R. Lee Ermey
It only makes sense that R. Lee Ermey found such long-running success using the same tough-talking persona in countless film and TV roles. For Ermey, the persona was based more on reality than on Hollywood magic. Born in Emporia, Kansas in 1944, Ermey had a penchant for mischief as a teenager, and was arrested more than once. Finally, at age 16, a judge offered him a choice between enlisting in the military and serving jail time, and he happily chose the former. Ermey served in Marine Wing Support Group 17 for several years, including 14 months spent deployed to the Vietnam War. After he was discharged, he landed an opportunity to serve as a technical advisor on the film "Apocalypse Now" (1979), also playing a small role in the film. He later signed on to offer similar advisement to Stanley Kubrick on the movie "Full Metal Jacket" (1987), but after Kubrick watched Ermey ream out extras in a training video, he decided to cast him in the film as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The role made Ermey an extremely well known face, and he would continue to put his on screen persona to use for the next three decades, memorably appearing as the police captain in "Seven" (1995) and the TV announcer in "Starship Troopers" (1997), and hosting History Channel's "Mail Call" (History, 2002-07). Ermey passed away in 2018. He was 74 years old.
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R. Lee Ermey
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
95% |
|
Filmworker | Self | $102.6K | 2017 |
16% |
|
The Watch | Manfred (Character) | $34.4M | 2012 |
98% |
|
Toy Story 3 | Sarge (Voice) | $415.0M | 2010 |
No Score Yet |
|
Solstice | Leonard (Character) | - | 2007 |
No Score Yet |
|
Shark Bait | Jack (Voice) | - | 2006 |
15% |
|
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning | Sheriff Hoyt (Character) | $39.5M | 2006 |
9% |
|
Man of the House | Captain Nichols (Character) | $19.1M | 2005 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Y.M.I. | John (Character) | - | 2004 |
37% |
|
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Sheriff Hoyt (Character) | $80.1M | 2003 |
65% |
|
Willard | Mr. Martin (Character) | $6.9M | 2003 |
63% |
|
The Salton Sea | Verne Plummer (Character) | $676.7K | 2002 |
71% |
|
Run Ronnie Run! | Lead Kidnapper (Character) | - | 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A.K.A. Birdseye | Sheriff Gathers (Character) | - | 2002 |
11% |
|
Megiddo | President Richard Benson (Character) | $6.0M | 2001 |
73% |
|
Taking Sides | General Wallace (Character) | $189.0K | 2001 |
50% |
|
Scenes of the Crime | Mr. Parker (Character) | - | 2001 |
59% |
|
Recess: School's Out | Colonel O'Malley (Voice) | $36.7M | 2001 |
18% |
|
Saving Silverman | Coach (Character) | $19.4M | 2001 |
No Score Yet |
|
Chaos Factor | Col. Ben Wilder (Character) | - | 2000 |
No Score Yet |
|
Jericho | Marshall (Character) | - | 2000 |
No Score Yet |
|
Skipped Parts | Caspar Callahan (Character) | - | 2000 |
No Score Yet |
|
On the Borderline | Capt. Elias (Character) | - | 2000 |
No Score Yet |
|
You Know My Name | Nix (Character) | - | 1999 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Apartment Complex | Frank Stanton (Character) | - | 1999 |
100% |
|
Toy Story 2 | Sarge (Voice) | $245.9M | 1999 |
52% |
|
Life | Older Sheriff Pike (Character) | $64.0M | 1999 |
No Score Yet |
|
Avalanche | Gary (Character) | - | 1999 |
20% |
|
Gunshy | Jerry (Character) | - | 1998 |
31% |
|
Switchback | Sheriff Buck Olmstead (Character) | $6.5M | 1997 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Sender | Colonel Rosewater (Character) | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet |
|
Weapons of Mass Distraction | Billy Paxton (Character) | - | 1997 |
56% |
|
Prefontaine | Bill Bowerman (Character) | $584.2K | 1997 |
No Score Yet |
|
Dead Men Can't Dance | Sen. Pullman T. Fowler (Character) | - | 1997 |
66% |
|
The Frighteners | Sgt. Hiles (Character) | $16.5M | 1996 |
67% |
|
Soul of the Game | Wilkie (Character) | - | 1996 |
100% |
|
Toy Story | Sarge (Voice) | $31.3M | 1995 |
54% |
|
Murder in the First | Judge Clawson (Character) | $16.1M | 1995 |
91% |
|
Leaving Las Vegas | Conventioneer (Character) | $29.9M | 1995 |
95% |
|
Dead Man Walking | Clyde Percy (Character) | $37.1M | 1995 |
83% |
|
Seven | Police Captain (Character) | $100.1M | 1995 |
No Score Yet |
|
Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back | Preacher Brian (Character) | - | 1995 |
No Score Yet |
|
Love Is a Gun | Frank Deacon (Character) | - | 1994 |
14% |
|
On Deadly Ground | Stone (Character) | $36.0M | 1994 |
No Score Yet |
|
Chain of Command | Benjamin Brewster (Character) | - | 1993 |
71% |
|
Body Snatchers | General Platt (Character) | $54.8K | 1993 |
63% |
|
Sommersby | Dick Mead (Character) | $46.4M | 1993 |
9% |
|
Hexed | Det. Ferguson (Character) | $2.4M | 1993 |
41% |
|
Toy Soldiers | General Kramer (Character) | $13.4M | 1991 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Terror Within II | Von Demming (Character) | - | 1991 |
No Score Yet |
|
Kid | Luke (Character) | - | 1991 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Take | Weller (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet |
|
I'm Dangerous Tonight | Lt. Ackman (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet |
|
Endless Descent | Capt. Phillips (Character) | - | 1989 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Demonstone | Col. Joe Haines (Character) | - | 1989 |
35% |
|
Fletch Lives | Jimmy Lee Farnsworth (Character) | $32.9M | 1989 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Siege of Firebase Gloria | Hafner (Character) | - | 1988 |
79% |
|
Mississippi Burning | Mayor Tilman (Character) | $33.7M | 1988 |
90% |
|
Full Metal Jacket | Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, Drill Instructor (Character) | $42.9M | 1987 |
20% |
|
Purple Hearts | Bwana (Character) | - | 1984 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Boys in Company C | Sergeant Loyce (Character) | - | 1978 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Military Makeover |
Unknown (Character), Host |
2016-2017 |
85% | 76% | The Simpsons | Colonel Leslie Hapablap (Guest Voice) | 1995 2015 |
No Score Yet | 64% | Family Guy | Warden (Guest Voice) | 2001 2011 |
96% | 88% | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Wildcat (Voice) | 2009-2011 |
78% | 83% | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Walter Burlock (Guest Star) | 2010 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Lock N' Load With R. Lee Ermey | Host | 2009 |
35% | 67% | Eleventh Hour | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2008 |
90% | 95% | House | John House (Guest Star) | 2005 2008 |
No Score Yet | 69% | SpongeBob SquarePants | Warden (Guest Voice) | 2007 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mail Call | Host | 2002-2007 |
30% | 60% | Father of the Pride | Unknown (Guest Voice) | 2004 |
83% | 86% | Scrubs | Janitor's Father (Guest Star) | 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The District | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2001 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot | Unknown (Voice) | 1999 2001 |
93% | 100% | Action | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1999 |
60% | No Score Yet | Cracker | Lt. Fry (Character) | 1997-1999 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Maximum Bob | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Promised Land | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | High Incident | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1996 |
74% | 86% | The X-Files | Reverend Patrick Findley (Guest Star) | 1995 |
70% | 92% | Space: Above and Beyond | Unknown (Character) | 1995 |
82% | 90% | Tales From the Crypt | Unknown (Character) | 1994 |
20% | No Score Yet | Human Target | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1992 |
71% | 89% | Miami Vice | Det. Sgt. Ernest Haskell (Guest Star) | 1987 |