15 Celebrities Who Served In The Military

15 Celebrities Who Served In The Military

The many celebrities who were in the military are those who signed up to make the ultimate sacrifice for their countries. Through the years, many famous people have served in the military. While some were drafted, others enlisted voluntarily, and some even joined up multiple times. Many actors from the golden era of Hollywood served during World War II. The Vietnam War was also a popular era for actors who were in the military.

1. Oliver Stone

Oliver Stone served in the Vietnam War, and made Platoon based on his experiences. William Oliver Stone is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and military veteran.

Stone came to public prominence between the mid-1980s and the early 1990's for writing and directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, in which he had participated as an infantry soldier.

2. Clint Eastwood

"Million Dollar Baby" director Clint Eastwood was drafted by the US Army during the Korean War. Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American actor, film director, producer, musician, and politician.

He rose to international fame with his role as the 'Man with No Name' in Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy of spaghetti Westerns during the 1960s, and as anti-hero cop Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry.

3. Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley joined the US Army in 1958. Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King".

4. Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman served in the US Air Force.He is an American actor, film director, and narrator. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus, and won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2005 for Million Dollar Baby.

5. Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris served in the US Air force. Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial art artist, actor, film producer and screenwriter.

After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist, and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do.

6. Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix joined the Army after being caught stealing cars. He was given the choice of Army or prison.

7. Marvin Gaye

Musician Marvin Gaye enlisted in the US Air Force, but was discharged after he faked a mental illness.

8. Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby joined the Navy and worked as a hospital corpsman. William Henry "Bill" Cosby Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, and activist.

Cosby's start in stand-up began at the 'Hungry I' in San Francisco which was followed by landing a starring role in the 1960s show 'I Spy'.

9. Bob Barker

"Price is Right" host Bob Barker served as a fighter pilot in the US Navy during World War II.

10. Tom Selleck

Tom Selleck served in California's National Guard. Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor and film producer.

He is best known for his role as the private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series Magnum, P.I., based in Hawaii.

11. Ice-T

Rapper Ice-T served in the US Army. Tracy Lauren Marrow, better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.

He began his career as a rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire Records in 1987, when he released his debut album Rhyme Pays, the first hip-hop album to carry an explicit content sticker.

12. Sammy Davis, Jr.

Sammy Davis Jr. served in the Army during World War II. Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr., was an American entertainer.

Primarily a dancer and singer, he was also an actor of stage and screen, musician, and impressionist, noted for his impersonations of actors, musicians and other celebrities.

13. MC Hammer

Entertainer MC Hammer served in the US Navy. Stanley Kirk Burrell, known professionally as M.C. Hammer, is an American rapper, dancer, entrepreneur, spokesman and occasional actor.

14. Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor served in the US Army for two years, but he spent most of that time in army prison.

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American comedian, actor, film director, social critic, satirist, writer, and MC.

15. James Earl Jones

"Field of Dreams" actor James Earl Jones served in the Korean War.

James Earl Jones is an American actor who in a career of more than 60 years has become known as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors and "one of the greatest actors in American history."