Some lean years followed, but Ermey’s career exploded in 1987 with Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket where Ermey was unforgettable (to say the least) as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, a drill instructor who pushes a recruit (Vincent D’ Onfrio) too far. He also appeared as a helicopter pilot in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979). His screen career began in 1978 with a small role as a drill instructor in The Boys In Company C. Iconic and talented, Ermey was a walking-talking example of left-wing Hollywood’s intolerance toward those they condemn as thought criminals.Įrmey, who was known to his friends as “Gunny,” enlisted in the Marines in 1961 when he was only 17, and spent 14 months in Vietnam before earning a honorable discharge after 11 years of service. After disappearing completely for a few years, he managed to appear in a couple of C-grade reality shows in the last few years of his life. Even after apologizing, he was ostracized, fired by GEICO insurance and never did another commercial. After criticizing Barack Obama in 2010, Ermey’s thriving film career immediately dried up. Lee Ermey, who died at 74 of pneumonia Sunday morning, was Exhibit A in the New Hollywood Blacklist. He has issued an apology for his words, though.Actor R. As of yet, Ermey has not suffered the same fate for his comments despite the high profile nature of the Toys for Tots event and his persona in general. GEICO recently fired voice actor Lance Baxter for critical comments he made about the Tea Party movement and the Freedomworks, a political non-profit that supports hard-rightwing policy and rhetoric. He repeated multiple times that the Marine Corps has and always will protect the safety and well being of the country, and urged those present at the event to rise up and stop the Obama administration. At this event, he spoke out against the Obama administration and the democratic party, calling them socialists and accusing them of forcing the United States to its knees. Ermey was a spokesperson for Toys for Tots, where he recently spoke at an event in front of a large group of Marine Corps soldiers. However, there is some evidence that he may be acting much less than the general public believes. Because they don’t know his true background, it’s assumed that he is just being ridiculous and over the top for comedy. This is all well an good to the passive observer since his characters are very well done and extremely entertaining. In other words, his characters are more than just his interpretations of roles he happens to be good at the righteous zealotry and undeniable authority his characters display are extensions of himself. What many Americans probably do not know is that Ermey actually served as a Gunnery Sergeant for 11 years in the Marine Corps. Hartman, in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, a harsh, loud and vulgar drill Sergeant. To the average viewer, this is almost certainly a reference to his most famous role is as Gunnery Sgt. It is exactly this persona that made him perfect for a particular episode in GEICO’s non-sequitur style television ads where he plays an unsympathetic psychiatrist. Lee Ermey has been conscripted for many roles in cinema and television, typically playing a military character or some sort of imposing authority figure.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |