You’ll be surprised to know that there are some Hollywood stars who served their country before entering the entertainment industry. At some point in their lives, these stars listed below were either drafted or volunteered to serve in the military.
1. Elvis Presley
The ‘King of Rock’, Elvis served as a Sergeant in the United States Army between 1958 and 1960. Despite being asked to join the Special Services to entertain the troops and live in priority housing, he served as a regular soldier.
Before becoming famous, Morgan Freeman was enlisted in the Air Force in 1955 where he trained to be a fighter pilot, though, he left the military after four years to follow his passion- acting. In an interview, he revealed that he left the Air Force after he realised he was only ‘in love with the idea of flying.’
American rapper Tracy Lauren Marrow aka Ice-T served in the U.S Army as a soldier after graduating from Crenshaw High School. He spent four years in the military before deciding to pursue his music career.
Wonder Woman star, Gal Gadot served as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (it’s mandatory in Israel to serve in the army) for two years. As a combat teacher, she taught gymnastics and calisthenics. In an interview, she said that “the army gave her good training for Hollywood.”
Before joining the showbiz, Adam Driver was part of the U.S Marine Corps following the 9/11 attacks. He served for over two years but, his time in service was cut short after a mountain-biking accident.
6. Jimmy Stewart
During WWII, Jimmy was drafted into the army but he was rejected because of his height and the fact that he was underweight. After working on both aspects, he was successfully enlisted with the Air Corps. and was stationed at Moffett Field, California as an enlisted man.
At the age of 18, Schwarzenegger served in the Austrian Army in 1965 for a year (it was mandatory for all 18-year-old males at that time). During his term, he won the Junior Mr. Europe contest and he was also voted as the “best-built man of Europe.”
Legendary actor Clint Eastwood joined the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He served as a lifeguard and swim instructor at Fort Ord in California. He remained there until he was discharged in 1953.
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9. Mel Brooks
Legendary comedian Mel Brooks served as a combat engineer during WWII. His main job was to defuse land mines as a corporal in the 1104 Engineer Combat Division. During an interview, he jokingly said “I was a combat engineer. Isn’t that ridiculous? The two things I hate most in the world are combat and engineering.”
James Earl is known for voicing Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King but, he also served in the army during the Korean War. During his military career, he earned the title of the first lieutenant while training comrades in Colorado.