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Actors Who Were There.....In Real Life Then In Movies.


patches
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Robert Clary (LeBeau) and Werner Klemperer (Klink) were jews living in Europe during the Third Reich....Klemperer fled Germany and fought in the US Army, while Clary was in a concentration camp....Both were on "Hogan's Heroes"...Bodes

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Robert Ryan served in the Marine Corps during WW2....Acted in various war movies, including The Longest Day....Bodes

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Just a quick not, steve McQueen should have been recommended for the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for that rescue on the ice, he definitely risked his own life from what I have read about it.

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  • 1 month later...

Just a quick not, steve McQueen should have been recommended for the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for that rescue on the ice, he definitely risked his own life from what I have read about it.

+1, maybe it can retroed??

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  • 1 month later...
Salvage Sailor

Larry Storch (aka Corporal Randolph Agarn of F Troop) - Served in the USN with Tony Curtis aboard the Submarine Tender USS PROTEUS (AS-19) at Okinawa. They both also witnessed the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in September 1945

 

Military roles on TV: F Troop, CPO Sharkey, Gomer Pyle and on the silver screen in The Last Blitzkrieg and Captain Newman, M.D. (Shipmates Larry Storch and Tony Curtis were both in this film)

Larry Storch Captain Newman MD 01.jpg

Larry_Storch_worldwartwo.filminspector.com_1.PNG

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I believe Jack Palance was in the AAC and was burned in an accident. Resulting in a lot of plastic surgery

From his WIKI.

 

 

With the outbreak of World War II, Palance's athletic career ended, and his military career as a member of the United States Army Air Forces began. Palance's face, which took many beatings in the boxing ring, was said to have become disfigured while bailing out of a burning B-24 Liberator bomber during a training flight over Southern Arizona (where Palance was a student pilot). His distinctive cheekbones and deep set eyes were said to have been the result of reconstructive surgery.

The story behind Palance's face was repeated numerous times (including in respected film reference works), but upon his death, several obituaries of Palance quoted him as saying that the entire story had been contrived: "Studio press agents make up anything they want to, and reporters go along with it. One flack created the legend that I had been blown up in an air crash during the war, and my face had to be put back together by way of plastic surgery. If it is a 'bionic face', why didn't they do a better job of it?"

Palance was honorably discharged from the United States Army Air Forces in 1944.

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olivedrab1970

Harold John Avery Russell was a Canadian-American World War II veteran who became one of only two non-professional actors to win an Academy Award for acting. He received the Oscar for his performance in the movie BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES and he is pictured on the left.

 

attachicon.gifBest-Years-1.jpg

 

This is one of my all time favorite movies of that era!

 

Semper Fidelis-

 

R.D.

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Eric Braeden was born in WW2 Germany as the son of a high ranking nazi official....He went on to portray a German officer in "The Rat Patrol"....Bodes

Eric Braeden after 40+ years, retired from "One Life to Live" The shows producers finally killed him off, though he looked pretty healthy for 80 or so years old. My wife was heartbroken. :)
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SGT CHIP SAUNDERS

Regarding the fine American actor Jimmy Stewart . He flew 1 combat mission in Vietnam in a B 52, which he was qualified

to fly . This was early in the war and was not widely reported

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SGT CHIP SAUNDERS

I BELIEVE Douglas Fairbanks was in the Navy on the Murmansk supply convoys,

 

James Arness ( Mr. Dillon) was wounded at Salerno.

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pathfinder505

I BELIEVE Douglas Fairbanks was in the Navy on the Murmansk supply convoys,

 

James Arness ( Mr. Dillon) was wounded at Salerno.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr was for a time on the destroyer USS Swanson. My father in law served with him on the Swanson

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Anthony Quayle served as a British SOE Agent in Albania and was part of a large rescue mission to get some American Nurses and Aircrew out. That mission also included Sterling Hayden. Quayle went behind the lines again in "The Guns of Navarone" and "Lawrence of Arabia" Scott

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As far as American films are concerned, all you have to do, for the most part, to determine if an actor was in the military is watch how he salutes when in a war movie. Good crisp salute....means a veteran. Crummy salute means a non veteran....for the most part.

Ronnie

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As far as American films are concerned, all you have to do, for the most part, to determine if an actor was in the military is watch how he salutes when in a war movie. Good crisp salute....means a veteran. Crummy salute means a non veteran....for the most part.

Ronnie

Funny you mention that, as a related thing, I was watching one of the MASH episodes, Burns is in command, an inspection like he loves to have is ordered, men line up under arms, all M1s, Klinger is in the ranks, Radar yells Inspection Arms, watching the scene over and over, only Klinger and one other actor in the rank does it GI, snappy right, the lifting and grabbing rifle up from Order Arms, glancing quickly at the chamber after pulling bolt, rifle evenly angled, rifle in the correct distance from chest etc etc. I only took this reason as that Jamie Farr (Klinger) served in the Army as a two tear draftee in the mid to late-sh 50s (1955-57) and it was as natural as it could be, even after these 20 something years since he left the Army.

 

A Still from this very exact scene. of course Jamie Farr didn't wear earrings and have his nails done or have uncut hair in 56 when he was in :lol: .

 

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  • 4 months later...

William Windom (Seth Hazlett from "Murder, She Wrote) was a paratrooper with Co. B, 1st Bn, 508th PIR, 82nd Airborne.

 

In many episodes, Windom is shown wearing a dog tag around his neck. Always wonder if it was his own real one!

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Britt Lomand, who is best remembered as the despicable Capt. Monastario in the first 13 episodes of Disney's "Zorro", was a paratrooper during WWII and received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and multiple Purple Hearts! He also ranked 26th Amateur fencer in the US when he was cast as Zorro's enemy. :) . . . (not that that has anything to do with his military service, I suppose!)

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BILL THE PATCH

Fencing might have still been taught when he first went in service. Patton was a great fencer

 

Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk

 

 

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Anthony Quayle served as a British SOE Agent in Albania and was part of a large rescue mission to get some American Nurses and Aircrew out. That mission also included Sterling Hayden. Quayle went behind the lines again in "The Guns of Navarone" and "Lawrence of Arabia" Scott

Yes, and come to think of it, he also played a German Abwehr Man in he 1966 Operation Crossbow, who was sent to England to infiltrate MI5 or SOE or whatever, under the false English name or Mr Bamford, and successful he was, if one remembers, after apparently attending several courses, he parachutes into France on a "Mission" little did the English know he was a Spy :lol: He shows up back in Germany, and in a very chance encounter, see's a fellow Spy from MI5/SOE he trained with, a Free Dutch Sailor seconded to MI5/SOE, the one played by Tom Courtenay and arrests him and with other SS and Gestapo men interrogate him on his mission :o

 

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Ernie Borgnine ( McHales Navy)

 

Borgnine joined the United States Navy in October 1935, after graduation from high school.[9] He served aboard the destroyer/minesweeper USS Lamberton (DD-119; AG-21 and DMS-2)[10] and was honorably discharged from the Navy in October 1941.[11] In January 1942, he reenlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II, he patrolled the Atlantic Coast on an antisubmarine warfare ship, the USS Sylph (PY-12).[12] In September 1945, he was honorably discharged from the Navy. He served a total of almost ten years in the Navy and obtained the grade of gunner's mate 1st class. His military awards include the Navy Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp, American Campaign Medal with ​316" bronze star, and the World War II Victory Medal.[11]

In 1997, Borgnine received the United States Navy Memorial, Lone Sailor Award.[13]

On December 7, 2000, Borgnine was named the Veterans Foundation's Veteran of the Year.

In October 2004, Borgnine received the honorary title of chief petty officer from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott. The ceremony for Borgnine's naval advancement was held at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. He received the special honor for his naval service and support of the Navy and navy families worldwide.[14][15]

In 2007, he received the California Commendation Medal.[16][17]

 

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Jason Robards

 

Naval service in World War II

Following the completion of recruit training and radio school, Robards was assigned to the heavy cruiser USS Northampton in 1941 as a radioman 3rd class. On December 7, 1941, Northampton was at sea in the Pacific Ocean about 100 miles (160 km) off Hawaii. Contrary to some stories, he did not see the devastation of the Japanese attack on Hawaii until Northampton returned to Pearl Harbor two days later.[5]Northampton was later directed into the Guadalcanal campaign in World War II's Pacific theater, where she participated in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.

During the Battle of Tassafaronga in the waters north of Guadalcanal on the night of November 30, 1942, Northampton was sunk by hits from two Japanese torpedoes. Robards found himself treading water until near daybreak, when he was rescued by an American destroyer. For her service in the war, Northampton was awarded six battle stars.

Two years later, in November 1944, Robards was radioman aboard the light cruiser USS Nashville, the flagship for the invasion of Mindoro in the northern Philippines. On December 13, she was struck by a kamikaze aircraft off Negros Island in the Philippines. The aircraft hit one of the port five-inch gun mounts, while the plane's two bombs set the midsection of the ship ablaze. With this damage and 223 casualties, Nashville was forced to return to Pearl Harbor and then to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, for repairs.

Robards served honorably during the war, but was not a recipient of the U.S. Navy Cross for bravery,[6] contrary to what has been reported in numerous sources. The inaccurate story derives from a 1979 column by Hy Gardner.[7]

Aboard Nashville, Robards first found a copy of Eugene O'Neill's play Strange Interlude in the ship's library.[8][9] Also while in the Navy, he first started thinking seriously about becoming an actor. He had emceed for a Navy band in Pearl Harbor, got a few laughs, and decided he liked it. His father suggested he enroll in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in New York City, from which he graduated in 1948.[8][10]

Robards left the Navy in 1946 as a Petty officer first class. He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal of the Navy, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

 

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William Windom (Seth Hazlett from "Murder, She Wrote) was a paratrooper with Co. B, 1st Bn, 508th PIR, 82nd Airborne.

 

In many episodes, Windom is shown wearing a dog tag around his neck. Always wonder if it was his own real one!

After studying Window's face awhile ago, I came to the conclusion that Window would of made a fantastic casting as Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Vandervoort in The Longest Day, the similarities are there, and resembles him I think., definitely looks like him then John Wayne. But, while Windom was by 1961, an established Television actor, he did not hit the big screen yet, that would come in 1962 with his role as the prosecutor in To Kill a Mocking Bird, so I guess he wouldn't even been considered no less than even looked into. So if Windom was looked at by casting and they agreed to cast him as Vandervoort, rather than a big name, then talk about an Actor Who Was There, he may have been, we're not sure when no other information though on when he was in the unit. 1943, D-Day or after D-Day, Holland or arrived as a replacement after Holland etc, but never the less he did see action with the 82nd that certain.

 

 

 

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