Military career Įrmey enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1961 at age 17 and went through recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in San Diego, California. The judge gave the young Ermey a choice between military service or jail Ermey chose military service. In 1961, when Ermey was 17, his mother took him to a judge in an attempt to correct his behavior. Īs a teenager, Ermey was an admitted "troublemaker and a bit of a hell-raiser", and frequently got into trouble. Then, in 1958, when Ermey was 14, his father moved the family to a rural home between Zillah, Washington, and Granger, Washington. A few years after his birth, his father moved the family (including Ermey and his five brothers) to a small farm outside of Kansas City, Kansas. He also hosted GunnyTime on the Outdoor Channel.Įrmey was born in Emporia, Kansas, on March 24, 1944, to John Edward (1924–2016) and Betty (née Pantle) Ermey (1925–2005). Lee Ermey, which concerned the development of different types of weapons. On television, Ermey hosted two programs on the History Channel: Mail Call, in which he answered viewers' questions about various military issues both modern and historic and Lock n' Load with R. "Tice" Ryan in Rocket Power and John House in House. Ermey was also a United States Marine Corps staff sergeant and an honorary gunnery sergeant.Įrmey was often typecast in authority figure roles, such as Mayor Tilman in the film Mississippi Burning, Bill Bowerman in Prefontaine, Sheriff Hoyt in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, Jimmy Lee Farnsworth in Fletch Lives, a police captain in Se7en, plastic army men leader Sarge in the first three films of the Toy Story franchise (1995–2010), Lt. He achieved fame for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. No immediate information on survivors or a memorial service was available.Ronald Lee Ermey (March 24, 1944 – April 15, 2018) was an American actor and U.S. He also appeared in video games and numerous TV commercials. He later received an honorary promotion to gunnery sergeant by the Marines.Įrmey appeared in more than 55 films and was a voice actor in many others, including Roughnecks and X-Men 3. He was later a staff sergeant in Okinawa, but was medically discharged in 1972 because of injuries during his service. He was eventually sent to Vietnam and served 14 months there. Given a choice between jail time or the military, he chose the Marine Corps., and served as a drill instructor in San Diego in the mid ’60s. staff sergeant and drill instructor, Ermey was able to project authority and resolute leadership in a number of roles.īorn in Emporia, Kansas, in 1944 as Ronald Lee Ermey, he had been arrested for criminal mischief twice by age 17. Owing to his background as a former Marine Corps. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, but that was only one of his many military roles. Ermey was a fixture in the Omix-ADA Off-Road Success Center at the SEMA Show.Įrmey was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Gunnery Sgt. His death was announced on Twitter by his manager Bill Rogin. Lee Ermey, “The Gunny,” who made an acting career out of his ability to bring stern military careerists to life, has died at age 74. Lee Ermey signs autographs in the Omix-ADA Off-Road Success Center at the SEMA Show.
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