Actors who serves in the military include Hollywood A-Listers Jimmy Stewart and Morgan Freeman, Star Trek’s Spock Leonard Nimoy, World War I veteran Humphrey Bogart, highly decorated World War II veteran Audie Murphy, Korean War veteran Robert Duvall and Vietnam War veteran Dennis Franz.
Discover more of your favourite stars of stars of stage and screen, along with the on-screen comedians, producers, directors, composers and screenwriters who have all served in the armed forces at some point of their lives.
American Actors who Served in the Military
We’ll start with the famous actors who served with the united states army, united states air force, and other armed forces services.
- Danny Aiello – US Army
- Eddie Albert – US Army / US Coast Guard
- Bea Arthur – United States Marine Corps
- Harry Belafonte – United States Navy and veteran of World War II
- Tony Bennett – US Army WWII veteran
- Humphrey Bogart – US Navy – veteran of World War I
- Ernest Borgnine – US Navy
- Peter Boyle – US Navy
- Charles Bronson – US Air Force and WWII veteran
- Mel Brooks – US Army WWII veteran
- Art Carney – US Army WWII veteran
- Drew Carey – US Marine Corp
- Johnny Cash – US Air Force
- Tony Curtis – US Navy – WWII veteran
- William Daniels – US Army
- Sammy Davis Jr – US Army WWII veteran
- Kirk Douglas – US Navy WWII veteran
- Adam Driver – US Marine Corps
- Charles Durning – US Army – WWII veteran
- Robert Duvall – US Army Korea veteran
- James Earl Jones – US Army – Korean Veteran
- Clint Eastwood – US Army – Korea veteran
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr – US Navy – WWII veteran
- Mike Farrell – US Marine Corps
- Henry Fonda – US Navy – WWII veteran
- Dennis Franz – US Army Vietnam veteran
- Morgan Freeman – US Air Force
- Clark Gable – US Army WWII
- Buddy Hackett – US Army WWII veteran
- Gene Hackman – US Marine Corps
- Zulay Henao – US Army
- Charlton Heston – US Army WWII veteran
- Ice-T (Tracy Lauren Marrow) – US Army
- Buster Keaton – US Army
- Bob Keeshan – US Marine Corps
- Harvey Keitel – US Marine Corps
- Don Knotts – US Army
- Kris Kristofferson – US Army
- Jack Lemmon – US Navy
- J.R. Martinez – US Army
- Lee Marvin – US Marine Corps – WWII veteran
- Ed McMahon – US Marine Corps WWII and Korea veteran
- Steve McQueen – US Marine Corps
- Robert Mitchum – US Army WWII veteran
- Audie Murphy – US Army – highly decorated World War II veteran and captain in the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard during the Korean War
- Willie Nelson – US Air Force
- Bob Newhart – US Army Korea veteran
- Paul Newman – US Navy WWII veteran
- Leonard Nimoy – US Army
- Chuck Norris – US Air Force
- Jack Palance – US Air Force – WWII veteran
- Vincent Pastore – US Navy
- Sidney Poitier – US Navy – during World War IIs erved in the psyciatric unit of a Veteran’s Administration hospital
- Elvis Presley – US Army 4
- Richard Pryor – US Army
- Robin Quivers – US Air Force
- Lou Rawls – US Army
- Carl Reiner – US Army WWII veteran
- Don Rickles – US Navy WWII veteran
- Rob Riggle – US Marine Corps
- Cesar Romero – US Coast Guard
- Mickey Rooney – US Army WWII
- Tom Selleck – National Guard
- Rod Serling – US Army WWII veteran
- Shaggy (Orville Richard Burrell CD) – US Marine Corps – Gulf veteran
- Sinbad – David Atkins – US Air Force
- James Stewart (Jimmy Stewart) – US Army Air Corps
- Mr T. (Laurence Tureaud) – US Army 9
- Gene Wilder – US Army
- Montel Williams – US Marine Corps
Some of the stars shown in Guillermo Paz’s video ’80 Stars who served in the US military’ are included in the above list of American actors who served in the military.
80 Stars who served in the US military Part 1 – Guillermo Paz
British Actors who Served in the Military
Some famous British actors discovered their acting talents during military service in the Second World War, while others served in the armed forces as their first jobs out of school.
- Richard Attenborough – RAF (Royal Air Force) during World War II
- Felix Bowness – veteran of Normandy in World War II, serving as a signalman in the Royal Berkshire Regiment
- Richard Burton – RAF, veteran of World War II
- Kenneth Connor – infantry gunner with the Middlesex Regiment during World War II
- Robson Green – when 16, served two weeks in the ATC
- Lesley Howard – Inns of Court Officer Training Corps & 3/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry
- Frankie Howerd – British Army during World War II
- Christopher Lee – intelligence officer and flight lieutenant in the Royal Air Force, attached to the No. 260 Squadron RAF as a liaison officer for the Special Operations Executive.
- Richard Marner – RAF, posted to South Africa with the ATC during World War II
- David Niven – Left the British Army service before starting his acting career in the Unites States, then the A-list Hollywood actor left Los Angeles to reenlist for service in World War II
- Talfryn Thomas – Lancaster rear gunner in the RAF during World War II, the only survivor of a plane crash on active duty
- Norman Wisdom – British Army service in India, then in World War II bunker communications
Comedians who Served in the Military
Many comedians have served in the united states army and navy.
- Bea Arthur – US Marine Corps 11
- Mel Brooks – US Army WWII veteran
- Drew Carey – US Marine Corps
- Art Carney – US Army WWII veteran
- Johnny Carson – US Navy 8
- Sammy Davis Jr – US Army WWII veteran
- Buddy Hackett – US Army WWII veteran
- Buster Keaton – US Army
- Don Knotts – US Army
- Ed McMahon – US Marine Corps WWII and Korea veteran
- Bob Newhart – US Army Korea veteran
- Carl Reiner – US Army WWII veteran
- Richard Pryor – US Army
- Don Rickles – US Navy WWII veteran
- Rob Riggle – US Marine Corps
- Sinbad – David Atkins – US Air Force
TV & Film Directors who Served in the Military
- Richard Attenborough – British RAF (Royal Air Force), World War II veteran
- Mel Brooks – United States Army WWII veteran
- Sammy Davis Jr – US Army WWII veteran
- Robert Duvall – US Army Korea veteran
- Kirk Douglas – US Navy WWII veteran
- Clint Eastwood – US Army – Korea veteran
- Morgan Freeman – US Air Force
- Ice-T (Tracy Lauren Marrow) – US Army
- Buster Keaton – US Army
- Paul Newman – US Navy WWII veteran
- Sidney Poitier – US Navy – during World War II served in the psychiatric unit of a Veterans Administration hospital
- Carl Reiner – US Army WWII veteran
- Oliver Stone – US Army Infantry soldier- Vietnam veteran
- Gene Wilder – US Army
TV & Film Producers who Served in the Military
- Harry Belafonte – US Navy – WWII veteran
- Mel Brooks – US Army WWII veteran
- Johnny Carson – US Navy 8
- Sammy Davis Jr – US Army WWII veteran
- Kirk Douglas – US Navy WWII veteran
- Robert Duvall – US Army Korea veteran
- Clint Eastwood – US Army – Korea veteran
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr – US Navy – WWII veteran
- Ice-T (Tracy Lauren Marrow) – US Army
- Buster Keaton – US Army
- Willie Nelson – US Air Force
- Robert Mitchum – US Army WWII veteran
- Leonard Nimoy – US Army
- Chuck Norris – US Air Force
- Richard Pryor – US Army
- Mickey Rooney – US Army WWII
- Tom Selleck – National Guard
- Rod Serling – US Army WWII veteran
- Oliver Stone – US Army Infantry soldier – Vietnam veteran
Screenwriters who Served in the Military
- Mel Brooks – US Army WWII veteran
- Robert Duvall – US Army Korea veteran
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr – US Navy – WWII veteran
- Buster Keaton – US Army
- Chuck Norris – US Air Force
- Richard Pryor – US Army
- Carl Reiner – US Army WWII veteran
- Rod Serling – US Army WWII veteran
- Oliver Stone – US Army Infantry soldier- Vietnam veteran
- Gene Wilder – US Army
Film Composers & Lyricists who Served in the Military
- Harry Belafonte – US Navy – WWII veteran
- Mel Brooks – US Army WWII veteran
- Johnny Cash – US Air Force
- Clint Eastwood – US Army – Korea veteran
- Jerry Garcia – US Army
- Berry Gordy – US Army Korean veteran
- Ice-T (Tracy Lauren Marrow) – US Army
- Kris Kristofferson – US Army
- Willie Nelson – US Air Force
- Lou Rawls – US Army
- Shaggy (Orville Richard Burrell CD) – US Marine Corps – Gulf veteran
Television Presenters who Served in the Military
- Johnny Carson – US Navy 8
- Montel Williams – US Marine Corps
Game Show Hosts who Served in the Military
- Bob Barker – US Navy WWII veteran
- Drew Carey – US Marine Corps
- Ed McMahon – US Marine Corps WWII and Korea veteran
- Pat Sajak – US Army – Vietnam veteran