I like when Reagan pointed the gun out his 2nd story apartment window and stopped the girl from getting mugged than walked her home.

Murphy/Stewart/Bronson/Marvin the real deal

Too bad he was a commie in real life. Great actor though.

Arnold Ridley from Dad's Army, who is the great uncle of Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley, was a bad ass in WW1 and also volunteered for WW2 despite having health issues from being previously wounded.

"In 1915 he enlisted as Private No.20481 with the Somerset Light Infantry Regiment. He saw active service in the war, sustaining several wounds in close-quarter battle in the trenches. His left hand was left virtually useless by wounds sustained on the Somme;[6][7] his legs were riddled with shrapnel; he received a bayonet wound in the groin; and the legacy of a blow to the head from a German soldier's rifle butt left him prone to blackouts after the war. He was medically discharged with the rank of Lance Corporal in 1916.[9]

Ridley rejoined the British Army in 1939 following the outbreak of the Second World War. He was commissioned into the General List on 7 October 1939 as a second lieutenant and was given the service number 103663.[10] He served with the British Expeditionary Force in France during the "Phoney War", employed as a "Conducting Officer" tasked with supervising journalists who were visiting the front line. In May 1940,[11] Ridley returned to Britain on the grossly overcrowded destroyer HMS Vimera, which was the last British ship to escape from the harbour during the Battle of Boulogne.[12] Shortly afterwards, he was discharged on health grounds. He relinquished his commission as a captain on 1 June 1940.[13] He subsequently joined the Home Guard in his home town of Caterham, and ENSA with which he toured the country.[12] He described his wartime experiences in Desert Island Discs in 1973.[14][15]"

William Smith, genuine badass

Smith served in the United States Air Force. He won the 200 pound (91 kg) arm-wrestling championship of the world multiple times and also won the United States Air Force weightlifting championship. That Smith is a record holder for reverse-curling his own bodyweight is a rumor, according to IMDB. His trademark arms measured 18½ inches. Smith held a 31-1 record as an amateur boxer.[citation needed]

During the Korean War he was a Russian Intercept Interrogator and flew secret ferret missions over the Russian SFSR. He had both CIA and NSA clearance and intended to enter a classified position with the U.S. government, but his marriage to a French actress meant the loss of security clearance

My father was Ben Johnsons resident veterinarian on his cattle ranch in Oklahoma for a couple of years. We went to dinner with him at the Stock Show in Denver when I was 8 or so. Very nice man.

Lawrence Tierney, 82; Actor Was Real-Life Tough Guy

A lot of those old actors grew up dirt poor, and it was a normal thing for them to go hungry.  I watched a Video on Charles Bronson and it reminds me of my Dad growing up dirt poor. Working in coal mines and then going in the Army and thinking wow this is great. Hot food everyday, clean clothes, and they pay me??

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

Although celebrated as an actor, Fairbanks was commissioned as a reserve officer in the United States Navy when the United States entered World War II and was assigned to Lord Mountbatten's Commando staff in the United Kingdom.[16]

In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him special envoy to South America. Fairbanks served on the cruiser USS Wichita during the disastrous Convoy PQ17 operation.[17]

Having witnessed (and participated in) British training and cross-Channel harassment operations emphasizing the military art of deception, Fairbanks attained a depth of understanding and appreciation of military deception then unheard of in the United States Navy. Lieutenant Fairbanks was subsequently transferred to Virginia Beach where he came under the command of Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, who was preparing U.S. naval forces for the invasion of North Africa.

Fairbanks convinced Hewitt of the advantages of a military deception unit, then repeated the proposal at Hewett's behest to Admiral Ernest King, Chief of Naval Operations. King thereupon issued a secret letter on March 5, 1943 charging the Vice Chief of Naval Operations with the recruitment of 180 officers and 300 enlisted men for the Beach Jumper program.

The Beach Jumpers' mission would simulate amphibious landings with a very limited force. Operating dozens of kilometers from the actual landing beaches and utilizing their deception equipment, the Beach Jumpers would lure the enemy into believing that theirs was the principal landing.

United States Navy Beach Jumpers saw their initial action in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. Throughout the remainder of the war, the Beach Jumpers conducted their hazardous, shallow-water operations throughout the Mediterranean.

For his planning the diversion-deception operations and his part in the amphibious assault on Southern France, Lieutenant Commander Fairbanks was awarded the United States Navy's Legion of Merit with bronze V (for valor), the Italian War Cross for Military Valor, the French Légion d'honneur and the Croix de guerre with Palm, and the British Distinguished Service Cross.

Fairbanks was also awarded the Silver Star for valor displayed while serving on PT boats and in 1942 made an Officer the National Order of the Southern Cross, conferred by the Brazilian government.[18][19]

Among his other exploits was the sinking of the corvette UJ-6083 (formerly the Regia Marina Gabbiano-class Capriolo) while in command of a mixed division of American PT Boats and British Insect-class gunboats plus assorted other small craft. Fairbanks commanded from HMS Aphis.[20]

Fairbanks stayed in the US Naval Reserve after the war and ultimately retired as a captain in 1954.

Audie Murphy

After he died some reporters researched his WW2 records and found some inconsistencies with his stories https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Charles_Durning .

Attached File


Lee Van Cleef

After basic training and further training at the Naval Fleet Sound School, Van Cleef was assigned to a submarine chaser and then to a minesweeper, USS Incredible, on which he worked as a sonarman.

The ship initially patrolled the Caribbean, then moved to the Mediterranean, participating in the landings in southern France. In January 1945, Incredible moved to the Black Sea, and performed sweeping duties out of the Soviet Navy base at Sevastopol, Crimea. Afterwards the ship performed air-sea rescue patrols in the Black Sea before returning to Palermo, Sicily. By the time of his discharge in March 1946, he had achieved the rank of Sonarman First Class (SO1) and had earned his mine sweeper patch. He also had been awarded the Bronze Star and the Good Conduct Medal. By virtue of his deployments, Van Cleef also qualified for the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

His later series THE MACAHANS, Arness worked as long as he could on a bad leg, the series was cancelled when he needed surgery on his leg and would be unable to work during a long recuperation.

This kind of thing must have been more common than we imagine. My grandfather was born in 1890.  When he was 13 both his parents died of “the fever” and he had three younger sisters he was responsible for.  He went to work as a logger, at 13.  When WWI broke out he was 17, he went into the Army and fought in France.  He was a dead shot with a rifle, and he said that skill probably saved his life.  When he first shipped over to England, they chose him to be a rifle instructor.  The group he shipped over with were nearly all killed.   He eventually went and fought in France, but obviously he survived.  Raised 8 kids including two that served in WWII, my mom was the youngest.

Ha thanks I never knew that.

He was so mild mannered in that show.

I forget which actor it was but he was on speedvision show a bit.  he said he was making a western with John Wayne and Wayne did not the other actor did the fight scene well. so they started fighting he said wayne threw him against a tree and his back was never the same since.  Might have been Burt something.  skinny old dude now.

the colonel hogan from hogan's heroes was a pussy slayer apparently.  not sure if he was tough

Came to post this ! When I was high school  kid back in 77/78 my dad had me work the docks in Secaucus , many times Mr Tierney was my partner , he was a bad ass for sure

Michael Caine

Bombing mission. It was to get some payback for his stepson, a Marine 1LT KIA in Vietnam.

I think it was Bruce Dern during filming The Cowboys

Yeah, and he paid for it with his life.

Bob Crane

Ed McMahon of The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson fame was an Marine Corps F-4U Corsair pilot in WWII and a FAC flying an O-1 Birddog in Korea.  In WWII he was an instructor pilot who was finally sent to the Pacific too late to join in combat.  In Korea he flew 85 missions and earned 6 Air Medals.

After Korea McMahon transferred to the Marine Corps Reserves.  McMahon retired from the Marine Corps Reserve in 1966 as a colonel.  He was later commissioned as a brigadier general in the California Air National Guard or his work in supporting Guard and Reserve activities in the state.

McMahon poses in his O-1

Rod Serling was a WWII paratrooper.

I've read the story about Wayne knocking out a Sinatra bodyguard who mouthed off to him in a Vegas hotel. Funny, if true; the guy deserved it.

Jimmy flew B-17's over Europe in WW2. He's a badass.

This is the 1800's man, you can sue her.  

The guy the other services did not want.

He was too young, and too small to be made into a man fighting a war.

Oops, he was a bad ass in WWII

^ This.

While making very little public about is Army Air Corps/USAF duties, he not only qualified as a pilot in many jet bombers, he later flew an Arc Light mission in a B-52 over North Viet-Nam as a Brig Gen USAF/Res - uncredited.

The baddest of them all David Niven

The French guy, Robert Clary, spent WW2 as a prisoner in Buchenwald. The rest of his family was sent to Auschwitz. He was the only member of his family to survive.

Stewart was the bad ass Wayne dreamed of being

I bet Chuck Connors could kick ass.  I saw Arness briefly loading up his station wagon with groceries from the store I worked at in Corona Del Mar.  On his way to Baja to surf.  He looked pretty gnarly....

Not Hollywood. Not sure if he's old school enough.

But evidently there's a whole lot more to Lewis Collins than l imagined.

Favorite Spec-Ops Scene thread

B-24s. Excellent book.

I always believed ol' Jimmy was the toughest of the breed for his day. Also, if I remember right Walter Matthau was a radio man in his squadron at one point in WW2 - not that that was necessarily a bad ass. But man, those bomber crews had like 70% loss rate.

Jimmy Stewart died while I was attending the NCOA in Germany. I requested, and the academy refused to fly the flag at half staff over "local sensitivities". The ensuing fight discussion in the Commandants office did my career no good, but to this day I don't regret of word of what was said. He was a brave and honorable man in a sea of depravity.

Robert Conrad's Jim West character reputedly wasn't all Hollywood, he supposedly punched it out with Santa at a Christmas party...

Wow. 1st time I've heard of it.

He flew bombers on missions in WWII, and continued to fly for many more years.
In fact, he requested to be buried in his Air Force uniform.
A good man, but very, very badass.
Sometime badass comes wrapped in a nice package.

Chose to fly bombers over Europe in WWII, refused to let celebrity status get him out of danger, then after WWII he flat-out refused to allow the movie industry use his WWII service to promote his movies.

IIRC, as a general in the USAF reserves or ANG, he made a trip to Vietnam and flew over North Vietnam as an observer on a B52 mission.

Paul Newman and James Garner were serious racers. I met Paul at the Runoffs at Road Atlanta. He won and at the track he just wanted to be treated like a racer.

We talked about William Smith the other day. He qualifies.

Ya. My grandfather was a very small man due to malnutrition during the depression. He was impressed with the food.

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This picture disturbed me me until I examined it in detail.

1. Look closely at Wayne's eyes.

2. Look at the bottom left of the picture.

3. Follow Wayne's gaze.

4. Note that he is clearly looking at the no-doubt flawless face attached to the legs visible at the lower left.

5. Wayne's expression plainly says "Yes, I am wearing espadrilles, cockwatcher hot pants, and carrying a purse. However, we both know that I piss raw testosterone and that if I allowed you to worshipfully present your naked self for consideration as an object of my sexual attention, that alone would be the highlight of your life and you would brag it about to your priest. Now go up to my room or get out of town."

6. Wayne is wearing that getup for the same reason Moses wore a veil when he came down from Sinai: it allows mortals to look at his manliness without the tempering interposition of film, and without burning their eyes.

5. This is an archetypal example of the order of the universe by which James Mattis's estimability and lethality appear exactly the same whether he is photographed in fatigues, a dress uniform, a $3,000.00 suit, or naked riding a unicorn through a field of penises.

" target="_blank">

This picture disturbed me me until I examined it in detail.

1. Look closely at Wayne's eyes.

2. Look at the bottom left of the picture.

3. Follow Wayne's gaze.

4. Note that he is clearly looking at the no-doubt flawless face attached to the legs visible at the lower left.

5. Wayne's expression plainly says "Yes, I am wearing espadrilles, cockwatcher hot pants, and carrying a purse. However, we both know that I piss raw testosterone and that if I allowed you to worshipfully present your naked self for consideration as an object of my sexual attention, that alone would be the highlight of your life and you would brag it about to your priest. Now go up to my room or get out of town."

6. Wayne is wearing that getup for the same reason Moses wore a veil when he came down from Sinai: it allows mortals to look at his manliness without the tempering interposition of film, and without burning their eyes.

5. This is an archetypal example of the order of the universe by which James Mattis's estimability and lethality appear exactly the same whether he is photographed in fatigues, a dress uniform, a $3,000.00 suit, or naked riding a unicorn through a field of penises.

John is gonna get hisself some in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

Jimi Hendrix 101 ABN

I wouldn't want to get in a gunfight with John Wick IRL.