Gal Gadot
Maybe she’s really Wonder Woman after all. Gal Gadot enlisted as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) where she taught gymnastics and calisthenics as a combat instructor. In Israel, serving in the IDF is mandatory, but it also made a difference in Gadot’s career. She believes that she was able to break into acting because Justin Lin, the director of “Fast and Furious,” was impressed by her military experience. “You give two or three years, and it’s not about you,” she said of her time serving with the IDF. “You learn discipline and respect.”
Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck is openly proud of his military service. He said, “I was a sergeant in the U.S. Army infantry, National Guard, Vietnam era. We’re all brothers and sisters in that sense.” Selleck served from 1967 to 1973 in the California National Guard. He had already joined 20th Century Fox and was learning acting when he was issued orders for the draft and decided to join the Guard — but when he left the military, Fox dropped his contract. Selleck pressed on and 11 years later was offered “Magnum, P.I.”
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris became interested in the martial arts while he was stationed in Korea as a member of the U.S. Air Force. At the time, he was in the security police and was upset he had to draw his weapon to arrest a drunk. He began studying taekwondo and Tang Soo Do and eventually became the world middleweight karate champion for six years. Later still, Norris became a screen star — and the inspiration for countless how-tough-is-Chuck Norris-isms, including this one: “Chuck Norris once shot down an enemy fighter plane with his finger, by yelling ‘Bang!’”
Sean Connery
Sean Connery is known for his decades-long acting career and as one of the sexiest James Bonds. Just like his character 007, he did spend time in the military, but alas it was not as exciting as Bond’s. Connery served in the Royal Navy and was stationed aboard the HMS Formidable from 1947-1950. Instead of joining MI6, however, he was medically discharged due to a stomach ulcer.
Walt Disney
The beloved Walt Disney contributed to the military and American war effort in a unique way. When he first attempted to join the service in 1918 to fight in World War I, the U.S. Army turned him down because he was only 16 at the time. Disney and his creative ways won out, as he forged the date on his birth certificate and was able to join the American Ambulance Corps, a division of the Red Cross. Just days after the war ended, his outfit was shipped off to France where he was assigned to an evacuation hospital and drove trucks and ambulances. He also served in the actual military during World War II. This time, his true talents were put to use creating propaganda cartoons and instructional videos for soldiers. The special unit was appropriately called the “Walt Disney Training Films Unit.”