12. Rob Riggle
Comedian and actor Rob Riggle—who appeared on Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, and in dozens of films, sitcoms, and commercials—retired as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 2013. His deployments included tours in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
11. Bea Arthur
The late actress Bea Arthur enjoyed a successful career playing acerbic characters on the TV series Maude and The Golden Girls. During World War II, under her birth name Bernice Frankel, she served in the Marine Corps as a truck driver and typist. Oddly, in her later years she would deny that she was a Marine. It is possible she was embarrassed by the circumstances behind a blemish on her service record that resulted in a reduction in pay.
10 & 9. Don and Phil Everly
The Everly Brothers had a string of hit singles, including "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie" (which was considered a scandalous song in a simpler time), when they enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve. Stationed at Camp Pendleton from 1961 to 1962, they frequently entertained their company with impromptu concerts. The duo appeared in their dress blue uniforms on The Ed Sullivan Show and performed "Crying in the Rain."
8. Bozo the Clown
Many actors have played Bozo, but Bob Bell was arguably the most popular. Bell put on the blue suit and red wig for WGN in Chicago for almost 25 years. Nearly blind in one eye, Bell managed to enlist in the Marine Corps after graduating from high school by memorizing the eye chart. He was later discharged because of his disability and joined the Navy before embarking on a career in children's television. The gravelly voice he developed for his portrayal of Bozo was the inspiration for Krusty the Clown on The Simpsons.
7. Captain Kangaroo
Prior to being Clarabell the Clown on The Howdy Doody Show and then the kindly Captain Kangaroo, Bob Keeshan was a trained killer. An urban legend, claiming that he fought alongside actor Lee Marvin on Iwo Jima, is false. Keeshan never saw combat because the war was over by the time he was of enlistment age. Lee Marvin was indeed a Leatherneck who was wounded during the Battle of Saipan but was not at Iwo Jima.
6. Drew Carey
Actor/comedian/game-show host Drew Carey served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. When Time magazine asked him what events in life made him who he is, Carey replied, "The Marine Corps. It instilled a great sense of discipline that I can call on when I need to." Obviously, he enjoyed being a jarhead because he has kept his Marine crew cut through most of his stage and TV career.
5. Pat Robertson
Evangelist Pat Robertson was indeed a Devil Dog who served as an officer during the Korean War. Robertson claims to have been in combat, but several veterans refute his record. They allege that his father, Senator Absalom Robertson, pulled strings to ensure he never saw action against the enemy and was assigned to a comfortable job in the safety of Japan.
4. Lee Trevino
Before carrying a 9-iron as a professional golfer, Lee Trevino carried an M-14 as a Marine. Enlisting in 1957 and serving four years, Trevino claims his superior skills made him such a popular golfing partner among the officers that he was promoted to lance corporal.
3. James Carville
James Carville put the strategy and tactics he learned during his two-year stint in the Marine Corps to effective use as Bill Clinton's campaign manager in 1992. Carville remains a colorful if controversial political advisor and commentator.
2. Gene Hackman
The actor once known as the hardest working man in Hollywood (and he certainly seemed to be, appearing in half the films produced between 1970 and 2000), Gene Hackman has quietly retired from acting. Hackman was a Marine field radio operator before launching a film career that including roles as an admiral (Behind Enemy Lines) and an unhinged submarine captain (Crimson Tide).
1. Shaggy
Jamaican-American reggae singer Orville Burrell, a.k.a. Shaggy, served as a field artillery cannon crewman in the 10th Marines during Operation Desert Storm. It was while leading marching cadences that he developed his vocal talents. Shaggy went on to have international hits such as "Oh Carolina" and "It Wasn't Me." He continues to perform around the world.
Rumored to Have Been Marines
Mister Rogers
There is a long standing rumor that children's television host Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was a Marine sniper who racked up a record number of confirmed kills (and wore his famous sweater to hide "Born to Kill" tattoos). This is simply not true. Fred Rogers never served in any of the armed forces.
The Beaver
Another popular urban legend was that Jerry Mathers of the archetypal 50s sitcom Leave it to Beaver enlisted in the Marines and was killed in Vietnam. Mathers may have thought about enlisting in the Marine Corps, but he joined the Air National Guard, 1966-1969. He is alive and well.
Dan Rather
Former anchor of The CBS Evening News, Dan Rather enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1954 but was discharged for medical reasons before completing boot camp. Because he did not graduate from recruit training, he never actually earned the right to wear the Marine globe and anchor.