Vincent Pastore
Vincent Pastore, a famous American TV star known to his role in the Sopranos, actually served as a sailor in the U.S. Navy before he was discovered. After he graduated high school he decided to enlist in the Navy and stay there from many years before leaving in 1967. He got into acting after being encouraged by his friends Matt and Kevin Dillon. Apart from acting and sailing, he also had a very long career operating and owning nightclubs. Vincent Pastore’s most recent acting appearances have been in animated films such as Disney’s “Zootopia” and Dreamworks’ “Penguins of Madagascar.”
Audie Murphy
Audie Murphy definitely belongs that on this list, as he was not only a very famous Hollywood actor but also very famous war hero. He served in nine World War II campaigns in the US Army. Before his 20th birthday, he had received every single army combat award for valour that was available at the time. He is widely considered to be America’s most decorated World War II soldier and was the epitome of a war hero when he returned to the States at the end of World War II. He geared up in 1950 to return to the battlefield in the Korean War, but at the same time his acting career started to heat up. The army decided to keep him as a recruitment tool and use his fame to recruit more soldiers. He would retire with the rank of major.
Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon was a famous US actor who won two Academy Awards and also served for a brief time in United States Navy during World War II. During the war, he was an ensign serving as a communications officer on an aircraft carrier but never saw any action. After the Navy, he returned to California where he proceeded to star in many roles building up the acting career that we know today. In one of his very first roles he played a U.S. Navy sailor, starring alongside Judy Holiday in the film “The Lady Takes a Sailor.”
Mike Farrell
Mike Farrell is an actor who is best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the hit TV show M*A*S*H. He also served in the United States Marine Corps at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, but did not see any action. In his spare time outside of acting, he is also political activist, fighting for human rights and objecting to the death penalty.
Randy Couture
Randy Couture, a famous UFC fighter, also served in the US Army in the famous 101st airborne. He served for six years and reached the rank of Sergeant. Whilst in the Army, he tried out various different wrestling activities, but due to an error was actually put onto the professional team and then went on to perform at three Olympics. He eventually became a wrestling coach at Oregon State University which led him to decide to pursue a career in mixed martial arts fighting and start competing in the UFC.
Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin is a famous media personality, most popular for his role as the host of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and also served in the United States Navy supply office. His role was to manage the supplies for the various vessels and crafts of the entire U.S. Navy, and he served for two years before getting a job as an assistant on “The Tonight Show” in 1956. He has one of the highest daytime Emmy nominations at 24 (with six wins) as well the Lifetime Achievement award. He’s still an essential cornerstone of American television today.
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