A native of Los Angeles, Morris played football at Los Angeles Junior College, then worked as a forest ranger. Army, WWII, '44-'46 4. He was an actor and writer, known for Black Scorpion (2001), The Making of 'and God Spoke' (1993) and A Dirty Shame (2004). When Ford promised that he would be rewarded, Johnson hoped it would be with another doubling job, or maybe a small speaking role. He also appeared in four Peckinpah-directed films: Major Dundee (1965, with Charlton Heston), The Wild Bunch (1969, with William Holden and Robert Ryan), and back-to-back Steve McQueen films, The Getaway and the rodeo film Junior Bonner (both 1972). Keep reading to learn about 100 actors who served in the military. He was a disc jockey for an Army radio station. From "Taxi Driver" and "Pulp Fiction" to "Reservoir Dogs" and "Thelma and Louise," Harvey Keitel has been playing tough, intense characters on screen for decades, dating all the way back to "Hogan's Heroes" in the 1960s. The world knows Charles Bronson as an unshakeable vigilante from the "Death Wish" series. Peckinpah appreciated Johnson's authenticity and lack of acting airs.[1]. You may also like: Famous authors who only wrote one novel. A decorated Army - Served as a Platoon Leader in Vietnam with the 5th Infantry division. Saw extensive action in the Pacific theater. Jerry Mathers was born on June 2, 1948 in Sioux City, Iowa, USA. In addition, he was also decorated for bravery by the governments of France and Belgium, and Army - WWII. Although he joined the Navy's V-12 program in the hopes of becoming a pilot, his color blindness kept him out of the cockpit. Johnson currently lives in Mesa, Ariz., with his wife of 48 years, Carol. For the last 20 or so years, Clark has been doing stand-up comedy on the club circuit, on "The Tonight Show", on HBO comedy specials, on [error] and Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993). Within a few years of his arrival in Hollywood, Studi caught the attention Army - drafted in '67 and served in Vietnam. He did stunt-double work for . Afterward, Navy - served during World War II on the USS Cyrene. for, [speaking about how his life was affected by winning the Oscar for. After joining the Army in 1939, however, Brand caught the acting bug while making training films for the government. Fighter ace who downed seven Japanese aircraft while flying from the U.S.S. Saw brief action in the Pacific Theater as a transport pilot. But if called upon to portray a member of the Armed Forces on screen, many actors could draw from their own life experience. Sidney Poitier was a native of Cat Island, Bahamas, although born, two months prematurely, in Miami during a visit by his parents, Evelyn (Outten) and Reginald James Poitier. Once claimed to have been wounded in Vietnam but later apologized for lying. You know, I'd say that aside from Mr. Ford's [, [on leaving Oklahoma for Hollywood, where he became a horse wrangler He didn't see action, but he began acting during that time, and the media frequently conflated his on-stage performances with actual wartime combat. Neville Brand earned 139 credits over more than 35 years between 1949 and 1985, including "Stalag 17" and "Tora! You may also like: 100 best movies of all time. You may also like: 30 celebrities you might not know are LGBTQ. As a kid in the 1930s growing up in a tough New York neighborhood, kinetic wiseguy Larry Storch took in the multi-ethnic flavor of his surroundings and started blurting out various accents as a juvenile to provoke laughs and earn attention. He was selected among 6,000 trainees for promotion to squad leader. You may also like: 100 best Western films of all time, according to critics. After being kicked out of high school at age 15, Brooklyn-born Keitel joined the Marines and served in Lebanon as part of an anti-communism force cobbled together by President Dwight Eisenhower. The young Freeman Air Force - Joined in 1955 and served as a radar technician. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, served as a US Navy frogman during WWII and saw action on Iwo Jima.While constable of Crockett, California, he drove his brother Guido to Navy - In 1944, at age 18, he entered the Navy, serving as a frogman until 1946; he saw action at Okinawa with UDT-17. The Cleveland native served in the Marine Corps Reserve from 19801986. Sherman Alexander Hemsley, Air Force veteran and actor, was born on Feb. 1, 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The notorious nonconformist was court-martialed three times before receiving a general discharge in 1957. the Latin from Manhattanenjoyed a 30-year career that spanned from the 1930s to the 1960s and included success on stage, in films, and on TV. Van Cleef started out as an accountant. Tall and laconic, Johnson brought authenticity to many roles in Westerns with his droll manner and expert horsemanship.The son of a rancher, Johnson arrived in Hollywood to deliver a consignment of horses for a film. Little did he know that this early talent would take him Navy - WWII. He had a comfortable, middle-class upbringing in nearby Bill Cosby is one of the world's most well-known entertainers and comedians. Curtis himself admits that while he had almost no formal education, he was a student of the "school of hard knocks" and learned from a young age that the only Robert Montgomery was born Henry Montgomery Jr., the elder son of New York businessman Henry Montgomery and his wife, Mary Weed (Barney), a native of Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. Known for his roles in "Cocoon" and "First Blood," Brian Dennehy continues to rack up credits more than 40 years after his debut in an episode of "Kojak" in 1977. Oscar winner Jeff Bridges comes from a Coast Guard familyhis father and his brother Beau, a fellow actor, also served. Flew at least one mission over North Vietnam in a B-52 bomber. He's also a veteran of the military. Chuck Norris is familiar to fans worldwide as the star of action films such as The Hitman (1991), The Delta Force (1986) and Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990). If your organization is interested in becoming a Stacker A Palance was a boxer who later served in the Air Force as a bomber pilot and went on to Stanford on the G.I. His father was a traveling salesman Army - WWII. It appeared to work as he has since starred WWII veteran, dance instructor and diversely talented stage & screen actor were all inclusions on the resume of this perpetually busy US actor who didn't get in front of the cameras until around the time of his fortieth birthday. Expelled from high school for fighting, Warden worked as both a boxer and a bouncer in his youth. After graduating from Yale, Dennehy joined the Marines, the organization which he credits for much of his future success. A native of New Jersey and son of a mechanic, African-American John Amos has relied on his imposing build, eruptive nature and strong, forceful looks to obtain acting jobs, and a serious desire for better roles to earn a satisfying place in the annals of film and TV. His favorites were jazz and big band. His high intelligence got him assigned to a specialized unit; he was sent to the front in Europe and fought in heavy combat, including the Battle of the Bulge. Most of the actors who served will be remembered not for their service in a foreign theater overseas, but for their films that filled seats in movie theaters back home. He has found it a constant American leading man famed as the star of one of the longest-running shows in U.S. television history, Gunsmoke (1955). Knight landed his own TV series and is also famous for memorable roles in "Caddyshack," "The Love Boat," and "Too Close For Comfort." Nickname Son Height 6 2 (1.88 m) Mini Bio Born in Oklahoma, Ben Johnson was a ranch hand and rodeo performer when, in 1940, Howard Hughes hired him to take a load of horses to California. After being expelled from high school, the man born Laurence Tureaud served in the Army as a military policeman. Stayed in the Air Force Reserve retiring as a Brigadier General. Sherman Hemsley played characters known to be wise-cracking, "Weezy" loving, boisterous fools which America and the entire world laughed with kindheartedly. Asner served in the Army Signal Corps in the early 1950s. Don Adams was born in New York, to a father of Hungarian Jewish descent, and a mother of German and Irish ancestry. He had one older brother, Bernard, who Leonard Simon Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Dora (Spinner) and Max Nimoy, who owned a barbershop. You may also like: The 100 best TV shows of all time, Gene Hackman dropped out of high school and lied about his age to join the Marines at the age of 16 and in 1947, he was sent to serve as a radio operator in China. Museum in 1982. With films like "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money" on his resume, the late Paul Newman is one of Hollywood's most celebrated actors. The paper backed up that bold claim with the fact that Hill's shows were broadcast into 100 countries, a feat even Charlie Chaplin never matched. oh, I might take a drink now and then, but you know what I mean. The actor died of a heart attack. What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled? He was an actor, known for Shaft (1971), Rollerball (1975) and Heartbreak Ridge (1986). joined in 1947, honorably discharged in 1950. Charles Durning was a multi-genre talent who scored multiple Academy Award nominations for movies like "The Best Little Wh**house in Texas" and "To Be or Not to Be," as well as a Tony win for his role in the play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Served in the Military Police Corps. Stacker distribution partners receive a license to all Stacker stories, He graduated from Princeton with a history degree in 1954 and joined the Navy before giving acting a thought. republish under a Creative Commons License, and we encourage you to served forty-two months in the South Pacific, from January 1942 until August 1945. restrictions, which you can review below. He continued ranching during the entire time, operating a horse-breeding ranch in Sylmar, California. Jack Warden was born John Warden Lebzelter, Jr. on September 18, 1920 in Newark, New Jersey, to Laura M. (Costello) and John Warden Lebzelter. [1], Johnson continued to work almost steadily until his death from a heart attack at the age of 77. Johnson and his father, Ben Johnson, Sr., were champion steer ropers. As a young man, Jones entered the Army during the Korean War, but he remained in America supporting cold-weather training in Colorado. The Navy sailor served in a submarine force in the Pacific theater during World War II. Bill to attend the American Theatre Wing after he was honorably discharged. Also an accomplished academic and musician, Kristofferson joined the Army in 1960, became a helicopter pilot, and achieved the rank of captain. Some of history's biggest stars served their countries in times of war and peace. Richard Kline was born on April 29, 1944 in New York City, New York, USA. Following his military service he attended Southern Methodist One of the most prolific character actors of his time starting with his role of Santini in the Blackboard Jungle (1955). He grew up in poverty as the son of farmers, with his father also driving a cab in Nassau. If anyone knows any others, please comment. He co-starred in the 1994 version of Angels in the Outfield. Carney was drafted as an infantryman right out of high school and served in World War II. Grew up in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Maine. [3] In addition, he sponsored the Ben Johnson Pro Celebrity Team Roping and Penning competition, held in Oklahoma City and in Katy, Texas, the proceeds of which are donated to both the Children's Medical Research Inc. and the Children's Hospital of Oklahoma.