You may also like: A Look Back at the History of Women in the Workplace. In the 1970s, he was the spokesperson for Southgate USA and appeared in numerous commercials that aired on Cleveland area television and radio stations (Southgate USA is a shopping center in Maple Heights, Ohio.). Career He was a disc jockey for an Army radio station. Gene Hackman dropped out of high school and lied about his age to join the Marines at the age of 16 and in 1947, he was sent to serve as a radio operator in China. Knight, 62, died last week, leaving a legacy of hundreds of roles in film and television. [7] He played Phil Buckley on the ABC soap opera The Young Marrieds in the early 1960s. He was a member of A Company, 296th Combat Engineer Battalion, earning five battle stars while serving in the European Theatre.[1]. The arrogant but highly insecure character earned Knight two supporting Emmy trophies (1973, 1976) but severely pigeon-holed him for the rest of his career. H&I | 5 classic television stars who appeared on 'Combat!' Nothing is known about Ted Knights early years except that he dropped out of high school to join the US Army during the Second World War. Upon his death in 2010, Some Like it Hot actor Tony Curtis was buried with full military honors. T his is my tribute to notable entertainers who have served in the military, including the Coast Guard and Merchant Marine. During this period, he performed in productions like Liliom, Grand Hotel, Antigone and Time of Your Life. The son of Caribbean immigrants, Harry Belafonte is one of the most recognizable singers, actors, and civil rights activists in history. We have a growing business community including manufacturing and service industries. He went on to become one of the most enduring and prolific actors in history, with a whopping 336 credits spanning more than 90 years from 1926 to 2017. Although he was drafted at the age of 18 in 1945 to serve in Italy during World War II, Daniels landed a pretty cushy gig. [9], Knight died on August 26, 1986, from complications of surgery; he was 62. Knight was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Concurrently, he also worked as a radio announcer for its sister station, WROW Radio and received further acting training at The American Theatre Wing. Some experienced combat, while others were stationed in friendly countries or at home. He was a member of A Company, 296th Combat Engineer Battalion, earning five battle stars while serving in the European Theatre. As a young man, Franz enlisted in the Army after college and experienced intense combat in Vietnam, where he served with the 82nd Airborne. Although his resume includes hit shows like ER, Blue Bloods, NYPD Blue, and That '70s Show, Richard Kline is best known for playing one of the most memorable characters in sitcom history: Larry Dallas from Three's Company. In 1960, he debuted in films when he played the un-credited role of Professor Vasheen in Man on a String. Before he died in 1971, Audie Murphy amassed an impressive list of credits including Ride a Crooked Trail and To Hell and Back. But if called upon to portray a member of the Armed Forces on screen, many actors could draw from their own life experience. [14], Last edited on 13 September 2022, at 11:23, "Remembering Connecticut's Ted Knight of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show', "The Love Boat: Season 5, Episode 24 Pride of the Pacific; The Viking's Son; Separate Vacations; The Experiment; Getting to Know You", "Ted Knight, Winner of 2 Emmy Awards For Television Series", Interview with Lydia Cornell by Michael Sutton, Link to the home page of the Ted Knight Memorial 'Gof' Tournament, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ted_Knight&oldid=1110066918, Photographer's Assistant at Fashion Shoot, This page was last edited on 13 September 2022, at 11:23. He dropped out of high school to join the military during World War II. Keep reading to learn about 100 actors who served in the military. Born Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka to a Polish-American family in Terryville in Litchfield County, Connecticut, Knight dropped out of high school to enlist for military service in World War II. Born in 1916, Kirk Douglas was the patriarch of one of Hollywood's most iconic show business families. However, this anonymity ended went he copped the role of inept, pearly-toothed WJM anchorman "Ted Baxter" on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970). He got off to a rocky start in the Corps, making trouble and spending time in the brig, where he was punished with rations of bread and water. The Notebook actor served in the Army, the Merchant Marines, and the Oklahoma National Guard. When World War II broke out, he joined the Coast Guard but was stationed at home in Brooklyn, New York, to perform at military shows. Actors have long tried to give audiences a taste of the realities of war and military service since the earliest days of the motion picture industry. He was best known as the the omniscient narrator, but he also did voice-overs for many of the second-string characters. During World War II, he dropped out of high school and joined the Army, where he would become a decorated member of A Company, 296th combat engineer battalion. From Law & Order: SVU to New Jack City, pioneering West Coast rapper Ice-T joined the Army right out of high school as a means to support his daughter and girlfriend. Knight was the special guest star on the first episode of The Bobby Vinton Show in September 1975. [6] He was also a radio announcer for sister station WROW radio and briefly for WFNS in Burlington NC. You may also like: What American Landmarks Looked like Under Construction. Oliver Stone received two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam after enlisting in the Army in 1967. 100 Actors Who Served in the Military | Stacker He served in the Connecticut National Guard starting in 1948 and was discharged in 1950. Also in the same month, he starred in one episode of Busting Lose. The sweatshirts were often sent to him by students who were fans of the show. During World War II, Gwynn enlisted in the Navy and served on a sub chaser. Before his career took off, however, the St. Louis native served three years in the Army starting in 1954. Hope never actually served himself, but his long list of contributions and seemingly endless USO tours led Congress to enact H.J. Known for playing no-nonsense, stone-faced, tough-guy characters in movies like The Dirty Dozen, Lee Marvin portrayed cowboys, vigilantes, and military men on the screen. Starting in 1942, he served as part of an anti-aircraft unit for three years until the war's end. Among the most memorable was that of institutionalized inmate Brooks Hatlen in The Shawshank Redemption. He dazzled audiences across generations with films like The Apartment and Grumpy Old Men. In 1985, it returned as colon cancer, which eventually spread to his bladder and lower gastrointestinal tract. Throughout the run of the series, Knight would wear sweatshirts from colleges and universities, which were often sent to him by students who were fans of the show. and The Wild Wild West. The series ran for seven years, earning him two Emmy Awards; first in 1973 and then in 1976. Ted Knight - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies Knight used a variation of the Ted Baxter character for regional commercials. He's also a World War II veteran who rose to the rank of lieutenant during his service in the Navy between 1942 and 1945. B.J. He served in Hawaii as part of the 25th Infantry Division. A Palance was a boxer who later served in the Air Force as a bomber pilot and went on to Stanford on the G.I. by John Miles 3/30/2021. During scenes in which Henry draws in his bedroom, Knight used his earlier acquired ventriloquism talents for comical conversations with a hand-puppet version of his comic book's main character "Cosmic Cow". Ted Knight, 62, who won two Emmy awards for his portrayal of the pompous and dimwitted newscaster Ted Baxter on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show,'' which ran on CBS-TV from 1970 to 1977; he starred. Like so many young people of his generation, Driver was swept up in patriotic fervor in the wake of 9/11. In 1975, Knight recorded an album of mostly novelty songs, Hi Guys, on the Ranwood label (which was co-founded by Lawrence Welk and re-released many of his earlier albums). Knight was cast in the lead role as the kind, curmudgeonly cartoonist Henry Rush in the series Too Close for Comfort in 1980. Ted Knight and Georgia Engel on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In 1945, he was with the first American troops which entered Berlin. His grave marker bears the name Theodore C. Konopka (and, at the bottom, the words "Bye Guys", a reference to his Ted Baxter catchphrase "Hi, guys! This episode was spun off into its own show, The Ted Knight Show, giving Knight his first starring role. Ted Knight (born Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka; December 7, 1923 - August 26, 1986) was an American actor well known for playing the comedic roles of Ted Baxter in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Henry Rush in Too Close for Comfort, and Judge Elihu Smails in Caddyshack . Murphy was injured three times, killed 240 German soldiers, and was eventually awarded 33 awards and medals, including three Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Medal of Honor. | During World War II, he experienced combat as a radioman in the Navy. Before he ever studied drama, however, Belafonte dropped out of high school to enlist in the Navy in 1944. Knight appeared in a few episodes of The Love Boat, including one episode as a rival cruise captain, Captain Gunner Nordquist, versus Mary Tyler Moore Show co-star Gavin MacLeod's Captain Merrill Stubing. Some celebrities, such as Elvis Presley and Clint Eastwood, are well-known as having served in the military; others, like Adam Driver and Ice-T, are not as widely known for their service. history's most famous veteran joined the Army. He reportedly called on the discipline he learned in the military to develop the work ethic required to succeed in show business. Emmy nominee John Amos has played some of the most iconic characters ever to appear on both the big and small screens, including Kunta Kinte in Roots, James Evans Sr. in Good Times, and Cleo McDowell in Coming to America. This was broadcast in March 1982 as Season 5, Episodes 24 and 25, of The Love Boat, whose segments were titled "Pride of the Pacific," "The Viking's Son," "Separate Vacations," "The Experiment," and "Getting to Know You."[7]. When World War II broke out, his career was interrupted when he enlisted in the Coast Guard, where he served for three years. Knight was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Ed Asner got his big break on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and he became such an industry mainstay that he served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1981 to 1985. He was also a World War II veteran who served from 1942 to 1945 in the vaunted Submarine. Asner served in the Army Signal Corps in the early 1950s. Robert Montgomery's resume includes 64 acting credits, but he also directed six movies and produced three others. Some of history's biggest stars served their countries in times of war and peace. A high school dropout, he enlisted in the US Army during the Second World War and won five stars for his service. Clark Gable of Gone With the Wind fame was arguably the most celebrated leading man to dominate the screen during Hollywood's golden age. He received six Emmy Award nominations for the role, winning the Emmy for "Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Comedy" in 1973 and 1976. IIRC there was one US Submarine skipper with 5 Navy Crosses all from WWII. The Night Must Fall actor had already spent 16 years with MGM and served as president of the Screen Actors Guild when World War II broke out. He became proficient with puppets and ventriloquism, which led to steady work as a television kiddie-show host at WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, from 1950 to 1955. In 1970, Knight was chosen to play the role of Ted Baxter, an untalented but vain newscaster on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Brooklyn-born William Daniels enjoyed a career that spanned Broadway, the big screen and television, earning two Emmys along the way for his role in St. Knight spent most of the 1950s and 1960s creating commercial voice-overs and playing minor television and movie roles. Originally, he planned on a career as a military man. He joined the Navy in 1938, serving for three years on the Yangtze River Patrol before joining the Merchant Marine in 1941. He was narrator of the first season of the Super Friends, while other animated television series featuring his work included the voices of the opening narrator and team leader Commander Jonathan Kidd in Fantastic Voyage. The majority are Americans with some . Actor Ted Knight paid his dues with nearly two decades of relatively obscure dramatic, often villainous television work, before finding enduring fame in a scene-stealing supporting turn on a classic 1970s sitcom, hilariously overplaying a silver-haired, self-important imbecile.