One of Hollywood’s elite comedians, Buster Keaton was well known for his silent films. His famous trademark at the time was physical comedy. He was nicknamed “The Great StoneFace,” because of his consistent deadpan expression through all his films, regardless of their themes.
In 1917, actively participating in vaudeville, Buster Keaton was drafted into the 40th Infantry Division. Not to be deterred from his practice while he was serving his time, he still managed to perform a bunch of vaudeville acts like the “Snake Dance,” where he charms a rope of sausages before a large crowd of fellow servicemen.
J.R.R. Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien was an English poet and writer, best known for his fantastical works, “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” Tolkien is a war veteran and served with the British Expeditionary Force during World War I as Second Lieutenant in the 11th Battalion. He saw many bloody battles, including the Battle of Somme. Ultimately his poor health would end his war days. Tolkien was sent home after he contracted a chronic fever from lice that infested him.
Gene Kelly
If you are looking for Hollywood’s “whole package”, then Gene Kelly is your guy. Actor, director, writer, and funny man, he was best known for The Dick Van Dyke Show; a program he wrote, produced, and acted in as well.
Kelly was drafted into the US Army air force in 1942, where he unintentionally rose to a position of corporal. The Dick Van Dyke Show was only one of his many accomplishments at the time, but what a legend he has become in the entertainment business.
George Carlin
It must have been hard to level with George Carlin. He was, after all, a genius whose increasingly black comedy reflected on politics, psychology, the English language, religion, and various taboo subjects. Before he became so famously jaded, a then unknown Carlin was undertaking service with the USAF.
Carlin received a total of three court martials during his service as a radar technician in Barksdale, which resulted in his general discharge. He was also working as a disc jockey while in the force, and this jump-started his career in the entertainment industry after he proved too much for the military.
Jesse Ventura
Jesse “The Body” Ventura is a name we readily link with wrestling and films like Predator. But before all that came to fruition, when he was just about to make a name for himself in wrestling and in Hollywood, Ventura earned a distinguished career as a member of the US Navy Underwater Demolition Team during the Vietnam War.
Although this professional wrestler’s life was all about action in the ring, he did not get to experience any actual combat while he was serving his time in the navy. Often referred to as a Navy Seal, Ventura never actually got to finish his training with the unit.