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28 Hollywood Icons Who Proudly Served in the US Armed Forces

28 Hollywood Icons Who Proudly Served in the US Armed Forces

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Humphrey Bogart

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

James 'Jimmy' Stewart

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Clark Gable

Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Henry Fonda

Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Bea Arthur

Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Kirk Douglas

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Paul Newman

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Harry Belafonte

Pictorial Parade / Getty Images

Mel Brooks

Archive Photos / Archive Photos via Getty Images

Sidney Poitier

Getty Images / Archive Photos via Getty Images

Gene Hackman

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Steve McQueen

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Clint Eastwood

Courtesy of United Artists

James Earl Jones

Jemal Countess / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Robert Duvall

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Moses Gunn

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Morgan Freeman

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Alan Alda

Matthew Eisman / Getty Images

Gene Wilder

Courtesy of Orion Pictures

Chuck Norris

Jerry Markland / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Elvis Presley

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Kris Kristofferson

Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)

Tom Selleck

Courtesy of CBS

Ice-T

Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

Rob Riggle

Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Jennifer Marshall

Courtesy of Netflix

Adam Driver

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

J.R. Martinez

Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

Humphrey Bogart
James 'Jimmy' Stewart
Clark Gable
Henry Fonda
Bea Arthur
Kirk Douglas
Paul Newman
Harry Belafonte
Mel Brooks
Sidney Poitier
Gene Hackman
Steve McQueen
Clint Eastwood
James Earl Jones
Robert Duvall
Moses Gunn
Morgan Freeman
Alan Alda
Gene Wilder
Chuck Norris
Elvis Presley
Kris Kristofferson
Tom Selleck
Ice-T
Rob Riggle
Jennifer Marshall
Adam Driver
J.R. Martinez

Serving one’s country is widely regarded as a tremendous sacrifice, especially during times of war. People from all backgrounds have dedicated themselves to various branches of the United States Military – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the Coast Guard – in order to serve their nation in whatever capacity they can. While most who enlist are everyday citizens, it might surprise some to learn that several of Hollywood's biggest stars have also spent part of their lives in service to the U.S. Armed Forces.

The motivations for enlisting in the military vary greatly from person to person. Many individuals choose to serve out of a deep sense of patriotism, driven by a desire to protect their nation and its people. Others enlist for more specific reasons – some seek to gain valuable life experience or travel the world, while others hope to pursue higher education through the GI Bill or acquire skills in a specific field that will benefit them in their civilian life.

During World War II, there were more than 250 films created that focused on the war (to date, there are more than 1,300 films dealing with the same topic). These movies had storylines that supported the Allied war effort and were considered significantly import, so much so that many famous stars could have avoided service at a time when the draft was in full effect.

However, many of them chose to enter service voluntarily (although some were also drafted) with the thought that they would rather be real soldiers or sailors than simply playing them on screen. Henry Fonda famously said “I don’t want to be in a fake war in a studio”, and some displayed some true bravery: Jimmy Stewart, for example, flew 20 missions on a B-24 Liberator bomber over Nazi-occupied Europe during the war, and retired as a brigadier general from the Air Force in 1968. (These are the best military movies of all time.)

To compile a list of famous actors who served in the U.S. military, whether they were volunteers or because they were drafted, 24/7 Tempo reviewed military-related sites such as the United Service Organizations (USO) and the National WWII Museum, as well as features written for the U.S. Department of Defense. The military experience listed below is only partial in most cases, and while it may be hard to envision well-known performers like Chuck Norris, Ice-T, and comedian Mel Brooks in the military, they did their part for their country by donning a uniform. (Many future chief executives of the United States were in the armed forces, as well. These are the presidents who served in the military.)

We excluded some celebrities who served their country in wartime but were not actually in the armed forces – for instance, Betty White, who in 1941 joined the American Women’s Voluntary Services, a volunteer support organization and not part of the military. We have also omitted people who became actors after their military service – most notably Western movie star Audie Murphy, one of America’s most decorated soldiers in WWII but who didn’t start acting until after the war, in 1948.

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