From the big screen to the battlefield: Five movie stars who were real-life veterans
The war genre has always been one of cinema‘s most popular offshoots, with human history having no shortage of conflicts to choose from that can serve as the backdrop to a feature film.
Whether the battlefields were caked in dust and blood from thousands of years ago or in the very recent past, there’s barely a well-known star who hasn’t taken part in a war film in one way or another. However, the list of those who have done so after seeing active combat is a whole lot smaller.
There are countless performers who enlisted with the military at one stage during their lives, but not all of them signed up in the heat of international warfare that required them to be sent directly into a combat zone. Not that anyone would intentionally harbour such ambitions, but it didn’t seem to put the names in question off the idea of making war movies after the fact.
The following five names all experienced real-life combat on land, sea, and air, and the common thread, other than their bravery, is that every single one of them lent their talents to at least a handful of on-screen war stories when they embarked on their cinema careers.
Five war movie stars who were real-life veterans:
5. Christopher Lee
It’s common knowledge that Christopher Lee lived an endlessly remarkable life that makes him more than worthy of being subjected to the biographical drama treatment one day, with his service during World War II just one fascinating period of his 93 years.
Lee was part of the Special Operations Executive, an organisation formed in 1940 and disbanded in 1960, with the group’s remit being espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in the German-occupied areas of Europe while also providing aid and assistance to various resistance movements. Of course, this all came before he’d turn his attentions to acting, where he’d go on to star in war movies including Battle of the V-1, The Cockleshell Heroes, and Steven Spielberg’s 1941 among others.
As part of his duties, Lee’s fluency in multiple languages made him a key asset as the outfit tracked down and apprehended various Nazi war criminals. He always downplayed his involvement, but it’s well-known that ‘international Nazi hunter‘ was just one of the many strings to the star’s incredibly diverse bow.
4. Michael Caine
A Bridge Too Far, Battle of Britain, Zulu, Escape to Victory, and The Quiet American are just some of the films Michael Caine has starred in that either revolve around or unfold during a conflict of some kind, with the future two-time Oscar winner having battlefield experience of his own.
After completing his military service, Caine served in the Royal Fusiliers and saw active service during the Korean War. The man born Maurice Micklewhite has always viewed his time spent in the armed forces as pivotal to shaping him into the man he became, even if he witnessed some truly horrific things.
Ultimately discharged after contracting malaria, the first time Caine received a credited role in a feature film came in 1956, and it was a project close to home after he played the small part of Private Lockyer in war drama A Hill on Korea.
3. Kirk Douglas
Like many stars of his era, Kirk Douglas lent his name to more than a couple of war movies, with Stanley Kubrick’s classic Paths of Glory standing out as the most notable in terms of its place in cinema history, and the leading man didn’t have to try too hard to get into the right mindset.
After failing the dexterity test required to join the Air Force, Douglas ended up signing up with the Navy instead in 1941, where he rose up the ranks to become a communications officer specialising in anti-submarine warfare.
In 1944, he was medically discharged from service after injuries suffered the previous year, when the premature explosion of a depth charge marker caused him severe abdominal injury after he was thrown into the air and against the unforgiving exterior of the ship he was stationed on.
2. Charles Bronson
With a face that looked as if it had been chiselled out of granite, Charles Bronson was always going to find plenty of work as a Hollywood tough guy when he made the move into acting, but by that point, he was already a decorated war hero.
Enlisting in 1943, Bronson flew 25 combat missions against Japanese forces as an aircraft gunner, and was awarded a Purple Heart before being discharged on account of injuries he’d suffered during battle. Eventually, his career on-screen would make him a staple of the war genre.
Battle of the Bulge, The Great Escape, and The Dirty Dozen are just three of his most famous roles, with Bronson going on to become a major star by combining his obvious physicality with an innate vulnerability. He was a staple of the genre, but long before that, be was being celebrated for his achievements in the heat of very real conflict.
1. James Stewart
The legendary James Stewart was the first major American movie star to enlist during World War II, following on in a proud family tradition after his father had fought in the first, and both of his grandfathers had fought in the Civil War.
Already an experienced civilian pilot by that stage, he became a flight instructor before urging his superiors not to take his celebrity status into account. After that, he was deployed to England and served as the commanding officer of a bomb squadron, flew 20 combat missions, and earned two Distinguished Flying Cross medals along the way.
Even after continuing on with his career and starring in several war movies along the way, he remained a serving member of the Air Force Reserves, flew as a non-observing pilot in Vietnam, and his retirement as a brigadier general saw him go down in history as the highest-ranking actor in American military history.
