Although he was beyond the draft age at the time the U.S. entered World War II, Clark Gable enlisted as a private in the AAF on Aug.12, 1942, at Los Angeles. He attended the Officers' Candidate School at Miami Beach, Fla., and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct.
While he was stationed in England, Gable flew five combat missions from May 4–September 23, 1943, and during one of them, his boot was struck by an anti-aircraft shell, and he was nearly hit by other flak bursts. Gable's film crew included MGM cameraman Andrew J.
Captain Clark Gable left England in November 1943 and returned to the US with 50,000 ft of 16mm colour footage, many scenes used in the “Combat America” documentary. On his return he was promoted to the rank of Major. Adolf Hitler held Gable in great esteem offering a sizeable reward for his capture.
Who is the most military decorated actor of all time?
One of Hitchcock's favorite actors, James Stewart, is officially known as the actor with the highest rank. By the time he retired, Stewart was a Brigadier General.
Gable first began acting in stage productions, before his film debut in 1924. After many minor roles, Gable landed a leading role in 1931, subsequently becoming one of the most dominant leading men in Hollywood.
Gable never knew his only other child, John Clark Gable, who was born to his fifth wife, Kay Spreckles, not long after the actor's November 1960 death.
With the end of the war in Europe, Brooks joined the Special Services as a comic touring Army bases and he was made acting corporal, put in charge of entertainment at Wiesbaden, and performed at Fort Dix. In June 1946, Brooks was honorably discharged from the Army as a corporal.
Newman served in the United States Navy in World War II, in the Pacific theater. Initially, he enrolled in the Navy V-12 pilot training program at Yale University, but was dropped when his colorblindness was discovered. He later recounted that it was "a bit more complicated" than colorblindness.
On March 22, 1941, Jimmy Stewart was drafted into the U.S. Armed Forces. He was assigned to the Army Air Corps as an enlisted man and stationed at Moffett Field, Calif.
Stewart entered the Air Force Reserve and retired after 27 years of service with the rank of brigadier general, the highest-ranking Hollywood actor to serve in uniform.
He applied for an Air Corps commission based on his education and flight experience and was promoted to 2nd lieutenant in 1942. Still, he demanded to fight in the war. After a year training new pilots in New Mexico, he finally was sent overseas to fly B-24 Liberator bombers over Nazi-occupied Europe.
The cold reality is that he studiously avoided military service. He decided that his career was a higher priority. It was a decision that would haunt him the rest of his life and would damage his relationships with some of his friends, most notably his principal mentor, film director John Ford.
“[Clark] had my number so fast, it was terrifying,” Lombard told a friend, per Harris. “He told me what I was—a screwy, neurotic, miserable fool—and he was right. I've never been anything else… I just fooled people.
Service record of Humphrey DeForest Bogart, who before becoming an actor, enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age eighteen and served in World War I. New York State Archives, New York (State).
At age 19 he joined the circus and performed in an acrobatic act with partner Nick Cravat, a lifelong friend who would go on to costar in several of Lancaster's films. Lancaster served in the United States Army during World War II and became interested in acting as a result of performing in USO shows.
During the Vietnam War, Selleck was issued draft orders. To take some measure of control over the situation, he joined the California National Guard in the 160th Infantry Regiment. He served from 1967-73. He later appeared on California National Guard recruiting posters.
Clint Eastwood is an iconic Hollywood actor known for movies such as Heartbreak Ridge, Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino. He has also produced and directed many famous films, including the Oscar winning film, American Sniper. Eastwood served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
During the Vietnam War, he flew as a non-duty observer in a B-52 on an Arc Light bombing mission in February 1966. He served for 27 years, officially retiring from the Air Force on May 31, 1968, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 60.
Clark Gable had a complicated love life. He was a serial monogamist. Gable married five times: Josephine Dillon in 1924, Ria Langham in 1931, Carole Lombard in 1939, Sylvia Ashley in 1949, and Kay Williams Spreckels in 1955.
