In the U.S., celebrities and the military have gone together in history as well as peanut butter and jelly.
Whether serving in the armed forces was a prelude to stardom, or fame had already been achieved before starting a military stint, there has been a rich history of celebrities who have served.
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Here are 10 notable celebrities with military backgrounds.
1. Bea Arthur
The famous actress from the TV series “The Golden Girls,” Arthur served in the Marines, where she drove military trucks and served as a typist, according to military.com.
Arthur enlisted in 1943 at the age of 21.
2. Yogi Berra
The former baseball Hall of Famer was involved in the Normandy invasion, where he helped man a Navy support craft that threw rockets on Omaha Beach toward German forces, according to history.com. Berra later in the war was grazed by a German bullet in Marseilles.
3. Tony Bennett
Before becoming a famous singer, Bennett served in the Army in France and Germany, where he helped clean up after the Battle of Bulge and searched for Nazi stragglers in German towns that were bombed out, according to History.com.
4. Humphrey Bogart
The famed movie star joined the Navy in 1918, where he primarily worked on the ship that carried U.S. troops back home after the end of World War I, according to military.com. Bogart was eventually discharged in June 1919.
5. George Carlin
The popular comedian and host of the first-ever episode of “Saturday Night Live,” Carlin was in the Air Force, where he spent more time moonlighting as a disc jockey at a nearby radio station than anything else, according to military.com. Carlin eventually was court-martialed three times and given a general discharge.
6. Johnny Cash
The legendary country singer served time in the Air Force, where he was stationed for a majority of his four-year tenure in Germany, according to military.com. He served as an intercept operator with the Air Force’s Security Service.
7. Ice T
His real name is Tracy Lauren Marrow, but regardless, the rapper and actor served four years in the Army, according to military.com.
Primarily stationed in Hawaii, he was a squad leader at Schofield Barracks.
8. Morgan Freeman
The legendary actor joined the Air Force in 1955, where he trained as a fighter pilot, according to military.com. Freeman eventually left the Air Force in 1959.
9. Elvis Presley
Presley actually joined the Army in 1958 already a famous commodity with hit songs, and movie and TV appearances, according to military.com.
Presley eventually served in Germany, where he met his wife, Priscilla. He was honorably discharged in 1960.
10. Jimmy Stewart
Just like Presley, Stewart entered the Army when he was already a star. Stewart eventually became a squadron commander in England, according to history.com, leading bombing raids over Germany and France.
This story was first published in 2021. It has since been updated.