Hollywood is usually all about spotlights and scripts, but some actors do something more profound on-screen—experience in uniform. From before their name was in lights, these stars responded to a very different call of duty. From combat deployments to boot camp discipline, their military service defined who they were and, in many instances, how they approached acting. Here’s a top-ten countdown of ten actors whose military service should not be forgotten.
10. George Cantero
Before showing up in Apocalypse Now, George Cantero had a very different life: a soldier. He grew up in a military family and served in Vietnam before returning to acting. Cantero frequently stated that the grit and resolve he developed during that time motivated both his career and his efforts to mentor other veterans in Hollywood. Through groups such as Veterans in Media & Entertainment, he’s demonstrated how the battlefield’s lessons of perseverance can translate into storytelling.
9. Ernie Lively
Best recognized as Blake Lively’s father, Ernie Lively initially donned the uniform of an officer in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. After exiting service as a Captain, he went on to do decades of steady TV and film acting work, as well as becoming a widely respected acting coach. Several younger stars attributed their careers to him—testimony that the leadership and discipline he developed in the Marines carried over wonderfully well to Hollywood.
8. Richard Chaves
Richard Chaves will be remembered by Predator fans as Staff Sgt. Jorge “Poncho” Ramírez, but prior to Hollywood, he served as an infantryman in Vietnam. With the 196th Infantry Brigade, Chaves had three years of service with the Army before moving onto stage and screen. His realism as a soldier thrilled naturally—his performances had the gravitas of a man who’d lived the life.
7. R. Lee Ermey
Few actors embodied military toughness like R. Lee Ermey—and for good reason. Ermey spent more than a decade in the Marine Corps, including 14 months in Vietnam, before a medical discharge ended his service. He was originally hired as a technical advisor for Full Metal Jacket, but his no-nonsense attitude and genuine drill instructor presence landed him the iconic role of Gunnery Sgt. Hartman. Even after his Hollywood breakthrough, Ermey never stopped advocating for veterans and honoring the Corps.
6. Adam Driver
Before he wielded a lightsaber as Kylo Ren, Adam Driver wielded a rifle as a Marine. Inspired by the atrocities of 9/11, Driver enlisted in the Corps and became trained as an 81mm mortarman. A wound kept him from deploying, but he’s long praised the discipline and sense of mission the Marines provided him—abilities that transferred directly into his ferocious, nuanced work on camera.
5. James Stewart
Jimmy Stewart was not only America’s everyman—he was also an honored war hero. Enlisting in the Army Air Corps before America entered World War II, he piloted hazardous bombing runs over Europe and later remained a member of the Air Force Reserves. Stewart finally retired at the rank of brigadier general, the highest rank attained by a Hollywood star. His military command in real life lent authority to his screen appearances that audiences intuited from the start.
4. Clark Gable
Hollywood royalty Clark Gable volunteered after the devastating loss of his wife, Carole Lombard, who died in a wartime plane crash. Suspending his film career, Gable trained as a gunner and flew over Europe with B-17 bomber crews, surviving near misses in combat even. Beyond his stardom, he recorded aerial missions for the military, leaving both cinema and first-hand reports of the air war behind.
3. Bea Arthur
In between becoming a sitcom icon on The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur fought for her country during World War II as part of the U.S. Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. She typed, drove, and dispatched, rising to staff sergeant. When women in uniform were still trying to break barriers, Arthur’s service was trailblazing—and that sassy wit and commanding screen presence was a testament to that no-nonsense attitude.
2. Elvis Presley
The King of Rock and Roll did not dodge the draft—he welcomed it. When Presley enlisted in the Army in 1958, he went into service as an ordinary grunt, not in some soft PR position. Assigned to duty in Germany with an armored division, he did his time along with his comrades. His choice earned him respect well beyond his music public, demonstrating he was not only a cultural icon but also a soldier who was willing to serve just like everyone else.
1. Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone’s experience in Vietnam branded him—and inspired him. Volunteering for combat in 1967, he battled on the Cambodian border, survived ambushes, and was wounded twice, receiving both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. What he experienced gave fuel to his filmmaking, resulting in his iconic Vietnam War trilogy (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Heaven & Earth). Stone didn’t merely direct war movies; he rendered his lived experience into some of the rawest accounts of combat seen in cinema.
From backlot to battlefield, these actors demonstrate that the discipline, resilience, and courage developed during military service don’t vanish when the uniform is shed. In subdued supporting roles or iconic roles, their military service influenced how they spoke through their characters—and the way we recall them.