20 Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Veterans
From Elvis Presley to Adam Driver, discover 20 celebrities who served in the military before rising to fame. L'OFFICIEL is looking back as we honor Veterans Day.
On Veterans Day, America honors those who have served in uniform across the five military branches: the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Over the decades, some of the biggest names in Hollywood have been among those ranks, intercepting messages from the Soviet Union and diffusing land mines in World War II. From Elvis Presley to Adam Driver, these 20 notable figures prove that there's no one way to be a hero. In honor of Veterans Day, keep scrolling to see which famous faces served their country before they became national treasures.
Golden Girls actress Bea Arthur signed up as a typist for the Marine Corps at its Washington, D.C. headquarters when she was 21 years old. She later worked as a truck driver and dispatched in North Carolina, before receiving an honorable discharge at the rank of staff sergeant.
Another Golden Girls star, the beloved actor and comedian Betty White served in the American Women's Voluntary Services during WWII.
Before becoming an Academy Award winner, Sidney Poitier moved from the Bahamas to the U.S. and eventually arrived in New York. There, at 16, he lied about his age to enlist in the Army, where he was employed as a medical attendant in a VA hospital on Long Island.
The comedic director was drafted in 1944 to the U.S. Army during WWII. As a member of the 1104th Engineer Combat Battalion, 78th Infantry Division, Brooks defused land mines, eventually fighting in the Battle of the Bulge.
After joining the Army in 1944, the Playboy founder wrote for a military newspaper until 1946.
Before he played the martini-loving agent 007, Sean Connery enlisted in the Royal Navy at age 16 before leaving three years later for medical reasons.
The "King of Cool" joined the Marines at age 17, beginning a tumultuous career of promotions and demotions. He spent 41 days in the brig for spending two weeks with his girlfriend, unauthorized. However, he also saved the lives of five men during an Arctic training exercise, which prompted his assignment to the honor guard.
The country crooner joined the Air Force in 1950, where he was stationed in Germany to intercept messages from the Soviet Army. According to his autobiography, Cash received the message announcing Joseph Stalin's death, making him the first Westerner to hear the news.
Clint Eastwood was drafted for the Army in 1951, during the Korean War, serving as the lifeguard at Fort Ord, California.
Freeman turned down a partial college scholarship, instead joining the Air Force. He served for four years as an Automatic Tracking Radar Repairman, before leaving in 1959 as an Airman First Class.
The mild-mannered painter spent his first 20 years after high school in the Air Force. While stationed in Alaska, Ross painted landscapes of the mountainous terrain. In 1981, he retired in favor of a kinder life. Ross told the Orlando Sentinel in 1990, "The job requires you to be a mean, tough person. And I was fed up with it. I promised myself that if I ever got away from it, it wasn't going to be that way any more."
Before he won 20 Grammy Awards, Tony Bennett served in the U.S. Army during WWII. The "For Once in My Life" singer died in July 2023 at 96 years of age.
James Earl Jones, the actor who famously voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King, enlisted in the U.S. Military during the Korean War and eventually became a second lieutenant. Jones died in September 2024 at the age of 93.
The Terminator himself joined the Austrian Army at 18, fulfilling the one-year required by the government. In that year, Schwarzenegger went AWOL after leaving his training to compete in, and eventually win, the Junior Mr. Europe competition. He spent time in a military prison as punishment.
The original Magnum P.I. served in the California Army National Guard from 1967 until 1973. Here, the '70s star is photographed in uniform, without his famous mustache.
The Daily Show correspondent Rob Riggle joined the Marines in 1990, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. During his time in the military, he received numerous awards including two Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and a Humanitarian Service Medal. Riggle retired in 2013.
Before he became Ice T, the rapper and actor known for the television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the young Tracy Marrow enlisted in the U.S. Army to help support his family and served for four years.
Stars Wars actor Adam Driver enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. However, he did not deploy with his unit after suffering an injury to his sternum while mountain biking, resulting in his medical discharge.
