R. Lee Ermey, a former Marine Corps drill instructor best known for his role in Stanley Kubrick’s film “Full Metal Jacket,” was buried at Arlington National Cemetery Friday with full military honors, the U.S. Naval Institute said.
Ermey died on April 15, 2018, due to complications from pneumonia. He was 74.
VIDEO: Marine, Actor R. Lee Ermey Buried in Arlington National Cemetery – USNI Newshttps://t.co/Kv4DPKJ7bs pic.twitter.com/HaRsY8Jsch
— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) January 18, 2019
Before playing his famous role as the sadistic Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in the 1987 film, Ermey enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1961. The Kansas native served for 11 years, including 14 months in Vietnam, before he was medically discharged in 1972 due to injuries.
Ermey had small roles in “Apocalypse Now” and “The Boys in Company C” before he got his big break in “Full Metal Jacket.” Ermey was originally supposed to be a technical adviser, but Kubrick offered him the role of Gunnery Sgt. Hartman after seeing a demo tape of the actor railing at extras while tennis balls flew at him. – READ MORE