On-screen, anyone can be a soldier. Only those of a certain caliber are cast as American servicemembers in real life, but in Hollywood all it takes is the right costume and a good script—and sometimes, those basics aren’t even required.

Many of Hollywood’s finest have taken on the role of soldiers in film, but only some actually have served in the U.S. military. Whether they were called to duty or volunteered for one of the seven services, those who joined didn’t always come out unscathed, but left with the physical and emotional scars of battle.

Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart—Bogie, as he was known to many in Hollywood—was born in New York City in 1899 to a prominent Manhattan surgeon and a successful magazine illustrator. His parents sent him to private school—The Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., where his father had gone—in preparation for medical studies at Yale. In May 1918, however, after a brief stint at the academy, Bogart enlisted in the U.S. Navy, putting an end to his formal education and his parents’ detailed plan for his life.

Graduating with a coxswain’s rating, Bogart’s first assignment was to the USS Leviathan (SP-1326). There are several stories as to how Bogart acquired the scarred and partially paralyzed upper lip that later accounted for his characteristic lisp and tight-set mouth, but whatever happened most likely took place while he was serving on board the Leviathan.

As the story goes, a prisoner whom Bogart was escorting asked for a cigarette and, after his request was met, smashed Bogart across the mouth with the handcuffs while his escort was reaching for a match. Bogart’s lip was almost torn off and bleeding profusely. Regardless, he pursued and apprehended the fleeing prisoner and waited until the prisoner was locked up securely before seeking treatment for what would become his trademark look.

After his discharge, Bogart began his career in the entertainment world in 1920, taking minor roles in various stage performances and screenplays. Bogart’s breakthrough role came in 1934 when producer-director Arthur Hopkins called on him to portray an escaped killer in the play The Petrified Forest. Bogart’s cold stare, dangling hands, and stooped convict’s shuffle convinced the audience he was a murderer. His stage performance was so impressive that he was retained for the movie version. From then on he was flooded with gangster roles, performing each one flawlessly. After 28 such feature films, Bogart sought to diversify his work and appeared in The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942), and The African Queen (1951).

Audie Murphy

The son of poor Texas sharecroppers, Murphy will be remembered as the most decorated U.S. combat soldier of World War II. He received 33 awards and decorations, including the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery that can be given.

Beginning as a private, Murphy rose through the ranks, receiving a battlefield commission of second lieutenant. Murphy fought in nine major campaigns in Europe, was wounded three times, and became a legend within the 3rd Infantry Division.

When Murphy was released from service in 1945, actor James Cagney saw his photo on the cover of Life magazine and invited Murphy to visit Hollywood to try a career in acting. Murphy accepted the invitation but struggled to break into the film industry. His decorated abilities did nothing for his new career, and it was four years before his first starring role came in Bad Boy (1949). The following year, he signed with what is today known as Universal Pictures, starring in 26 films in 15 years.

As is the case with many soldiers who have witnessed combat, Murphy suffered from what today is called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previously known as shell shock or battle fatigue, PTSD is a psychological disorder that causes its sufferers to relive extraordinarily stressful memories through nightmares and flashbacks, which can cause sleep loss and feelings of detachment.

Murphy was plagued by insomnia and depression, and because of his personal experiences with PTSD used his celebrity to bring much-needed attention to veterans’ needs. He spoke candidly about his own problems with the disorder and solicited the government to provide veterans with help for their emotional as well as their physical wounds.

He survived World War II and a lengthy run in the movie business, but a plane crash near Roanoke, Va., ended Murphy’s life and the lives of the five others on board the plane Memorial Day weekend 1971. Murphy was buried in Arlington National Cemetery near the Tomb of the Unknowns with full military honors.

Lee Marvin

Known for playing tough military men, Lee Marvin probably pulled from his military experiences while filming some of his more memorable roles. Born in 1924 in New York City, Marvin had the same dislike for school as Bogart and was thrown out of many schools for his irredeemably inappropriate behavior. After his parents’ unsuccessful attempt to change the young man by sending him to school in Florida, Marvin joined the Marine Corps.

He entered World War II as a private first class. During the capture of Saipan in 1944, Marvin was one of only nine survivors in his unit. Seriously wounded when a shot in the buttocks severed his sciatic nerve, he was shipped back home to recover and was awarded the Purple Heart for his efforts.

Once out of the service, Marvin returned to New York and was working as a plumber’s assistant when he was asked to replace an ailing actor in a bit role. He enjoyed that stage experience so much that he began pursuing other roles. In 1951 he made his big-screen debut with an uncredited part in USS Teakettle, which starred Charles Bronson and Eddie Albert, both of whom, like Marvin, served in the U.S. military.

Throughout the 1950s Marvin was typecast as a villain in various movies, but in the 1960s he landed roles that allowed him to make the leap from villain to hero. Marvin became an established star after winning the best actor Academy Award for his role in Cat Ballou (1965).

Marvin died of a heart attack Aug. 29, 1987, at age 63 and like fellow actor Murphy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

James Arness

In World War II, when his landing craft splashed ashore during an Allied amphibious attack at Anzio, Italy, James Arness of Minneapolis, serving in the 3rd Infantry Division, was selected to lead the way to battle. Although the Army private would prove to be a charismatic and natural leader, Arness was chosen for a more practical reason: His commanding officer wanted to know how deep the water was, and at 6 feet 7 inches tall, Arness was the tallest man in his unit.

Arness—brother of fellow actor Peter Graves, who served two years in the Air Force—was seriously wounded during the landing and, during his 18-month hospital stint, joined an acting group. Discharged from the Army with a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and a knee that never fully healed, Arness decided to knock on Hollywood’s door—and luckily, John Wayne answered. Arness signed with Batjac, Wayne’s production company, and made his screen debut opposite Loretta Young in The Farmer’s Daughter (1947).

But Arness, who dwarfed most of Hollywood’s leading men, didn’t find his niche on the big screen—it was his role on CBS’ 1955 TV series “Gunsmoke” that made him a star.
 
Wayne, who originally had been offered the part, turned the role down, recommending Arness for it instead. “Gunsmoke” ran for 20 seasons, and Arness played its lead character, Marshal Matt Dillon, for all 20 years.