Mr. T
Mr T, from the famous TV-show the A-team, real name Laurence Tureaud, was more than a disgraced mercenary working from a black van. In fact, he was actually a Military Police Corps Officer. During his training, he was punished with wood cutting detail by his CO but not told how many trees he should cut. In three and a half hours he successfully chopped more than 70 trees. This level of commitment got him promoted to squad leader. He was eventually honorably discharged from the Army and became a bodyguard for $3,000 a night, before being spotted by Sylvester Stallone who placed him in his star-launching film, Rocky III.
Danny Aiello
Danny Aiello, an American actor famous for his role in “The Godfather Part Two,” also had a surprising military career in the Korean war. He lied to join the military when he was 16 and was instantly shipped to Germany where he spent 28 months serving the military on an army base. Once his service ended he went on to be a union representative for Greyhound buses and then eventually became a bouncer at a comedy club, which lead onto his acting career.
Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr. was a African-American singer, musician, and actor. Noting his skills during World War II, the army assigned the seventeen-year-old to an integrated entertainment unit, designed to entertain soldiers who are serving overseas. Upon his return to America, his experience overseas was reflected in this work, which led to a position in the Rat Pack lead by his friend Frank Sinatra. He has revealed in his biography that he always suffered racism, especially while serving the military, being beaten and called derogatory names, but found power through his performances.