How Many Hollywood Greats also Generals?

K

Konrad

Active member
I was watching the excellent TCM doc "I am King Kong" about Merian C. Cooper who retired a Brigadier General (one star.) I know Jimmy Stewart retired from the Air Force Reserve as a Major General (two star.) I was just wondering how many other Hollywood greats were also real Generals?
 
I found this on another forum (I cut and copy a reply of stats); not sure how many generals (Not too many Generals as it is)

This is a partial list of actors who suspended their careers to serve in the United States Armed Forces after America was attacked on December 7, 1941 …

Eddie Albert - U.S. Navy … Saw combat on Saipan and Tarawa. Earned the Bronze Star.

Gene Autry – U.S. Army Air Corps … Flew cargo planes in China, Burma and India

Humphrey Bogart – U.S. Navy … Wounded in World War I, he tried to enlist after Pearl Harbor but was turned down because of his age.

Neville Brand - U.S. Army … Wounded in action

Jackie Coogan – U.S. Army Air Corps ... Volunteered for hazardous duty with the 1st Air Commando Group

James Daly – U.S. Army and U.S. Navy

Sammy Davis, Jr. – U.S. Army … Assigned to Special Services Command

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. – U.S. Navy ... Served on a battleship and as a commando raider. Helped to organize the forerunners of today's Navy SEALs.

Henry Fonda - U.S. Navy ... Served aboard a destroyer in the Pacific. Earned a Bronze Star for Valor.

Glenn Ford – U.S. Marine Corps … Earned a number of citations and awards for combat action. After the war, he transferred his commission to the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Clark Gable – U.S. Army Air Corps … Enlisted in 1942 at age 41. Volunteered for combat duty and flew missions over Germany. Earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.

Charlton Heston – U.S. Army Air Corps … B-25 gunner; saw action in the Pacific.

William Holden – U.S. Army Air Corps … Served 1942-1945. His brother, a U.S. Navy pilot, was killed in the Pacific in 1944.

Brian Keith – U.S. Marine Corps … Saw combat on Rabal

Werner Klemperer – U.S. Army … Stationed in Hawaii as a Military Policeman, he auditioned for and was accepted into Maurice Evans' Special Services unit.

Nancy Kulp – U.S. Navy … Served as a Navy WAVE

Bert Lancaster – U.S. Army … Served in Tunisia and Italy

Tim McCoy - Served in both World War I and World War II

Ed McMahon – U.S. Marine Corps … Became a fighter pilot in 1944. Recalled to active duty in 1952 for the Korean War and flew 85 combat missions.

Burgess Meredith – U.S. Army Air Corps

Glenn Miller – U.S. Army … Assigned to the Army Specialist Corps. Convinced the Military that he could modernize the Army Band and improve the morale of the troops. Organized the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band. His plane disappeared on 15 December 1944 over the English Channel.

Robert Montgomery – U.S. Navy … Enlisted in the British Military before American joined the war and drove ambulances in France until the Dunkirk invasion. When America entered the war, he joined the U.S. Navy and served as a Naval Attaché on British destroyers hunting German U-Boats. He commanded a PT boat and participated in the D-Day invasion aboard a destroyer.

Wayne Morris – U.S. Navy … Flew 57 combat missions in the Pacific. Shot down seven Japanese aircraft, becoming an “Ace”. Credited with assisting the sinking of five Japanese warships.

Lee Powell – U.S. Marine Corps … Saw action at Tarawa and Saipan before being killed in action in the Marianas.

Tyrone Power – U.S. Marine Corps … Enlisted immediately after Pearl Harbor. Flew wounded Marines from Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Gene Raymond - Served in both World War II and Vietnam

Ronald Reagan – U.S. Army Air Corps … Enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1937; commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and was called to active duty in 1942. Because of a hearing loss, he was not allowed to fly, so he was assigned to make training films.

John Russell – U.S. Marine Corps … Wounded at Guadalcanal

Robert Ryan - U.S. Marine Corps … Served with the O.S.S. in Yugoslavia

Rod Serling – U.S. Army … Severely wounded by shrapnel during the invasion of the Philippines

Jimmy Stewart – U.S. Army Air Corps … Flew B-17 and B-24 combat missions, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, France's Croix de Guerre and 7 Battle Stars. His son, 1st Lt. Ronald McLean, was killed in Vietnam in 1969.

Lewis Stone - Served in the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II

These actors attempted to serve but were turned down because of medical conditions … Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, Cary Grant, Bob Hope, Peter Lawford, Gregory Peck, George Raft, John Wayne and Richard Widmark

---

This is a complete list of actors who suspended their careers to enlist in the United States Armed Forces after America was attacked on September 11, 2001 …

None.
 
Thanks.

Not a Hollywood great but Julia Child the grand dame of American cooking was in the OSS (for runner of CIA) in WWII.
 
Men and women were definitely cut from a different cloth back then. At least there are some (celebs) that are working with the USO to entertain the troops. Not the same as volunteering for action but I think it does help the troops a bit. The only celebs I can think of that has volunteered recently was Pat Tilman from the Arizona Cardinals who fell in Afghanistan, and Pat Daly, son of Chicago mayor Richard Daly enlisted in the army.
 
My grandfather served in the Navy during WW2, and he told me a story that I always find really telling about the time period. One of the guys on his boat was called "Shorty" by everyone because of his height. He has managed to bribe an official into letting him enlist, even though he was a foot too short, had asthma, and was TWO YEARS too young. This guy wanted to serve his country so badly, he bribed his way in. I've got a ton of great stories like that, but I'll save those for another time.
 
Awesome; all of them

Man it was just a different era. An age of innocence and its gone. Now we have MTV and reality shows.
 
not generals...some not great...but whateva

oliver stone - was in vietnam
John Frankenheimer - in the motion picture squadron of the air force
elvis - army
Dale Dye - not a hollywood great...but is behind alot of the military advisory done for alot of the epic war movies from the 80's to today. he also acts in alot of the films he advises for, you might recognize him. he was in the marines.
 
John_Hudson said:
Humphrey Bogart – U.S. Navy … Wounded in World War I, he tried to enlist after Pearl Harbor but was turned down because of his age.
Click to expand...
Bogart took an injury to the face that permanently scarred his lip...this, ironically, gave him the very unique speech pattern for which he is so well known. Also, he tried to enlist in WWII but was turned down because of his age.

Some other greatest generation actors who served:

-Don Adams - USMC, Contracted malaria on Guadalcanal

-John Agar - US Army Air Corps, Sergeant.
(He appeared in the Combat! episode "The Mockingbird.")

-James Arness - US Army, Wounded at Anzio. Purple Heart and Bronze Star

-Martin Balsam - US Army.

-James Best - US Army Air Corps.
(He appeared in the Combat! episode "Mail Call.")

-Richard Boone - US Navy.

-Mel Brooks (Melvin Kaminsky) joined army in WWII and became a combat engineer. Cleared German mines after the Battle of the Bulge. He organized shows for the US troops, and when the German army began transmitting propaganda over loudspeakers Brooks is said to have replied with a version of Al Jolson's 'Toot-toot-tootsie'. (Information from BBC H2G2.)

-Charles Bronson - US Army. Conflicting stories...
(Bronson appeared in the Combat! episode "Heritage.")

-Richard Burton - Royal Navy.

-Art Carney - US Army. Carney went to Normandy in July of 1944 as a replacement to the 28th Division in position around St Lô. He was part of a 30 calibre machine gun squad. On 15 August 1944 he had just taken up his position and was hit in the right leg by mortar shrapnel. After receiving field treatment, he was sent back to Britain and then the US. He once said of his military career, "Never fired a shot and maybe never wanted to. I really cost the government money."

-Julia Child served with the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) in Ceylon and China during WWII.

-Jeff Chandller - US Army.

-Robert Clary - In a Nazi concentration camp

-Tony Curtis - US Navy joined 1943 at age 17. In Tokyo Bay he watched the surrender ceremonies from the Signal Bridge of the USS Proteus.

-Ossie Davis - US Army

-Kirk Douglas - US Navy

-Charles Durning - US Army. Durning landed at Omaha Beach in the D-Day invasion. He survived the landing, but was wounded in an ambush during the Battle of the Bulge. He was captured, escaped, and narrowly missed assassination at the Malmedy Massacre. He won three Purple Hearts and the Silver Star. He still carries his memories and battle fatigue to this day.

-Maurice Evans was in a Special Entertainment Unit that toured the south Pacific.

-Frank Gorshin - US Army (Appeared in the Combat episode The Medal)

-Shecky Greene - US Navy

-Alan Hale US Coast Guard during WWII.

-Sterling Hayden USMC

-Jack Hawkins - Volunteered to serve in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He spent most of his military career arranging entertainment for the British forces in India

-David Hedison

-Audrey Hepburn, as a child she was a courier for World War II resistance fighters in Holland

-Benny Hill - British Army

-Rick Jason - US Army Air Corps

-Bob Keeshan - ("Captain Kangaroo") U.S. Marines, enlisted two weeks before his 18th birthday. He saw no combat because his enlistment was just two months before the bombing of Hiroshima

-George Kennedy - US Army, served 16 Years

-Don Knotts - USA 1943

-Jack Lemmon - US Navy Reserve 1945-1946

-Strother Martin - US Navy Swimming instructor

-Lee Marvin - US Marines, wounded in the battle of Saipan

-Patrick MacNee British Royal Navy.

-Steve McQueen USMC

-Jan Merlin - Enlisted in US Navy April, 1942, served as a destroyer torpedoman until April 1946, honorably discharged. Played Roger Manning, Space Cadet!

-Gary Merrill US Army

-Audie Murphy - US Army, most decorated soldier of WWII

-David Niven Royal Army. His relates several charming tales of his war service (including the time he lets a German general slip away) in his autobiography The Moon's a Balloon

-Caroll O’Connor - Merchant Marines 1942

-Jack Palance US Army Air Corps. 455th bomb group. Required facial reconstruction from terrible injuries received in 1943 when his B17 crash landed in Britain.

-Dick Peabody - US Navy

-Anthony Quayle Royal Artillery

-Jason Robards Jr - US Navy. He was a radioman on duty at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack. He wrote about his experiences in A Hell of a War.

-Carl Reiner Entered army In 1942 and trained as a radio operator. He later studied French on assignment at Georgetown University to become an interpreter, but became a teletype operator in the Signal Corps where, on the way to Iwo Jima from Hawaii, was assigned to Maurice Evans' Special Entertainment Unit. For 18 months, he toured the South Pacific as a comedian in GI reviews.

-Don Rickles - US Navy. Destroyer duty. He has said of one deployment, "It was so hot and humid, the crew rotted."

-Andy Rooney - (okay, not an actor, but he is a TV personality) Sergeant, US Army. Early in war served with artillery regiment assigned to England. Joined Stars And Stripes in London. In 1943, Rooney is among first correspondents allowed aboard B-17 bombers attacking Germany. He wrote of his war experiences in the book My War.

-Mickey Rooney - US Army. PFC. Served 21 months with a unit that entertained the troops

-Albert Salmi - US Army.
(He appeared in the Combat! episode "Cat and Mouse.")

-Charles Schultz (cartoonist) - US Army. Staff sergeant and leader of machine gun squad.

-Robert Stack - US Navy. Because of his expertise as an Olympic champion skeet shooter, he was assigned to teach anti-aircraft gunnery.

-Rod Stieger - Torpedoman, US Navy. Falsified his age to enlist at 16

-Judge Wapner of The People's Court was saved from a sniper's bullet when it lodged in a can of tuna he was carrying while an Army officer in the Pacific

-Eli Wallach Sergeant US Army Medical Corps as an admin clerk.

-Jack Warden Served in the 101st Airborne during WWII.

-James Whitmore - USMC. WWII interrupted his pre-law studies at Yale. He received his degree while at boot camp and served as an officer in the Marine Corps.
(He appeared in the Combat! episode "The Cassock")


Actors who served during other times:
Alan Bates - Royal Air Force, Michael Caine - Royal Fusiliers, Sean Connery - Royal Navy
 
Don't forget:

CaptMench - USAF. Served San Antonio, Washington DC, Travis AFB. Awarded Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. National Defence Medal. Operations OEF/OIF Service Medal. His units have won 3 Distinguished Service ribbons.

Then there's Skettalee -- GenJerDan -- plus a few more.

CaptM
 
One other that I forgot...
Desmond Llewelyn (the beloved "Q" from the Bond films) was in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and was taken prisoner in 1940. He spent five years in German POW camps.
 
let's not forget that after 9/11 Bruce willis contacted the white house and tried to be placed in the military but was turned away because he's older than dick cheyney
 
Hans Moleman said:
let's not forget that after 9/11 Bruce willis contacted the white house and tried to be placed in the military but was turned away because he's older than dick cheyney
Click to expand...

Hey! I went to college with Bruce. :angry:
 
Hans Moleman said:
let's not forget that after 9/11 Bruce willis contacted the white house and tried to be placed in the military but was turned away because he's older than dick cheyney
Click to expand...
Are you serious? I have a new respect for him beyond Die Hard!
 
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