20 Celebs Who Actually Fought In Real Battles

Some famous faces did much more than entertain. Long before red carpets and late night interviews, these people trained hard, shipped out, and saw combat in places where the outcome was far from certain. Their wartime service took them from beaches and bombers to frozen hills and desert outposts, and the details tell a story of real risk and responsibility.

This list brings together actors, musicians, athletes, and even a royal who took part in real battles. You will find the units they served with, the operations they joined, and the commendations they earned. It does not cover everyone who wore a uniform. It focuses on those who can be tied to specific combat actions during major conflicts from the Second World War to Afghanistan.

Jimmy Stewart

Before returning to Hollywood, Jimmy Stewart flew combat missions with the United States Army Air Forces in Europe. He served with the Eighth Air Force in England and flew four engine Liberator bombers on raids over Nazi held territory. He later took on leadership roles that involved planning and leading large scale missions against strategic targets in Germany.

Stewart earned multiple decorations for valor and achievement, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with clusters. By the end of the war he was a full colonel, and he continued flying with the Air Force Reserve after the war. His service record included operational sorties where he was responsible for crews under fire.

Audie Murphy

Audie Murphy became a movie star after the war, but he first made his name in the infantry. Serving with the 3rd Infantry Division in the European Theater, he fought through Italy and southern France. On a winter day near Holtzwihr he held off advancing German forces while directing artillery and then led a counterattack after running out of ammunition.

Murphy received the Medal of Honor along with many other awards for repeated actions under fire. He later portrayed his own wartime experience in the film ‘To Hell and Back’. His screen career came after a combat record that made him one of the most decorated American soldiers of the Second World War.

James Doohan

Known worldwide for a beloved engineer on television, James Doohan first landed with the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division on Juno Beach on D Day. He brought his men across mined sand and enemy fire and established positions inland as the invasion pushed forward.

That first night he was wounded multiple times, and he lost a finger that he later concealed on screen. Doohan continued service after recovering and completed his wartime duty with the Royal Canadian Artillery. His battlefield experience began on one of the most intense days of the war.

Lee Marvin

Lee Marvin fought in the Pacific with the United States Marine Corps. As a rifleman with the 4th Marine Division he took part in the battle for Saipan, where street to street and cave to cave fighting was common. He was hit by machine gun fire during the campaign and evacuated.

Marvin received the Purple Heart for his wounds in action. He completed his recovery stateside and was later discharged. His later work on film came after months of combat duty in a theater known for close quarter fighting in difficult terrain.

Rod Serling

Before creating ‘The Twilight Zone’, Rod Serling served with the 11th Airborne Division in the Philippines. He fought on Leyte and Luzon during the push to retake the islands. The division carried out airborne and light infantry operations through jungle and mountainous areas against entrenched defenders.

Serling was wounded during his tour and received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He returned home with first hand knowledge of combat stress and sacrifice, experience that shaped the subjects he explored in his writing and production work later on.

Charles Bronson

Charles Bronson flew with the United States Army Air Forces as an aerial gunner in the Pacific. He served on Superfortress heavy bombers that launched long range missions against Japanese targets late in the war. Those missions faced antiaircraft fire and fighter interception during long hours over water.

Bronson received the Purple Heart after being wounded in action. He completed multiple combat sorties before the war ended. His time as an enlisted gunner placed him in one of the most hazardous roles in the air war.

Eddie Albert

Eddie Albert served in the United States Navy and took part in the battle of Tarawa in the Central Pacific. Operating a small boat under enemy fire, he navigated through surf and coral to evacuate wounded Marines from the assault beaches. He also helped mark reefs and hazards for incoming craft while shells and small arms fire hit the water around him.

For his actions at Tarawa he was awarded the Bronze Star with a combat V device. Albert continued naval service through the end of the war. His combat record was built on rescue work carried out in the middle of an ongoing amphibious battle.

Sterling Hayden

Sterling Hayden enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and was soon recruited to the Office of Strategic Services. He was trained for maritime and parachute operations and then sent to the Balkans to support Yugoslav Partisans. He helped coordinate supply drops, guided aircraft to safe zones, and moved personnel across rugged territory that was still contested.

Hayden earned both the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for his service. His missions required operating behind enemy lines while evading patrols and carrying out logistical lifelines for local resistance forces. He later returned to acting with a set of wartime experiences that were highly unusual for Hollywood.

Norman Lear

Norman Lear served as a radio operator and gunner on a Flying Fortress with the 15th Air Force based in Italy. His crew flew bombing missions over Axis targets across central and eastern Europe, routes that meant heavy flak and fighter attacks on the way in and out.

Lear completed more than fifty combat missions and received the Air Medal with clusters. The role of a radio operator gunner combined navigation aid, communications, and manning a defensive gun position during attacks. His wartime service was active for much of 1944.

Ted Williams

Ted Williams served as a Marine Corps aviator and flew combat in Korea. After training as a fighter pilot in the Second World War he returned to service when recalled and joined a Marine fighter squadron equipped with Panther jets. He flew dozens of missions and experienced multiple emergency landings after battle damage and engine fires.

Williams earned the Air Medal and completed his combat tour despite injuries and the demands of high speed low altitude strikes. On some missions he flew as wingman to future astronaut John Glenn. He balanced a Hall of Fame baseball career with real combat duty in two wars.

Oliver Stone

Oliver Stone enlisted in the United States Army and served with the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam. He later transferred to the 1st Cavalry Division, taking part in patrols and engagements in the field. His units operated in areas where ambushes, booby traps, and mortar attacks were common.

Stone received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart with an oak leaf cluster. His experience in infantry units directly informed later films about the war, including ‘Platoon’, which drew on the conditions and operations he witnessed firsthand.

Michael Caine

Michael Caine completed National Service with the British Army and deployed to Korea. Serving with the Royal Fusiliers he spent time on the front near fortified positions that saw frequent raids and artillery fire. The defense of key hills and trenches demanded long hours in cold weather and difficult terrain.

Caine and his unit carried out patrols and manned positions during the final period of the conflict. His service put him on ground that had been fought over repeatedly, including areas near the Imjin River that saw heavy fighting throughout the war.

James Garner

James Garner served with the United States Army in Korea as a rifleman. He joined the 5th Regimental Combat Team and operated near the front where small unit actions and artillery exchanges were a fact of life. He was wounded in combat and treated for shrapnel injuries.

Garner received two Purple Hearts for wounds sustained in action. He completed his service and returned to civilian life before beginning his long screen career. His time in Korea was marked by direct exposure to battlefield hazards.

David Niven

David Niven returned to Britain at the start of the Second World War and rejoined the army. He served with the GHQ Liaison Regiment known as Phantom, a unit that worked near the front to relay information between forward elements and headquarters. He crossed the Channel after D Day and moved with advancing forces across northwest Europe.

Niven’s work involved rapid movement, secure communications, and constant contact with units in contact. The assignment required operating close to ongoing battles in order to keep commanders updated on shifting conditions. He completed the war with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra served as a gunner’s mate in the United States Navy and took part in the D Day invasion. He manned weapons on a rocket armed support craft that closed with the shore to provide covering fire for landing troops on the beaches of Normandy. His crew also helped mark safe lanes through obstacles for follow on waves.

Later that summer he supported the invasion of southern France during Operation Dragoon. Berra received combat citations for his service in both operations. He returned home and began his major league career after participating in two amphibious assaults.

Prince Harry

Prince Harry deployed to Afghanistan twice with the British Army. On his first tour he served as a forward air controller with a unit in Helmand Province, directing aircraft onto enemy positions while operating with ground troops. On his second tour he flew Apache attack helicopters from Camp Bastion on missions that included close air support.

Harry’s later service placed him in a cockpit that carried missiles and cannon and required quick decision making near friendly forces. His deployments came during intense periods of fighting in Helmand where ground units faced frequent contact with insurgents.

Pat Tillman

Pat Tillman left a professional football career and joined the United States Army Rangers. He deployed to Iraq and then to Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment. His teams conducted patrols and raids in mountainous terrain where contact with enemy forces was expected.

Tillman was killed by friendly fire during an engagement in Khost Province in 2004. He received the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. His service record documents combat operations carried out over two deployments in active war zones.

Alejandro Villanueva

Alejandro Villanueva graduated from West Point and served as an Army officer before his NFL career. He deployed to Afghanistan and earned a Bronze Star with a valor device for actions under fire while serving as a platoon leader. During one engagement he moved through open ground to rescue wounded soldiers while his unit was taking fire.

Villanueva later served with a Ranger battalion and completed additional deployments. His service included operations in Kandahar and other contested areas where small units often faced complex attacks. He returned to the United States and eventually joined the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Shaggy

Shaggy, born Orville Burrell, served in the United States Marine Corps and deployed during Operation Desert Storm. As a field artillery cannon crewman with the 10th Marines he supported ground forces during the short but intense campaign that pushed Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

Artillery units maneuvered with the advance and provided fire support against enemy positions and armor. His service placed him in a combat zone during a major coalition offensive. He returned to music after completing his enlistment.

Nate Boyer

Nate Boyer served as a Green Beret with United States Army Special Forces. He completed multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as an engineer and weapons sergeant. His teams carried out village stability operations, partnered patrols, and direct action missions in areas with frequent insurgent activity.

Boyer received commendations for his service and later made an NFL roster as a long snapper. His time in Special Forces included months of operations outside large bases where small teams depended on local partners and their own training to complete missions under fire.

Share your thoughts in the comments and tell us who else you think belongs on this list.