Sam Elliott

Served in: California Air National Guard
Rank: Private
Best Known For: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Murder in Texas, Road House
Est. Net Worth: $10 million

Perennial cowboy Sam Elliott sums up just about every male fantasy on the sun. Known for his ultra-calm exterior (and smooth, gravelly voice), the Oscar-nominated actor first broke out with a minor role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid before scoring leading man parts in classic westerns like Road House and Murder in Texas. But long before he was known as America’s man of the west, he was just a scrawny kid looking for a path in life.

After working odd jobs for awhile, Elliott enlisted in the California Air National Guard, ultimately serving for a short time in the 146st Hollywood Guard. For Elliott, this brief military service helped fortify his understanding of the tough-guy, militaristic personas he’d end up playing in Hollywood. But as Elliott once told journalists: “Any of these Vietnam vets that have been there and know the deal, they don’t feel that any Hollywood endeavor about the Vietnam era has ever gotten it right yet.”