Celebrities Who Were Marines

Steve Mc Queen

steve mcqueen marine

Long before Steve Mc Queen was an exceptional filmmaker, he served as a tank driver for Marine Corps back. He joined the Marines in 1947 and climbed up the ranks to Private First Class. However, this was short-lived, thanks to his irresponsible behavior. Still, he is a true military hero having pulled 5 marines from being thrown into the ocean when a tank broke through the ice.

Clint Eastwood

clint eastwood ex marine

Clint’s successful acting career can be attributed to his role in the military. He served the country in the Korean War in the year 1950 before, Chuck Hill, a fellow soldier hooked him up with a Hollywood connect. Eastwood stared death in the eyes when his marine plane crashed into the Pacific. He used an inflatable raft and swam to the shore to become a sensation in the entertainment space.

Ice T

ice

Ice-T is popularly known for his role as a police officer in Law & Order: SVU. When he released his reality show “Ice Loves Coco” featuring his wife, Coco, his fan base soared even higher. We will have you know that before he became officer Fin Tutola, Ice-T defended the red, blue and white flag in the 25th Infantry. He left after 4 years on an honorable discharge.

Gene Hackman

gene hackman ex marine

You may only know the acting side of Gene Hackman but as it turns out, he served the U.S. Marines for 4 and a half years when he was a teenager. He had the role of a radio field operator vet, which he executed well before moving to Hollywood. His first film was the “Mad Dog Call” which was released in 1961. However, one of his biggest breaks was his role in Unforgiven which earned him an Oscar in 1993.

Morgan Freeman

morgan freeman ex marine

Did you know that the “Bucket List” and “Shawshank Redemption” movie star, Morgan Freeman, once served in the US Air Force? His extremely rich career as an actor, narrator, and film director almost overshadow his life as a serviceman. Yet, the Academy and Oscar award winner had quite a successful four years in the Air Force, rising through the ranks to the Airman 1st Class position. He later quit the military to pursue acting and honestly, we think he couldn’t have made the right decision.

Chuck Norris

chuck norris wig

Back in the day, you wouldn’t talk about action movies without throwing the phrase “Chuck Norris” in almost all your sentences. He immensely graced our screens. Before he starred in “The Wrecking Crew” in 1968, Chuck served in Korea as a police airman in the U.S. Airforce. This is actually where he picked up his martial arts skills that we used to gape at in his movie scenes. He later moved back to America to serve at March Air Force Base after which he was honorably discharged.

Elvis Presley

elvis marine

Elvis was no doubt an icon in the 20th century. Many know him simply as “King” because he ruled the rock n’ roll music industry for the longest time. A few years after his fame had spread, Elvis joined the marine and served in Friedberg, Germany.

His big name would have earned him a spot at the “special services” spot but his humility stood in the way. Up until his title as Sergeant Elvis, the music icon chose to serve like everyone else. Don’t you just admire him?

The list is longer but these 7 are our absolute favorites. We loved them as actors and musicians but now that we know they helped protect our borders, we are forever indebted to them.