27 Famous Actors Who Served in the U.S. Military Before Hollywood

Not every Hollywood career begins on a film set. For some of the industry’s most recognizable actors, life started in a very different environment—serving in the U.S. military. Before becoming household names, these individuals spent time in uniform, gaining experiences that would shape both their personal lives and, in some cases, their careers in entertainment.

Military service has long drawn people from all walks of life, including those who would later find fame on the big screen. Whether motivated by duty, opportunity, or circumstance, these actors served in branches such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Their time in the military offers a lesser-known perspective on their lives and highlights a unique connection between service and stardom.

To compile this list, 24/7 Tempo reviewed information from trusted sources, including the United Service Organizations (USO), the National WWII Museum, and materials from the U.S. Department of Defense. Only actors who formally served in the military are included.

• Enlisted in: 1918
• Branch of Service: Navy
• Best known for: “Casablanca,” “The African Queen,” “To Have and Have Not”
• Bogart served as coxswain in addition to ferrying troops between Europe and the U.S. after the armistice. He tried to re-enlist during WWII but was rejected due to age.

• Enlisted in: 1941
• Branch of Service: Army Air Corps
• Best known for: “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “It’s a Wonderful Life”
• Stewart piloted a B-24 Liberator and served with the Strategic Air Command after 1947. He retired as brigadier-general, the highest rank of any actor in military history.

• Enlisted in: 1942
• Branch of Service: Army Air Forces
• Best known for: “It Happened One Night,” “Gone with the Wind,” and “Anatomy of a Murder”
• Gable flew combat missions as part of a motion picture unit out of England with the U.S. 351st Bomb Group.

• Enlisted in: 1942
• Branch of Service: Navy
• Best known for: “12 Angry Men,” “On Golden Pond,” “The Grapes of Wrath,” and “The Wrong Man”
• Fonda served as quartermaster on a destroyer and joined the Air Combat Intelligence Unit in the Pacific. He served three years in Naval Reserve.

• Enlisted in: 1942
• Branch of Service: Army
• Best known for: “To Hell and Back,” “Destry,” “Gunsmoke,” “Drums Across the River”
• Murphy was denied entry to the Marines because of his size, but falsified his age to join the Army at 17. He is the most decorated American actor in military history, having been awarded the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star twice, and the Legion of Merit.

• Enlisted in: 1943
• Branch of Service: Marine Corps Women’s Reserve
• Best known for: “All in the Family,” “Maude,” “The Golden Girls”
• Arthur was a truck driver and dispatcher and was honorably discharged in 1945 with the rank of staff sergeant.

• Enlisted in: 1943
• Branch of Service: Navy
• Best known for: “Spartacus,” “The Vikings,” “Lust for Life”
• Douglas was a gunnery and communications officer in anti-submarine warfare in the Pacific.

• Enlisted in: 1943
• Branch of Service: Navy
• Best known for: “Cool Hand Luke,” “The Hustler,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”
• Newman was trained as a radioman and rear gunner, and flew with torpedo squadrons.

• Enlisted in: 1944
• Branch of Service: Navy
• Best known for: “Odds Against Tomorrow,” “Kansas City,” “Bobby”
• Belafonte loaded military ships for the Pacific theater in a segregated unit.

• Enlisted in: 1944
• Branch of Service: Army
• Best known for: “Spaceballs,” “The Producers,” and “Blazing Saddles”
• Brooks served as a combat engineer deactivating land mines and booby traps. After WWII, he toured army bases as an entertainer.

• Enlisted in: 1945
• Branch of Service: Army
• Best known for: “In the Heat of the Night,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “Lilies of the Field”
• Poitier lied about his age to enlist and worked with psychiatric patients at a VA hospital.

• Enlisted in: 1946
• Branch of Service: Marine Corps
• Best known for: “The French Connection,” “The Conversation,” “Unforgiven”
• Hackman lied about his age to enlist and worked as a field radio operator in China, Japan, and Hawaii.

• Enlisted in: 1947
• Branch of Service: Marines
• Best known for: “The Great Escape,” “Bullitt,” “The Getaway,” and “Papillon”
• McQueen was assigned to an armored unit and was demoted from PFC to private seven times. He went absent without leave, resisted arrest, and served 41 days in the brig.

• Drafted in: 1951
• Branch of Service: Army
• Best known for: “Unforgiven,” “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” “Million Dollar Baby”
• Eastwood was a lifeguard and a swimming instructor at Fort Ord, California, during the Korean War.

• Drafted in: 1953
• Branch of Service: Army
• Military experience: Attended Ranger School; helped establish a cold-weather training facility in Colorado
• Best known for: “The Lion King,” voice of Darth Vader in the first Star Wars movies, “Coming to America”
• Jones attended Ranger School and helped establish a cold-weather training facility in Colorado.

• Drafted in: 1953
• Branch of Service: Army
• Military experience: Served after the end of the Korean War, attaining the rank of Private First Class
• Best known for: “Apocalypse Now,” “The Apostle,” “Open Range,” “Tender Mercies”
• Duvall served after the end of the Korean War and attained the rank of Private First Class.

• Drafted in: 1954
• Branch of Service: Army
• Best known for: “Shaft,” “Heartbreak Ridge,” “Ragtime,” and “Rollerball”
• Gunn served for three years in Germany; details about his service are unknown.

• Enlisted in: 1955
• Branch of Service: Air Force
• Best known for: “Driving Miss Daisy,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Se7en”
• Freeman worked as a radar repairman and was honorably discharged as an airman first class.

• Enlisted in: 1956
• Branch of Service: Army Reserve
• Best known for: “M.A.S.H.,” “The Four Seasons,” “Crimes and Misdemeanors”
• Alda served at Fort Benning and then spent six months as a gunnery officer in Korea.

• Drafted in: 1956
• Branch of Service: Army
• Best known for: “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein”
• Wilder joined the medical corps where he served as a paramedic at Valley Forge Army Hospital.

• Enlisted in: 1957
• Branch of Service: Air Force
• Best known for: “Way of the Dragon,” “Walker, Texas Ranger”
• Norris served as an Air Policeman in South Korea and California.

• Drafted in: 1958
• Branch of Service: Army
• Best known for: “Girls! Girls! Girls!,” “Tickle Me,” and “G.I. Blues”
• Presley served as an armor intelligence specialist with the 3rd Armored Division in Germany.

• Enlisted in: 1960
• Branch of Service: Army
• Military experience: Trained as a helicopter pilot; completed Ranger School; taught English at West Point
• Best known for: “A Star Is Born,” “Blade,” “Payback”
• Kristofferson trained as a helicopter pilot. He completed Ranger School and taught English at West Point.

• Enlisted in: 1967
• Branch of Service: National Guard
• Best known for: “Blue Bloods,” “Magnum P.I.,” and “Three Men and a Baby”
• Selleck served in the 160th Infantry Regiment of the California National Guard and avoided being drafted into the Army.

• Enlisted in: 1977
• Branch of Service: Army
• Best known for: “Rhyme Pays” and other rap albums, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “New Jack City”
• Rapper-turned-actor Ice-T served in the 25th Infantry Division and became a squad leader in Hawaii.

• Enlisted in: 1990
• Branch of Service: Marine Corps
• Best known for: “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “The Hangover,” “The Daily Show”
• Riggle was a public relations officer in New York City and served in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and elsewhere. He retired as lieutenant colonel.

• Enlisted in: 1998
• Branch of Service: Navy
• Best known for: “Stranger Things,” “Timeless,” “Mysteries Decoded”
• Marshall worked in aviation logistics in California and on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, and was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.