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Oliver Stone - In 1967, Stone enlisted in the US Army and requested combat duty in Vietnam. His military awards include a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Air Medal. Known as a director, he made an uncredited appearance in his own film 'Platoon' (1986).

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Elvis Presley (1935–1977) - The King was drafted into the US Army in 1958. He then commenced basic training at Fort Hood, TX before joining the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany. He was honorably discharged in 1960.

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Steve McQueen (1930–1980) - McQueen joined the US Marine Corps in 1947. In an incident during an Arctic exercise he saved the lives of five other Marines, pulling them from a tank before it broke through ice into the sea.

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Gene Hackman - Hackman left home at age 16 and lied about his age to enlist in the US Marine Corps. He served four and a half years as a field radio operator stationed in China (Qingdao and later in Shanghai), and was honorably discharged in 1951.

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Tom Selleck - Selleck joined the California National Guard, serving with the 160th Infantry Regiment of the California Army from 1967 to 1973.

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Queen Elizabeth II (1926 - 2022) -

The then-Princess Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service of the British Army in 1945, during the Second World War. There, Her Majesty trained as a mechanic and even learned how to drive trucks!

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Clint Eastwood - Drafted into the US Army in 1950, Eastwood was posted to Fort Ord in northern California for his entire stint in the military. He was honorably discharged in 1951.

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Henry Fonda (1905–1982) - Enlisted in the U Navy to fight in World War II, Fonda served on the destroyer USS Satterlee. He was later commissioned as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in Air Combat Intelligence in the Central Pacific and awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

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Morgan Freeman -

Freeman enlisted in the US Air Force in 1955. He served as an Automatic Tracking Radar Repairman, rising to the rank of Airman 1st Class.

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Prince William -

From 2005 to 2013, Prince William served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, as a Captain in the British Army, and a Squadron Leader in the RAF. The Prince of Wales famously served as a pilot in the RAF Search and Rescue Force.

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Paul Newman (1925–2008) - Newman served in the US Navy in World War II in the Pacific theater. Qualifying in torpedo bombers in 1944, Aviation Radioman Third Class Newman later flew as a turret gunner in an Avenger torpedo bomber.

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Sidney Poitier - Lying about his age (he was 15 at the time), Poitier enlisted in the Army in 1943 during World War II.

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James Garner (1928–2014) - After enlisting in the California Army National Guard, he served his first seven months in California. Garner was later deployed to Korea as a rifleman in the 5th Regimental Combat Team. He received a Purple Heart.

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Ice-T - Ice-T joined the US Army in 1976. He served a four-year tour in the 25th Infantry Division. He was later honorably discharged.

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Robert Duvall - Duvall served in the US Army for a brief period shortly after the Korean War (from August 19, 1953 to August 20, 1954).

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King Charles -

The then-Prince Charles served in the Armed Forces from 1971 to 1976,  including the Royal Air Force. In 1974, he qualified as a helicopter pilot. But of course, he also followed in the footsteps of his father and his ancestors and served in the Royal Navy.

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Richard Pryor (1940–2005) -

Pryor served in the US Army from 1958 to 1960, but spent virtually the entire stint in an army prison, some of it spent incarcerated while stationed in West Germany.

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James Earl Jones - Jones joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He was later commissioned in mid-1953, after the end of the Korea War.

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Tony Curtis (1925–2010) -

Curtis enlisted in the US Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served aboard a submarine tender, the USS Proteus, and witnessed the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.

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Humphrey Bogart (1899–1957) -

Enlisting in the US Navy in 1918, Bogart was mentioned in dispatches as a model sailor who spent most of his sea time after the Armistice ferrying troops back from Europe.

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Leonard Nimoy (1931–2015) - Nimoy enlisted in 1953 in the US Army Reserve at Fort McPherson in Georgia. He left with the rank of sergeant.

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Charlton Heston (1923–2008) - Heston joined the US Army Air Forces in 1944. He served for two years as a radio operator and aerial gunner aboard a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber.

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Rock Hudson (1925–1985) - Hudson joined the US Navy during World War II. He served with the Aviation Repair and Overhaul Unit 2 and was later deployed to Samar, Philippines, as an aircraft mechanic.

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Lee Marvin (1924–1987) - Marvin enlisted in the US Marine Corps Reserve in 1942. He was wounded in action on June 18, 1944, during the assault on Mount Tapochau in the Battle of Saipan. His military awards include a Purple Heart.

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George C. Scott (1927–1999) - Scott joined the US Marine Corps, serving from 1945 to 1949. Among his duties was acting as an honor guard for military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.

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James Stewart (1908–1997) - Stewart enjoyed a distinguished military career and was a World War II and Vietnam War veteran. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the US Air Force Reserve, becoming the highest-ranking actor in military history.

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Telly Savalas (1922–1994) - Savalas served three years (1943–1946) in the US Army during World War II, where he received a Purple Heart.

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Ernest Borgnine (1917–2012) - Borgnine joined the US Navy in October 1935, and was later honorably discharged in October 1941. He reenlisted again after the attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II, he patrolled the Atlantic Coast on an antisubmarine warfare ship, the USS Sylph.

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Scott Glenn - Glenn joined the US Marine Corps for three years. He was honorably discharged.

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Rod Steiger (1925–2002) - Steiger ran away from home at age 16 to join the US Navy during World War II. He saw action in the South Pacific, including the Battle of Iwo Jima.

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Audie Murphy (1925–1971) - One of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II, Murphy received every military combat award for valor available from the US Army.

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Roy Scheider (1932–2008) - Scheider served three years as an officer in the US Air Force in the 1960s.

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Prince Harry -

Prince Harry had a military career for 10 years: from 2005 until 2015. The Prince achieved the rank of Captain in the Household Cavalry Regiment (Blues and Royals) of the British Army. The Prince underwent two tours of Afghanistan. 

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Lee Van Cleef (1925–1989) -

Assigned to a submarine chaser and then to a minesweeper, USS Incredible, during WWII, Van Cleef later saw action in the Black Sea. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Good Conduct Medal.

See also: Old West lawmen and the actors who've portrayed them

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