Stars who served in WW2

[m10bob]

This may explain why people confuse Don Adams with Don Knotts?

http://wyolife.com/kerryfest/WWII%20Actors.htm

[crsutton]

Interesting.

Also have to consider the many other public figures who went to war. I learned last night (on Antiques Road Show of all places) that Robert Trent Jones, served in the army in WWII were he developed a lifelong friendship with Dwight Eisenhower.


It is a very incomplete source. Not mentioned are any black actors. Such as Ozzie Davis who served in the army.

Also missing to name a few. Jack Lemmon, Lee Marvin, Carl Reiner, Caroll O'Connor (USMM), Richard Boone, Mel Brooks, Richard Burton, Julia Child (OSS in Ceylon), Sterling Hayden, Patrick McNee, Steve McQueen, Jason Robards (present at Pearl Harbor), Andy Rooney, Mickey Rooney, Charles Schultz, Rod Serling, Rod Steiger (enlisted at 16), Eli Wallich, Judge Wapner, Jack Warden, and my personal hero Benny Hill.

Bogey served in WWI but was turned down when he tried to enlist in WWII.

I just grabbed these names from another list. I am sure there are more.

[witpqs]

Wow, Don Adams a USMC drill instructor - if he had it in for you he could make you laugh then make you regret it!

[morganbj]

One of the funniest things I ever heard was Peter Ustinov telling the story of being attached to the home guard while waiting for the Germans to invade England.  He was apparently put in a position with two polish soldiers who spoke no English.  I don't remember much of the story, but do recall that the three of them had one functioning rifle that had been "carried by one of Wellington's finest," as he said.  They rotated on who got to hold it.
 
I wish I knew the whole story.  It was great.
 
I didn't realize that he was Lt COl's Niven's batman.

[wdolson]

Walt Disney had a dishonorable discharge from the USN. On his Wonderful World of Disney program, he had the certificate framed and mounted on the wall behind his desk. When word got out what the certificate was, the Navy offered to change his status to an honorable discharge, but Disney refused.

Andy Rooney was the only journalist to get a medal for combat. He flew some missions with the 8th AF and received, I think, a silver star for what he went through.

Jimmy Stewart was probably the most famous example of a celebrity who put himself in harm's way. He was a B-24 pilot in the 8th AF. His CO sweated bullets every time Stewart flew a mission.

Bill

[rjopel]

ORIGINAL: wdolson

Walt Disney had a dishonorable discharge from the USN. On his Wonderful World of Disney program, he had the certificate framed and mounted on the wall behind his desk. When word got out what the certificate was, the Navy offered to change his status to an honorable discharge, but Disney refused.

snip
Bill

The Disney part is Urban Legend. http://www.snopes.com/disney/waltdisn/discharge.asp

Disney served in the American Ambulance Corps, a division of the Red Cross, just after WW1 ended. He never served in the Armed Forces and never recieved a "dishonorable discharge" from the US Military or the American Red Cross.

[wdolson]

I stand corrected.

Bill

[Howard Mitchell]

There is a marvellous annecdote about David Niven at wikipedia (so it must be true):
 
About to lead his men into a battle with an expectation of heavy casualties, Niven eased their nervousness by telling them, "It's all very well for you chaps, but I'll have to do this all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!"

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

The most "exposed" examples are of course:

Jimmy Stewart (who was a bomber pilot and really did fly combat missions against Germany - he ended up as USAF general [:)])

Clark Gable (he was machine gunner in bomber and also flew combat missions against Germany



Leo "Apollo11"

[YankeeAirRat]

A number of good books about movie/radio/theater stars in military service look for the following:
 
US Navy stars: Stars in Blue
US Marine Stars: Stares in the Corps
US Army/ USAAF Stars: Stars in Khaki
International Stars: International Stars at War
 
These are some pretty interesting books to own. They do only really provided a quick two page over view of some more famous stars (like Bill Cosby being a USN Corpsman, Eddie Albert in the Navy during World War 2, Charles Durning survived the Malmedy Massacre with severe PTSD, Alec Guiness was a able bodied seaman during the Dunkirk rescue, etc).

[Feinder]

James Doohan and Gene Rodenbery served as well.
 
-F-

[wdolson]

Due to this thread, I read the Wikipeadia article on James Doohan yesterday.  He lost a finger and got hit 6 times by a jittery sentry with a bren gun shortly after D-Day.  One bullet hit him in the chest, but a silver cigarette case stopped the round.

I didn't know it, but he did a lot of the disembodied voices on Star Trek.  He had a talent for different voices that rivaled Mel Blank.  Too bad he didn't get much work after Star Trek.  Being in an SF series can be the kiss of death for an acting career, when in reality, SF actors have to be pretty good (if they are convincing) because they have to interact with special effects that aren't there on the day of shooting.

Bill

[Doggie]

Andy Rooney thinks American troops were a bunch of dumb asses

In August of 1941, I had just finished my junior year in college when I was drafted into the Army. Hundreds of my classmates were drafted at the same time.

I hated everything about Army life. I hated the Field Artillery regiment I was assigned to. Most of the guys in it were high school dropouts and the Army wasn't using the term "moral waiver," yet but a lot of them would have needed it.

They had joined before the draft so they had already been promoted to being corporals or sergeants and they were in charge of the rest of us.

In 1942 we were at war with Germany and it wasn't long before drafted college students and high school graduates dominated our military. It changed the United States Army for the better and in two years made it the best fighting force there has ever been. The Army and Navy were no longer made up of losers.

That's right. Rich kids like Rooney won the war. The losers fumbled their way through Coral Sea, Wake Island, and Bataan.

[Chijohnaok2]

ORIGINAL: YankeeAirRat

Eddie Albert in the Navy during World War 2,

From Wikipedia:

World War II

Albert served as a lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard in the Pacific during World War II. A genuine war hero, he was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions during the Battle of Tarawa in 1943, when, as a landing ship pilot, he rescued multiple wounded Marines while under heavy enemy machine-gun fire. He later described some of these events during a short interview in a segment of a program about the war, which appeared on the History Channel. He also discussed it with Col. Ollie North on his series, War Stories (FOX). Albert returned from the war a different actor with a darker screen persona, although it would take another ten years before he became better known to audiences.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Albert

[YankeeAirRat]

My bad. I am traveling and away from all of my references including those books that I referenced in my post. I knew Eddie Albert was at Tarawa, I just couldn't remember if it was in USCG or USN.  I also don't always put my full faith in what is posted at Wikipedia. It is like the online version of the History Channel.

[Canoerebel]

Wow, Robert Clary of Hogan's Heroes fame (he was "Lebeau") was deported to a concentration camp where many members of his family died.  And Werner Klemper ("Colonel Clink") served in the US military. Thanks for the link, M1bob, it taught me a few things.

[EWGuttag]

Apollo 11,
 
You're right about Jimmy Stewart as a B-17 pilot (and didn't want any publicity about it or to be treated differently from any other bomber pilot, including being assigned to tough missions).

[m10bob]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Wow, Robert Clary of Hogan's Heroes fame (he was "Lebeau") was deported to a concentration camp where many members of his family died.  And Werner Klemper ("Colonel Clink") served in the US military. Thanks for the link, M1bob, it taught me a few things.

You are welcome, Dan...but it is "m10bob"...(Little heavier than an m1.)[;)]

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: m10bob

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Wow, Robert Clary of Hogan's Heroes fame (he was "Lebeau") was deported to a concentration camp where many members of his family died.  And Werner Klemper ("Colonel Clink") served in the US military. Thanks for the link, M1bob, it taught me a few things.

You are welcome, Dan...but it is "m10bob"...(Little heavier than an m1.)[;)]

At least I didn't refer to you as Sidearmbob, Bayonetbob, or Messkitbob.

[Canoerebel]

M10bob's link notes that both Robert Clary and Werner Klemperer (both of "Hogan's Heroes" fame) were involved in WWII.  Intrigued, I looked up John Banner (Sergeant Schultz in "Hogan's") and found this:
 
Banner was born in Vienna, Austria. Because of his Jewish heritage, he was transported to a concentration camp before being released out of occupied Germany. Fortunately for him, Banner's time in the concentration camp was during the early stages of Nazi rule, when Jewish extermination policies were not yet fully implemented.
In 1938, Banner, a trim 180 pounds, worked with an acting troupe in Switzerland and found he could not return to his native Austria because he was a Jew. He went to America and though unable to speak a word of English was hired as a Master of Ceremonies. Banner learned his words phonetically and soon mastered the English language. From 1942 to 1945, Banner served in the U. S. Army Air Corps.
 
Now I need to check out Richard Dawson, Ivan Dixon, and Larry Hovis.