyrene and acquired the rank of seaman first class.
Don Rickles
James Earl Jones
His voice blows us away every time we hear it. Mufasa from “The Lion King” was once an important figure in the US Army after he drafted at the height of the Korean War. After he attended infantry officer’s course, he was sent to become a Ranger, which he did without hesitation. Later on he became part of a unit that helped train soldiers for rugged terrains, and eventually finished his service as a First Lieutenant.
James Earl Jones
Sean Connery
Is Sean Connery not just the face of James Bond for all time? This Bond maverick served in the Royal Navy but he didn’t make it any further than basic training. The military let him go after finding a medical issue.
Sean Connery
Mr. T
Mr. T has always been a badass, even way before he showed it to us with his Mandika African haircut in the “A-Team”. Before Hollywood, he was a soldier in the Military Police Corps and even moved up to the rank of squad leader. We have no doubt that he was excellent at his job.
Mr. T
Jerry Reed
Jerry Reed was an American country music singer, guitarist, songwriter, and even an actor. He served in the U.S. Army for years before he went out to become the wonder everyone remembers him to be. Unfortunately he passed away in 2008.
Jerry Reed
Harry Dean Stanton
There’s no questioning whether Harry Dean Stanton has a wide variety of skills. He proved that to the world with films like “The Godfather”, “Alien”, “Red Dawn” and “The Green Mile”. Part of his skill set comes from the time he served during World War Two… as a cook during the Battle of Okinawa.
Harry Dean Stanton
Walt Disney
When war breaks out, everyone is supposed to leave their jobs and take up something war-related. Walt Disney was one heck of a lucky man. His creative skills were actually sought after by the propaganda unit of the U.S. Army. It was his job to put together instructional videos for soldiers, as well as to create propaganda cartoons.
Walt Disney
Richard Pryor
There is no way you didn’t almost pee your pants from laughing during “See No Evil, Hear No Evil”. Before Richard Pryor made it onto the silver screen he was a soldier. His service wasn’t so simple, and at one point he even found himself in military prison after physically confronting another soldier after a racist remark was made.
Richard Pryor
Larry Storch
There’s no doubt about how funny and talented Larry Storch is. He’s a comedian, an actor and a voice actor. But when it really counted he was a whole lot more than that. During the Second World War he worked as a submarine tender alongside Tony Curtis. He even received a Distinguished Service Medal for the time he served.
Larry Storch
Pat Tillman
This is a man who wasn’t just a top NFL player, he was a war hero too. When 9/11 shocked America and the world, Pat took it upon himself to put his successful football career aside and serve his country. In 2004 he was killed in the line of active duty, but by friendly fire.
Pat Tillman
George C. Scott
Unique jobs are reserved for unique people. George C. Scott wanted to contribute to the war effort so he joined the Marine Corps in 1945. His talent was quickly noticed and he was given a very important but somber role. The Army recruited him as an honor guard at fallen soldiers’ funerals.
George C. Scott
Robert Duvall
Being the son of a military dad, Robert Duvall had his fair share of the military experience way before he even thought about drafting. Probably with the support of his father, he joined the U.S. Army in the early 50’s. It was during his Army service that he realized where he belonged – in front of the camera.
Robert Duvall
Sinbad
The hilarious Sinbad managed to get more than a few chuckles out of us in movies like, “Good Burger” and “Jingle All The Way”. Before the fame of Hollywood he found the stage of local bars and comedy clubs during his military service. He was soldier on a US Air Force base in Kansas, but that didn’t stop him from sneaking off-base to entertain the locals.
Sinbad
Vincent Pastore
Some actors are early bloomers, and then there are those like Vincent Pastore. Also known as Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero in “The Sopranos”, he only started acting in his forties. But before he came to Hollywood he actually served some time as a sailor in the US Navy.
Vincent Pastore