Has any actor played a role in each of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines?
Denzel Washington has played a Navy and Army role.
I don’t have an answer, but I do have a question - would you count the Army Air Force (WW II (and WW I?)) as Air Force? That would make it easier (for all the WW II movies in particular).
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello played Army roles (Buck Privates and Buck Privates Come Home) and Navy guys (* In the Navy*). I don’t think they were in any other services, but at least they’re equals with Denzel Washington in this.
yes I could count Army Air Force as Air Force for this question. Also I would count Coast Guard but not too many movies feature those guys.
Washington played Army roles in 2 movies - Glory and Courage Under Fire. His Navy role was Crimson Tide.
Barry Corbin comes to mind. Played an Air Force general in WarGames, a former marine (and astronaut) in Northen Exposure, an army retention sergeant in an episode of MASH*… and I can’t find a Naval role. Darn.
Well, Peck was Air Corp in “12 O’Clock High”, Royal Navy in “Horatio Hornblower”, and Army in “MacArthur” (and Army in several others).
ETA: Apparently his son Stephen was a Marine, so that’s close?
If we’re talking about various historical services as well, I’d submit John Wayne, who ‘served’ in the Mongolian Horde, the Roman Legion (some backwater assignment in Judea somewhere, some kind of prisoner escort or something), and various military actions throughout American history.
James Stewart has played Navy (Navy Blue and Gold), Army and Army Air Force (The Glenn Miller Story), and Air Force (Strategic Air Command).
John Wayne
Army: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Green Berets
Navy: The Wings of Eagles, They Were Expendable
Air Force: Jet Pilot
Marines: Flying Leathernecks, Sands of Iwo Jima
Merchant Marine: Blood Alley
Let’s see… Clint Eastwood…
Marine - Heartbreak Ridge
Air Force - Firefox
Army - Where Eagles Dare
Navy - a 1955 episode of “Navy Log”, according to wiki, though his role in “Francis in the Navy” might qualify
Gene Hackman: Navy Captain in the aforementioned CRIMSON TIDE (later an Admiral, in BEHIND ENEMY LINES); Air Force Lieutenant Colonel in BAT 21; Marine Colonel in UNCOMMON VALOR; Army Master Sergeant in THE PACKAGE; and, what the hell, the Secretary of Defense in NO WAY OUT – as well as Commander-in-Chief, in ABSOLUTE POWER.
Ignoring his westerns and movies set before the 20th century, John Wayne played Navy (They Were Expendible), marines (Sands of Iwo Jima), Air Force (Jet Pilot), Army paratrooper (The Longest Day), and regular army (Back to Bataan). He also was a merchant marine captain and a seabee,
I’ll add William Holden. Bridges at Toko Ri for Navy, Stalag 17 for Army Air Force, and a zillion roles as a soldier, and The Proud and Profane as a Marine.
Gerald McRainey
Marine - Major Dad
USAF - West Wing
Navy - Recurring role in JAG and a few TV movies
Army - some TV movies (including playing Patton)
Tom Cruise comes close. Air Force in Top Gun, Army in Born on the Fourth of July, Navy in A Few Good Men. He plays soldiers and airmen in a bunch of in-production films, and played a German soldier in Valkyrie. No marine roles as yet.
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Navy - Pearl Harbor and Men of Honor
Army - Outbreak
Marines - A Few Good Men
Air Force (Army Air Corp) - The Tuskegee Airmen
Raymond Cruz, who you might recognize as the guy who was cast to be the Hispanic military guy in the 90s, has all but the Air Force.
Nitpick, Top Gun was Navy
And Born on the Fourth of July was USMC.
Five. There are five armed services in the US. You left out the Coast Guard.