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40 Insights into the Lives of Famous War Veterans

Khalid Elhassan July 13, 2019 26 min

34. Ernest Borgnine, US Navy Vet

Ernest Borgnine (1917 – 2012), helped by his endearing gap toothed smile, earned a place as one of Hollywood’s most beloved character actors. He had notable supporting roles in movies such as From Here to Eternity, China Corsair, and The Wild Bunch, and won a Best Actor Oscar for his lead in 1955’s Marty. He also had TV success in the 1980s’ series Airwolf, and the 1960s’ McHale’s Navy. His success playing US Navy Commander McHale in the TV series was owed in no small part to the fact that, in real life, Borgnine had spent a decade in the Navy.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.