Actors who served in the military

Sir Peter Ustinov (he was David Niven's batman in WWII)

My favorite was Richard Todd (Dam Busters, The Longest Day). In "The Longest Day", he played the leader of the glider troops that captured the Orne River bridge. In real life, he was one of the paratroopers dropped onto that same position later in the day to reinforce that group.

There is another actor who played the captain of the Prince of Wales in "Sink the Bismark". In real life, he was actually serving on the Prince of Wales during the Bismark hunt and was severly injured when the bridge was hit.

Ronald Howard, son of Scarlet Pimpernel Leslie. David Farrar

What about military support such as inventors ?

Richard.

Sir Michael Horden ( best remembered perhaps for narrating Paddington Bear on British TV) Denholm Elliott John Gregson (Angels 1-5, Sea of Sand) Sam Kydd (very familiar "bit part" actor. If you don't know his name you'd certainly know his face. IMDB gives him 203 movie credits I suspect there are more. Uncountable TV appearences. After spending some of the War as a POW his first movie role in 1946 was as "POW in top bunk" in "The Captive Heart") And probably the most prolific British War movie star Sir John Mills

Ed Kemmer - fighter pilot shot down over Germany spent a year as a POW and was in on major escape. Played Buzz Corey on Space Patrol, lead roles in serveral budget sci-fi/horror moveies, and ended up on the soaps.

MC Hammer. Shaggy.

Toshiro Mifune James Garner Alain Delon

WmB

Gert Fröbe (Auric Goldfinger in "Goldfinger" and Baron Bomburst in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang") was a member of the Nazi Party in the Second World War. After the war he was revealed to have been active in hiding Jews from the Gestapo and in aiding their escape. Apparently on its release "Goldfinger" was initially banned in Israel owing to Frobe's connections with the Nazi Party. However the ban was lifted when a number of Israeli citizens came forward to explain his part in their survival.

"My favorite was Richard Todd (Dam Busters, The Longest Day). In "The Longest Day", he played the leader of the glider troops that captured the Orne River bridge. In real life, he was one of the paratroopers dropped onto that same position later in the day to reinforce that group."

At one point he gives himself an order.

"There is another actor who played the captain of the Prince of Wales in "Sink the Bismark". In real life, he was actually serving on the Prince

of Wales during the Bismark hunt and was severly injured when the bridge was hit."

Esmond Knight, blinded--he regained some sight afterwards.

Favorite irony:

Two of the most memorable cowards in film were played by Eddie Albert (Attack) and Wayne Morris (Paths of Glory)--both of whom had distinguished themselves under fire in the Navy in WW2.

While searching Clark Gable's miiltary history I came accross one of the most surprising personalities to see combat.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer (sp?) was a successful sniper with the Israeli army. Don't know the tme frame, but I'll keep searching.

BTW, in case anyone missed the post, Clark Gable flew five combat missions during his tour of duty in the UK in WWII.

Tom

I hadn't included all the actors who had "fought" in the war. Audrey Hepburn acted as courier for World War II resistance fighters in Holland while Robert Clary (of "Hogan's Heros" fame) was arrested as a Jewish Parisian teenager and held in German concentration camps.

wrote

Pre-1956 IIRC, perhaps 1946-1948.

KL

Dennis Franz(Hill Street-NYPD Blue) served in Viet Nam.

And If I remember correctly, David Niven, who was in the Highland Light Infantry mentioned running into Jean Pierre Aumont in Normandy with a French Special Operations unit.

Bill Shuey

Time frame for Dr.Ruth was 1946-50 or thereabouts.

She was not a "successful" sniper as I had first heard. She was trained as a sniper and was very proficient. She was seriously wounded in a bombng of her barracks and didn't see combat after that.

Guess 'll have to get her book.

Strictly for the military informaton, of course. :-)

Tom

Christopher Lee was in the RAF during WWII, and was especially involved in Intelligence...

Vandevere

VERY "involved" in Intelligence. There is an amusing anecdote in the extended DVD of "Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King". Director Peter jackson tells; that when they were filming "Saruman's" death scene, he gave instructions to Lee, on what kind of sound to make, as "Wormtongue" (Brad Douriff) stabs him. Lee had to correct Jackson: "Peter - I am sorry, but that is *not* the sound a man makes, when he is being stabbed to death."

:o)