Before they were famous, and in some cases at the height of their fame, these stars traded scripts for uniforms. From Jimmy Stewart to Bob Ross, these 30 familiar faces served their country in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
Clark Gable – Army Air Forces
Clark Gable was already one of Hollywood's biggest stars when he joined the Army Air Forces during World War II. He went to England with the 351st Bomb Group as head of a motion picture unit, flew on bombing missions and was promoted to captain.
Henry Fonda – Navy
Henry Fonda enlisted in the Navy during World War II, saying, "I don't want to be in a fake war in a studio." He served as an officer in air combat intelligence in the Central Pacific and was awarded the Bronze Star.
Kirk Douglas – Navy
Kirk Douglas joined the Navy in 1941, shortly after the United States entered World War II, and served as a communications officer on an anti-submarine ship. He had changed his name from Izzy Demsky just before he enlisted.
Humphrey Bogart – Navy
With no clear career plans, Humphrey Bogart enlisted in the Navy in 1918, during World War I. He is seen here as a young sailor, left. During World War II, he tried to join again but was turned down because of his age.
Lee Marvin – Marine Corps
Lee Marvin enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942 at 18 and served as a scout sniper in the Pacific, taking part in the battles of Kwajalein and Saipan. Years later, he won an Oscar for the Western comedy "Cat Ballou."
Ernest Borgnine – Navy
Ernest Borgnine joined the Navy in 1935 right after high school and served until 1941, then enlisted again after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Two decades later, he went back to sea on TV as the star of "McHale's Navy."
Charlton Heston – Army Air Forces
Charlton Heston served two years in the Army Air Forces during World War II as a radio operator and air crewman on a B-25 bomber stationed in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. He later starred as Moses in "The Ten Commandments."
Bea Arthur – Marine Corps
In 1943, Bea Arthur became one of the first members of the Marine Corps Women's Reserve. She trained at the Motor Transport School at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, decades before she starred on "Maude" and "The Golden Girls."
Mel Brooks – Army
Mel Brooks was drafted into the Army in 1944, around the time he finished high school, and served in Europe during World War II. After the war, he turned to comedy and went on to make "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein."
Jack Lemmon – Navy
Jack Lemmon served in the Navy as an ensign and a communications officer on the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain. Ten years later, he won his first Oscar playing a Navy ensign in "Mister Roberts."
Don Adams – Marine Corps
Late in 1941, Don Adams joined the Marine Corps and fought in the Pacific, where he became seriously ill and spent more than a year recovering in a Navy hospital in New Zealand. He later became famous as Maxwell Smart on "Get Smart."
Steve McQueen – Marine Corps
Steve McQueen enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1947, with his mother's permission because he was not yet 18. After his service, he trained as an actor in New York and became one of Hollywood's coolest leading men.
Gene Hackman – Marine Corps
Gene Hackman joined the Marine Corps as a teenager and served four and a half years as a field radio operator. Decades later, he won Oscars for "The French Connection" and "Unforgiven."
James Earl Jones – Army
James Earl Jones served in the Army during the Korean War before he pursued a career in acting. His deep voice later made him famous as Darth Vader in "Star Wars."
Sidney Poitier – Army
In 1943, during World War II, Sidney Poitier lied about his age to join the Army. He was only 16. Two decades later, he became the first Black man to win the Oscar for best actor, for "Lilies of the Field."
Johnny Cash – Air Force
Johnny Cash enlisted in the Air Force in 1950 and spent four years in uniform, much of it in West Germany. Because the Air Force would not let him use initials as a first name, he went by "John R. Cash."
Morgan Freeman – Air Force
After high school, Morgan Freeman turned down a partial drama scholarship and enlisted in the Air Force instead, working as a radar repairman. He is seen here as a young airman.
Bob Barker – Navy
Bob Barker joined the Navy Reserve in 1943, during World War II, and trained to become a fighter pilot. The war ended before he saw combat, and he went on to host "The Price Is Right" for 35 years.
Johnny Carson – Navy
Johnny Carson joined the Navy in 1943 and went through officer training at Columbia University and Millsaps College. He went on to host "The Tonight Show" for 30 years.
Pat Sajak – Army
Pat Sajak served in the Army during the Vietnam War, working as a disc jockey on Armed Forces Radio in Vietnam. He later spent more than four decades hosting "Wheel of Fortune."
Alan Alda – Army Reserve
A member of ROTC in college, Alan Alda served six months in the Army Reserve at Fort Benning. He later spent 11 seasons playing Army surgeon Hawkeye Pierce on "M*A*S*H," seen here.
Tom Selleck – Army National Guard
When he received a draft notice during the Vietnam War, Tom Selleck enlisted in the California Army National Guard. He served as an infantryman from 1967 to 1973 and reached the rank of sergeant.
Chuck Norris – Air Force
In 1958, Chuck Norris joined the Air Force as an air policeman, serving at Osan Air Base in South Korea. After his service, he won many martial arts championships before turning to acting.
Mr. T – Army
Mr. T enlisted in the Army in 1975 and served in the Military Police Corps. He later became famous as B.A. Baracus, the tough ex-Army commando on "The A-Team."
Drew Carey – Marine Corps Reserve
Drew Carey enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1980 and served six years as a field radio operator in Ohio. He adopted his famous crew cut while in the Marines and kept the look long after.
Bob Ross – Air Force
Bob Ross enlisted in the Air Force in 1961 at 18 and rose to the rank of master sergeant before he retired in 1981. Soon after, the soft-spoken painter became a TV favorite on "The Joy of Painting."
Tony Bennett – Army
Tony Bennett was drafted into the Army in November 1944 and served as an infantryman in Europe in the final months of World War II. After the war, he went on to record "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."
Gene Wilder – Army
Gene Wilder was drafted into the Army in 1956 and chose to work as a paramedic in a military hospital in Pennsylvania so he could stay close to his acting lessons in New York. He later starred as Willy Wonka.
Jimmy Stewart – Army Air Forces
Already an Oscar winner, Jimmy Stewart joined the Army Air Forces during World War II, flew bombing missions over Europe and commanded a bomber squadron. He stayed in the Air Force Reserve and retired in 1968 as a one-star general.
Paul Newman – Navy
Paul Newman served in the Navy during World War II in the Pacific. He had hoped to become a pilot, but he was dropped from the program when doctors found he was colorblind. This is his official Navy photo.
