# Any actor played roles in all 4 armed services? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873 "2012-04-25T02:08:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/61 "2012-04-26T14:12:32Z")
Robert Wagner: Army Ranger, THE LONGEST DAY. Navy Frogman, THE FROGMEN. Air Force pilot, THE HUNTERS. Marines – jeez, take your pick: HALLS OF MONTEZUMA, WHAT PRICE GLORY, STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER, IN LOVE AND WAR… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/62 "2012-04-26T15:32:31Z")
Richard Widmark: Air Force rescue service pilot, FLIGHT FROM ASHIYA. Navy destroyer captain, THE BEDFORD INCIDENT. Army drill instructor, TAKE THE HIGH GROUND. Marine lieutenant, HALLS OF MONTEZUMA. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/63 "2012-04-26T15:44:41Z")
James Garner Army: 36 Hours, Tank, Darby’s Rangers Navy: The Americanization of Emily, Up Periscope Air Force: Space Cowboys, Toward the Unknown Marines: Sayonara RAF: The Great Escape Also served in the actual Army during the Korean War. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/64 "2012-04-26T15:53:05Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > 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 _M_A_S_H\*… and I can’t find a Naval role. Darn. He played a former naval officer – specifically, Vice-President LBJ – in _Timequest_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/65 "2012-04-27T14:10:46Z")
Mark Wahlberg, in between playing cop after cop after cop after cop after cop, has found time for the following roles: Army sergeant, _Three Kings_. Marine scout sniper, _Shooter_. Air Force captain, _Planet Of The Apes_. Navy SEAL – not yet, but _Lone Survivor_ is apparently in pre-production. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/66 "2012-04-27T15:08:06Z")
John Garfield: Air Force, _Air Force_. Marines, _Pride Of The Marines_. Navy, _Destination Tokyo_. Army, _Gentleman’s Agreement_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/67 "2012-04-27T16:14:18Z")
Sam Shepard: Air Force, _The Right Stuff_. Army, _Black Hawk Down._ Marines, _One Kill_. Navy, _Stealth_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/68 "2012-04-27T16:51:49Z")
And then we’ve got the go-to guy for all things military, whether you need him to play a Marine sergeant in _House Of Games_, or an Army colonel in _Andersonville_, or a Navy commander in _Down Periscope_, or even a gun-toting USAF Major in _Air Force One_: William H. Macy. ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/69 "2012-04-27T20:35:19Z")
I imagine with all the character acting he’s done that **Ernest Borgnine** ought to be on our list. Anyone care to verify? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/70 "2012-04-27T20:42:50Z")
> [@psiekier](#): > > I imagine with all the character acting he’s done that **Ernest Borgnine** ought to be on our list. Anyone care to verify? He had been in the Army in Marty. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/71 "2012-04-27T21:02:52Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > He had been in the Army in Marty. …and played active-duty Army in From Here To Eternity. Plus he was the McHale in McHale’s Navy, played a former Marine in Another Harvest Moon, and apparently qualifies with the Air Corps as Dominic Santini on Airwolf. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/72 "2014-01-20T18:58:38Z")
_ZOMBIE TAB HUNTER!_ Tab Hunter served in the Coast Guard before getting his big break playing Marines in **Saturday Island** and \*\*Battle Cry \*\*followed by Army roles in **That Kind Of Woman** and **The Girl He Left Behind** and **They Came To Cordura** – as well as an Air Service role in **Lafayette Escadrille** , with bonus points for a regular USAF role in **Birds Do It** , plus a role as the Navy’s go-to lieutenant for explosives-expert work in **Operation Bikini**. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/73 "2014-01-20T19:38:07Z")
I’m too lazy to look up roles, but Professional “Military Guy” character actors like R. Lee Ermey and Dale Dye are good candidates. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/74 "2014-01-20T22:38:10Z")
Shane _“Thunderbirds are go, Tracy”_ Rimmer pulled it off largely by dint of hailing from this side of the Atlantic while working in Britain: you need an American naval officer who’d be lost without timely help from Commander James Bond? The BBC is doing a production of **Lee Oswald: Assassin** and needs a guy who can sound like a USMC Sergeant? Well, shucks, why not just cast the actor Brits are always hiring to play an American CIA agent, or the American Secretary of State, or whatever? (And, yes, he played that Air Force pilot in **Doctor Strangelove** before he portrayed Colonel Ball opposite George C Scott as General Patton.) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/75 "2014-01-21T00:16:19Z")
Steve McQueen played a USN sailor in _ **The Sand Pebbles** _, USAAF officers in _ **The Great Escape** _ and _ **The War Lover** _, and a US Army former sergeant in _ **Hell is for Heroes** _. He was also in an OSS movie titled _ **Never So Few** _, but I can’t find which branch of the service his character was in. In real life, Steve served in the US Marine Corps between 1947 and 1950. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/76 "2014-01-21T00:19:15Z")
Clint Eastwood was also the USAF pilot who bombed the giant spider in _ **Tarantula** _, but you would never know because he was wearing a crash helmet and oxygen mask. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/77 "2014-01-21T00:20:47Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > James Garner > > Army: 36 Hours, Tank, Darby’s Rangers > Navy: The Americanization of Emily, Up Periscope > Air Force: Space Cowboys, Toward the Unknown > Marines: Sayonara > RAF: The Great Escape > > Also served in the actual Army during the Korean War. So did Jim Rockford. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/78 "2014-01-21T01:07:26Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Say, can we count Scott Bakula? Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, you name it… Even Star Fleet! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/79 "2014-01-21T02:02:34Z")
Guy Madison was apparently on liberty during WWII when he got his first on-screen role, as – well, a sailor in the WWII flick **Since You Went Away** , which wasn’t much of a stretch. After the war came his next role, as a Marine in **Till The End of Time** ; he then landed USAF roles, as a Captain in **On The Threshold Of Space** after playing a Lieutenant in **Red Snow** … …but his life’s work was pretty much playing Army officers, in **Massacre River** and **Drums In The Deep South** and **Hell In Normandy** and **Raiders Of The Bloody Beach** and **Old Shatterhand** and **The Command** and **The Last Frontier** and **War Devils** and **Hell Commandos** and **Battle Of The Last Panzer**. (He also played an enlisted man in **Honeymoon** , and a Korean War vet torn away from his GI-Bill-funded studies in **5 Against The House** , and a Civil War vet called back into action in **The Charge At Feather River** , and a former combat pilot forced to make an emergency landing in **Jet Over The Atlantic** ; dude had a _type_, is what I’m saying.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873/80 "2014-01-21T18:51:31Z")
Van Williams qualifies on the thinnest possible technicality: between wrapping up his hundredth episode as surfside private eye Ken Madison and starting his run as the Green Hornet, he apparently played an Army corporal on **The Dick Van Dyke Show** , an Air Force sergeant in **Red Nightmare** , a USMC lieutenant on **The Gallant Men** , and a Navy commander in **Pursue And Destroy**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-actor-played-roles-in-all-4-armed-services/619873.md?page=5)