An intrinsic part of popular culture,war movieshave featured some of the biggest stars in Hollywood since the earliest days of cinema. Fromemotionally impactful war moviesthat stick with the viewer forever to offerings that feature themost horrific depictions of warimaginable, the genre has played host to some of the silver screen’s most celebrated and instantly recognizable faces, from Laurence Olivier to Idris Elba. Thankfully, this is a status quo that shows no sign of letting up any time soon.
From thebest war films of all timeto more recent genre offerings, war movies have a habit of flashing an A-lister when audiences least expect it. These roles can even precede the individual in question hitting the big time, leading to a delightful sense of realization when the sense of recognition eventually hits home. In others, it can be a well known individual who is virtually unrecognizable when they aren’t playing their most famous character. In any case, the genre features a considerable number ofmajor actors in roles that many fans will have forgotten.
Platoon
Cast
Platoon is a war drama directed by Oliver Stone, featuring Charlie Sheen as a young soldier experiencing the harrowing realities of Vietnam. Released in 1986, the film chronicles his moral struggle within a divided platoon, led by the contrasting characters of Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger. Platoon offers a raw depiction of the harsh conditions and ethical dilemmas faced by soldiers, contributing to its critical acclaim and multiple Academy Awards.
Based on director Oliver Stone’s real-life experiences of the Vietnam War, 1986’sPlatoonis regarded as one of the most accurate and influential films depicting the conflict ever made. The film boasts an ensemble cast at the top of their game, with Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger both receiving nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor off the back of their masterful roles as Elias and Barnes, respectively.
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Platoonalso happens to feature one of cinema’s most instantly recognizable faces in the briefest of cameo appearances.Pirates of the CaribbeanstarJohnny Depp plays Private Lerner, a background character who is last seen in the back of a medevac helicopterafter being wounded in battle. In an alternate universe,Depp’s role inPlatooncould have been his breakout performance, but the actor’s screen time was vastly reduced after most of his scenes and dialogue were cut in the final take.
The Hurt Locker
From director Kathryn Bigelow comes The Hurt Locker, the 2008 oscar winning war thriller film that follows Jeremy Renner as Sergeant William James and his bomb disposal team as they navigate beyond enemy lines during the Iraq War. The movie explores the trauma and stresses the soldiers face as they attempt to disarm active explosives on the field, with the repercussions beginning to take their toll on the squadmates.
The toast of the 82nd Academy Awards, Kathryn Bigelow’sThe Hurt Lockertook home six of the nine Oscars that the film was nominated for, including the prestigious accolades of Best Director and Best Picture. Chronicling the exploits of a proficient bomb disposal expert and his team during the Iraq War, Bigelow’s ensemble cast is led byMarvel Cinematic Universe star Jeremy Renner.
The American plays Staff Sergeant William James, brought in after the demise of Bravo Company’s previous explosives expert. Killed by an improvised explosive device during the film’s adrenaline-soaked opening sequence,the late Staff Sergeant Matthew Thompson is played in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bow fromMementoandL.A. Confidentialstar, Guy Pearce. The Australian actor features for all of 10 minutes before his untimely death and is swiftly forgotten as Renner takes the reins in assured fashion.
Jarhead
Jarhead is a war drama directed by Sam Mendes, based on Anthony Swofford’s memoir about his experiences as a Marine sniper during the Gulf War. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford, the film explores the psychological challenges faced by soldiers amidst the monotony and anticipation of combat. The movie also features performances by Peter Sarsgaard and Jamie Foxx, capturing the often-overlooked emotional turmoil of military life in a desert war.
Known for his breakout role as Jim Halpert in the seminal comedy mockumentaryThe Office, John Krasinski has come a long way since his early days in Scranton. In addition to landing the titular role of Jack Ryan in Amazon Prime’s live action television series based on the iconic Tom Clancy character, the American became a household name after his masterful work in 2018’sA Quiet Placeand the movie’s 2020 sequel.
A classical literature graduate from Dartmouth, Harrigan finds himself roped into writing exceedingly pornographic love letters on behalf of his superior officers.
What many fans may not know is that Krasinski featured in a minor role in one of the 2000s most underrated war films, in the same year that he made his first appearance as Jim onThe Office. Appearing for less than a minute,the actor plays Corporal Harrigan in Sam Mendes’Jarhead, widely regarded as one ofJake Gyllenhaal’s best movies. A classical literature graduate from Dartmouth University, Harrigan finds himself roped into the demeaning task of writing exceedingly pornographic love letters on behalf of his superior officers.
Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan: Directed by Steven Spielberg, this World War II drama follows Captain John Miller, portrayed by Tom Hanks, as he leads a group of U.S. soldiers on a mission to rescue Private James Ryan, the sole surviving brother of four, from behind enemy lines in German-occupied France.
Contentiously the greatest war film of all time, 1998’sSaving Private Ryanis littered with fleeting appearances from big-name actors from start to finish. Paul Giamatti, Nathan Fillion, and Ted Danson are just a few of the Hollywood big-hitters that pop up in minor roles across the course of Steven Spielberg’s WWII epic, but the movie’s highlight cameo appearance belongs toBreaking Badstar and Academy Award-nominated actor, Bryan Cranston.
Cranston received his sole Academy Award for Best Actor nomination to date for his bow in 2015’sTrumbo.
The man charged with bringing"Heisenberg"to life features in the film’s early goings as an unnamed, one-armed colonel in the war department. In a cameo that doubles as one ofCranston’s most underrated performances, theMalcolm in the Middlestar is the one who makes the case for bringing James Ryan home safely after the tragic news of his brothers' deaths gradually filters home.
Inglourious Basterds
Inglourious Basterds is a film set during World War II in Nazi-occupied France. It follows a group of Jewish-American soldiers, known as “The Basterds,” led by Lt. Aldo Raine, who engage in ruthless anti-Nazi efforts. Their actions intersect with a French-Jewish theater owner in a plot against the regime.
One of French cinema’s most prolific and accomplished performers, Léa Seydoux has featured in numerous high-profile Hollywood offerings to complement her work in her home country. A frequent collaborator with Wes Anderson, Seydoux is also credited with supporting roles in the wildly successfulMission ImpossibleandDunefranchises, in addition to two appearances as Bond girl, Madeleine Swann.
2015
No Time to Die
2021
Given the actress' impressive list of credits, it’s hardly surprising that one of her more minor film roles is often overlooked, even if it is in one of the most influential war movies of all time. Seydoux features in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it instance in Quentin Tarantino’sInglourious Basterds, playing one of Monsieur LaPadite’s trio of daughters in the film’s opening sequence. The actress features in one of the mostunforgettable character introductionsof all time for Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa, as the Colonel comes calling in search of fugitive Jews.
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant is an action-packed war drama film that follows two men caught in the middle of Afghanistan trying to extract themselves from the conflict safely. After Sergeant John Kinley and his interpreter Ahmed are ambushed, Ahmed saves John’s life. However, upon learning that Ahmed and his family will be left behind despite promises from the United States to bring them back, John returns to the battlefield and save his family before the pursuing Taliban catch them.
An action war drama fromSnatchdirector Guy Ritchie,The Covenantfollows an American soldier and his Afghan interpreter, played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim respectively. The 2023 movie chronicles the pair’s trials and tribulations fighting the Taliban against the backdrop of the War in Afghanistan, a series of events that eventually forces Gyllenhaal’s John Kinley into enlisting the assistance of a private military contractor by the name of Eddie Parker.
Almost unrecognizable at first glance thanks to his dark hair and a thick beard, Parker is played by none other than Antony Starr; the man behind current television’s most compelling and formidable villain inThe Boys’sadistic superhero, Homelander. The New Zealander steps into the minor role of Parker for the film’s final act, sending in the cavalry to save the day when all appears to be lost.
Apocalypse Now
In Francis Ford Coppola’s classic Vietnam War film, loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, an army Captain is tasked with assassinating a rogue Colonel who has created a cult-like compound in the Cambodian jungle and is currently waging his own war outside the army’s purview. Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando star as Captain Willard and Colonel Kurtz respectively, with an ensemble cast that includes Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, and Dennis Hopper.
A seminal offering from Francis Ford Coppola and one of the best war films of the 1970s,Apocalypse Nowchronicles a covert mission to assassinate a renegade Special Forces officer set during the Vietnam War. Coppola’s 1979 outing features an eye-watering ensemble cast, boasting iconic names in the vein of Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Martin Sheen in the film’s most prominent roles.
Ford’s character is named after Coppola’s friend and legendary filmmaker George Lucas, who had been attached to directApocalypse Nowbefore getting bogged down with his work onStar Wars.
As such, it’s understandable that such big-hitters overshadow a fleeting appearance from one of cinema’sgreatest action movie stars.Said action hero happens to be none other thanStar Wars,Blade Runner,andIndiana Jonesstar Harrison Ford.The American cultural icon appears in the early goings of Coppola’s picture as Colonel G. Lucas, an Army intelligence specialistwho gives Sheen’s Captain Willard his orders to assassinate Brando’s mysterious Colonel Kurtz.
Three Kings
Three Kings, directed by David O. Russell, is a war film set during the aftermath of the Gulf War. The story follows four American soldiers, played by George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze, who embark on a treasure hunt to steal Iraqi gold. As they venture into hostile territory, they are confronted with unexpected moral dilemmas and the harsh realities of war.
As one of Hollywood’s most accomplished character actresses and comedians, Judy Greer boasts an impressive body of work. From multiple appearances in blockbuster franchises such as theMarvel Cinematic Universeto supporting roles in a diverse range of prominent television shows likeIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the American thespian is credited with more than 150 appearances across film and television.
Ant-Man and the Wasp(2018)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3(2023)
War Pig
Among those appearances is an easily missable role in one of the best war films of the 1990s. Greer makes a fleeting appearance in 1999’sThree Kings, a lauded black-comedy war film chronicling a gold heist during the 1991 uprisings in Iraq. One ofGeorge Clooney’s best movies,Three Kingssees theUp in the Airstar flanked by fellow A-listers in Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube.Greer plays Cathy Daitch in the movie, a journalist who trades sex for stories from Clooney’s Special Forces Major Archie Gatesin the film’s early stages.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a historical drama directed by Peter Weir, featuring Russell Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey. The film is set during the Napoleonic Wars and follows Aubrey as he navigates his ship, HMS Surprise, through treacherous waters in pursuit of a French privateer. Based on Patrick O’Brian’s series of novels, the film explores themes of leadership, strategy, and naval warfare.
Scotsman Billy Boyd may not possess the most extensive filmography, but what the actor’s credit list lacks in length, it more than makes up for in prestige. Boyd is primarily known for his work on what is arguably the most successful and beloved movie franchise of all time, in Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy. The Scottish actor plays the role of hobbit Peregrin"Pippin"Took, constant companion to Dominic Monaghan’s Meriadoc"Merry"Brandybuck and a member of the Fellowship of the Ring.
The Scotsman can be seen in a minor role in 2003’sMaster and Commander: The Far Side of the Worldas theSurprise’scoxswain, Barrett Bonden.
Much like many of his cast mates from Jackson’s trilogy, Boyd found himself forever typecast following his bow as the mischievous hobbit, but still managed to squeeze in a fleeting appearance in one of the finest historical war films of the 2000s.The Scotsman can be seen in a minor role in 2003’sMaster and Commander: The Far Side of the Worldas theSurprise’scoxswain, Barrett Bonden.
Defiance
Defiance, released in 2008, depicts the true story of four Jewish brothers who evade Nazi capture in occupied West Belarus, Poland, during World War II. They join Soviet partisans and lead efforts to rescue approximately 1,200 Jews from the Polish ghettos, highlighting resistance and survival.
Previously known for his work in the likes ofPrivate Peaceful,How I Live Now, andTrue History of the Kelly Gang, George Mackay gained international recognition for his role in Sam Mendes' acclaimed 2019 war offering,1917.Cast in the leading role as Lance Corporal Will Schofield in one of thebest British war filmsever made, Mackay earned rave reviews for his take on the young English soldier, with his haunting performance highlighted as one of the masterful movie’s strongest elements.
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More than a decade before his breakout role as Schofield, Mackay featured in another prominent war offering boasting an ensemble cast. Aged 16 at the time of the film’s production, the1917star also starred in 2008’sDefiance,in what was just his third feature film appearance.Mackay plays the minor role of Aron Bielski, the youngest brother from a family of Partisan rebels who saved Jews in Belarus during WWII. Thewar filmalso sees Hollywood big hitters Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell feature as Bielski’s elder siblings.
