Kirk Douglas

Served in: U.S. Navy
Rank: Lieutenant (Junior Grade)
Best Known For: Spartacus, Paths of Glory, Lust for Life, Lonely are the Brave
Est. Net Worth: $60 million

Hollywood Golden Age leading man Kirk Douglas is nothing short of one of America’s most treasured film talents. But few people realize that he’s also a decorated military veteran, serving in the Navy during World War II. After enlisting, a young Douglas was a crew member of the USS PC-1137 anti-submarine craft, where he worked as a communications office for three years until being injured in combat. He received a medical discharge shortly before the end of the war. At the time, the former acting student thought a return to theater might be a solid career move – and boy was he right.

“My first job was on Broadway,” Douglas recalls. “Then I went into the Navy. When I came out of the Navy, I went back to Broadway and a friend of mine, Lauren Bacall, was in Hollywood filming with Humphrey Bogart. She told one of her producers I was great in my play, and he saw it and cast me in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.” Ivers would be Douglas’ film debut, one that would catch the attention of every Hollywood exec in town. Douglas would go on to star in classic films like Lust For Life and Lonely Are the Brave