R. Lee Ermey

R
Ermey aboard USS Belleau Wood in 2005
Personal details
Born	Ronald Lee Ermey (1944-03-24)March 24, 1944 Emporia, Kansas, U.S.
Died	April 15, 2018(2018-04-15) (aged 74) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Spouse	Nila Ermey (m. 1975)
Children	4
Occupation	Actor, voice artist, drill instructor, United States Marine
Military career
Nickname	"Gunny"
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1961–1972
Rank	Staff sergeant Gunnery sergeant (honorary)
Unit	India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion Marine Wing Support Group 17
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Meritorious Unit Commendation Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross

Ronald Lee Ermey (March 24, 1944 – April 15, 2018) was an American actor and voice actor. He achieved fame when he played Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. Ermey was also a United States Marine Corps staff sergeant and an honorary gunnery sergeant. During his tenure in the U.S. Marine Corps, he served as a drill instructor.

Ermey 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 Toy Story films, Lt. "Tice" Ryan in Rocket Power, the warden in SpongeBob SquarePants, and John House in House.

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. Lee Ermey, which concerned the development of different types of weapons. He also hosted GunnyTime on the Outdoor Channel.

Early life

Ermey was born Ronald Lee Ermey in Emporia, Kansas on March 24, 1944. He grew up with five brothers on a farm outside of Kansas City, Kansas. In 1958, when Ermey was 14, he and his family left Kansas and moved to Zillah, Washington. As a teenager, Ermey often got in trouble with the local authorities, and was arrested twice for criminal mischief by age 17. After his second arrest, a judge gave him a choice between joining the military or being sent to jail; Ermey chose the military.

Military career

U.S. Marine Corps

In 1961, at age 17, Ermey enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and went through recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in San Diego, California. For his first few years, he served in the aviation support field before becoming a drill instructor in India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, where he was assigned from 1965 to 1967.

Ermey then served in Marine Wing Support Group 17 at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, Japan. In 1968, he was ordered to Vietnam with MWSG-17, and spent 14 months in country. The remainder of his service was on Okinawa where he was advanced to staff sergeant (E-6). He was medically discharged in 1972 because of several injuries incurred during his service. On May 17, 2002, he received an honorary promotion to gunnery sergeant (E-7) by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James L. Jones.

Acting career

Films

Ermey loading ammunition for the Bofors 40 mm gun aboard a Lockheed AC-130H "Spectre" Gunship in 2006

Ermey was cast in his first film while attending the University of Manila in the Philippines, using his G.I. Bill benefits. He portrayed a First Air Cavalry chopper pilot in Apocalypse Now, doubling as a technical advisor to director Francis Ford Coppola. Ermey was then cast as a Marine drill instructor in Sidney J. Furie's The Boys in Company C.

For the next few years, Ermey played a series of minor film roles until 1987, when he was cast as drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Initially, he was intended to be only the technical advisor. Kubrick changed his mind after Ermey put together an instructional tape, in which he went on an extended tirade towards several extras, convincing Kubrick he was the right man for the role. Seeking authenticity for the film, Kubrick allowed Ermey to write or edit his own dialogue and improvise on the set, a notable rarity in a Kubrick film. Kubrick later indicated that Ermey was an excellent performer, often needing just two or three takes per scene, also unusual for a Kubrick film. Ermey's performance won critical raves and he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.

Ermey later portrayed a drill instructor in the pilot episode of Space: Above and Beyond and the ghost of Master Sergeant Hiles in The Frighteners, both similar to his character in Full Metal Jacket. Ermey subsequently appeared in about 60 films, including Purple Hearts, Mississippi Burning, The Siege of Firebase Gloria, Dead Man Walking, Se7en, Fletch Lives, Leaving Las Vegas, Prefontaine, Saving Silverman, On Deadly Ground, Sommersby, Life, Man of the House, Toy Soldiers, and The Salton Sea, as well as the remake of Willard and as an evil sadist in two The Texas Chainsaw Massacre films.

Ermey also lent his voice to The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Toy Story 3, as well as Roughnecks and X-Men 3. He usually appears in a commanding military role, for such series as Kim Possible, The Simpsons, Family Guy, SpongeBob SquarePants, Miami Vice, House, Scrubs, My Life as a Teenage Robot, and Invader Zim. In addition, he hosted Mail Call and Lock n' Load with R. Lee Ermey.

Television

On December 14, 1994, Ermey portrayed a sheriff in Tales from the Crypt, season six, episode nine, "Staired in Horror." He also played the role of Reverend Patrick Findley, a minister, in The X-Files season 3, episode 11, "Revelations." On Mail Call, Ermey discussed weaponry, tactical matters, and military history. Mail Call's subject matter was dictated by viewer emails; one episode focused on an M1 Abrams tank, while others involved World War II secrets, and others focused on elements of medieval warfare. The set consisted of a military tent, other military gear and weapons, and a World War II jeep.

He traveled to Kuwait in June 2003 during the first phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom to film mail distribution by the Defense Department to service personnel for an episode of Mail Call. According to a 2005 episode of Mail Call filmed at Whiteman Air Force Base, he was the 341st person to fly in the B-2 stealth bomber. He also guest-starred in the Human Target episode "Second Chance."

Ermey also made guest appearances in House, playing the role of Dr. Gregory House's father, who was a decorated naval aviator while serving in the Marine Corps ("Birthmarks," "Daddy's Boy"), and Scrubs, playing the Janitor's father. He also voiced Wildcat in several episodes of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. In the Simpsons episode "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming," Ermey voiced Colonel Leslie "Hap" Hapablap.

In the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Inmates of Summer," he voiced an irate warden of a maximum-security island prison who demoralized the inmates whenever he could. In the Angry Beavers episode "Fancy Prance," he voiced the Lipizzaner stallions' instructor Drill Sergeant Goonther.

In 2009, Ermey hosted a second History Channel show entitled Lock n' Load with R. Lee Ermey, which discussed the history of various weapons used by militaries of today.

In late 2010, he starred in a GEICO commercial as a drill-instructor-turned-therapist who insults a client, in a parody of some of his iconic characters. Ermey was also featured each week on ESPN's College GameDay. His role was to insult the experts' incorrect picks from the previous week. In that same year, Ermey appeared in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Trophy" as a paroled sex offender.

In 2011, he starred as a drill instructor on the X-Play special on Bulletstorm. In the Family Guy episode "Grumpy Old Man," Ermey guest-starred, again as a drill instructor.

Ermey served as host of GunnyTime, a program that debuted on Outdoor Channel in 2015.

Video games

In 1993, Ermey voiced Lyle the Handyman in Double Switch, a game also starring Corey Haim and Debbie Harry.

Ermey lent his voice to several video games, including Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel (as General Barnaky) and Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (as Wa-Wa). He also made a cameo in Real War: Air, Land, Sea, a retail real-time strategy computer game based on the official Joint Chiefs of Staff training game. In 2014, he did voice-over work for Call of Duty: Ghosts.

Several characters have made references to Ermey and the character of Hartman. In the game Fallout 3, a recruitable companion is named Sergeant RL-3, a modified military robot with a personality very similar to Ermey (the companion's name is a reference to Ermey's initials wherein the 3 is leetspeak for the letter E). In the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion is a character named Lieutenant Emry that speaks some of Ermey's signature lines from Full Metal Jacket. In Half-Life: Opposing Force, the drill sergeant from the initial boot camp stage had dialogue and mannerisms very similar to Ermey's character in Full Metal Jacket.

Commercials

Ermey was an official spokesman for Black Book (National Auto Research), Glock firearms, TRU-SPEC apparel, Tupperware, Victory Motorcycles, Hoover, SOG Specialty Knives, WD-40, Young Marines, and appeared in commercials for Coors Light, Dick's Sporting Goods, GEICO, and pistachio nuts. He provided the introduction for the Professional Bull Riders. He can be seen giving a service announcement for Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, demanding that viewers be quiet during the film. He was a board member for the National Rifle Association.

Business venture

Ermey was a co-founder of Bravery Brewing in Lancaster, California.

Political views

Ermey described himself as an independent. In 2008, he voted for Barack Obama, but subsequently criticized his policies. Ermey said in an interview earlier in 2015 that he supported Ted Cruz for President. He said, "You know what, I just watched Ted Cruz — I mean, what a tough act to follow. I'm not going to tell you who I'm going to vote for, but I'm going to let you guess [...] and the first two guesses don't count!".

Toys for Tots speech

On December 10, 2010, Ermey denounced the Obama administration's economic policies while speaking at a Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots rally, stating that it was difficult to raise money for the charity, because "the economy sucks". He went on to say:

We should all rise up, and we should stop this administration from what they're doing because they're destroying this country. They're driving us into bankruptcy so that they can impose socialism on us, and that's exactly what they're doing, and I'm sick and damn tired of it and I know you are too.

In January 2011, Ermey posted an apology on his website, saying:

I regret that I delivered a monologue that was inappropriately critical of the President. My comments were misguided and emotionally biased, and for that I am truly sorry.

In spite of his apology, Ermey later told TMZ that he was fired by GEICO, for whom he made the above-mentioned 2010 "Drill Sergeant" commercial, because of his political beliefs. The insurance giant also removed Ermey's commercial from their official YouTube channel.^{[citation needed]}

He subsequently stated that his anti-Obama views had caused him to be blackballed by Hollywood, resulting in a lack of new film roles for him.

Ermey knew Donald Trump Jr. and stated he was confident that should Donald Trump become president, "our Second Amendment rights are solid as a rock."

Military appearances

On May 17, 2002, Ermey received an honorary post-service promotion to gunnery sergeant (E-7) from the Commandant of the Marine Corps General James L. Jones in recognition of his continuing support to Americans in military service.

He conducted morale tours, visiting United States troops in locations such as Al Kut, Iraq, and Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, in which he filmed parts for his television show Mail Call. While at Bagram Airfield, he held a USO-type show in which he portrayed GySgt Hartman and conducted a comedy routine. He also did the same at Doha, Qatar and Camp Doha, Kuwait City, Kuwait, in 2003.

Personal life

In 1975, Ermey married his wife Nila. They had four children together.

Death

On the morning of April 15, 2018, Ermey died at a hospital in Santa Monica, California from complications related to pneumonia. He was 74 years old. His funeral was held in Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, January 18, 2019 where his ashes are buried.

Awards and decorations

Ermey during the United States Marine Corps birthday ball

Ermey was retroactively awarded the Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon after he retired from the military due to his prior service as a Marine Corps recruit training instructor. Ermey's military awards included:

1st row	Meritorious Unit Commendation	Good Conduct Medal w/ two 3⁄16" bronze stars	National Defense Service Medal
2nd row	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal	Vietnam Service Medal w/ one 3⁄16" silver star	South Vietnamese Presidential Unit Citation
3rd row	Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon	South Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm	South Vietnamese Campaign Medal with 1960-Device
Badges	Rifle Marksman Badge		Pistol Sharpshooter Badge

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	The Boys in Company C	Staff Sergeant Loyce
1979	Apocalypse Now	Eagle Thrust Seven helicopter pilot	Uncredited
	Up from the Depths	Lee
1984	Purple Hearts	Gunny
1987	Full Metal Jacket	Gunnery Sergeant Hartman	Credited as "Lee Ermey" Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
	Miami Vice	Detective Sergeant Ernest Haskell	Episode: "Rising Sun of Death"
1988	Mississippi Burning	Mayor Tilman
1989	The Siege of Firebase Gloria	Sergeant Major Bill Hafner / Narrator	Uncredited screenwriter
	Fletch Lives	Jimmy Lee Farnsworth
1990	Demonstone	Colonel Joe Haines
	The Rift	Captain Phillips
	The Take	Weller	Television film
	I'm Dangerous Tonight	Lieutenant Ackman	Television film
	Kid	Luke
	83 Hours 'Til Dawn	Glen Fairling	Television film
1991	The Terror Within II	Von Demming
	Toy Soldiers	General Kramer
	True Identity	Houston's Boss	Uncredited
1993	Hexed	Detective Ferguson
	Sommersby	Dick Mead
	Body Snatchers	General Platt
	The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.	Marshal Brisco County Senior	2 episodes
	Double Switch	Lyle (the handyman)	Video Game
1994	French Silk	Chief Crowder	Television film
	Chain of Command	Benjamin Brewster
	On Deadly Ground	Stone
	Rise and Walk: The Dennis Byrd Story	Mr. Byrd	Uncredited Television film
	Naked Gun 33 1⁄3: The Final Insult	Mess Hall Guard	Uncredited cameo
	Love Is a Gun	Frank Deacon
	Tales from the Crypt	Sheriff	Episode: "Staired in Horror"
1995	Murder in the First	Judge Clawson
	Savate	Benedict	Short film Uncredited
	Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back	Preacher Brian	Uncredited
	Seven	Police Captain
	Leaving Las Vegas	Conventioneer
	Space: Above and Beyond	Sergeant Major Bougus	Television film
	Under the Hula Moon	Lt. Col. J. P. McIntire
	Toy Story	Sarge	Voice
	The X-Files	Reverend Findley	Episode: "Revelations"
	Dead Man Walking	Clyde Percy
	Kidnapped	Frank	Television film
	The Simpsons	Colonel Leslie "Hap" Hapablap	Voice Episode: "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming"
1996	Soul of the Game	Wilkie	Television film
	The Frighteners	The late Master Sergeant Hiles
1997	Prefontaine	Bill Bowerman
	Dead Men Can't Dance	Sen. Pullman T. Fowler
	Weapons of Mass Distraction	Billy Paxton	Television film
	Switchback	Sheriff Buck Olmstead
	The Angry Beavers	Sergeant Goonther	Voice Episode: "Fancy Prance/H2Whoa!"
	Starship Troopers	News Announcer	Uncredited voice
	Rough Riders	Secretary of State John Hay	2 episodes
1997–1998	Cracker	Lieutenant Fry	16 episodes
1998	The Sender	Colonel Rosewater
	Gunshy	Jerry
1999	You Know My Name	Nix	Television film
	Life	Older Sheriff Pike
	Avalanche	Gary
	Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot	General Thorton	Voice 26 episodes
	The Apartment Complex	Frank Stanton	Television film
	Toy Story 2	Sarge	Voice
1999–2000	Roughnecks: STC	Sky Marshall Sanchez	Voice 4 episodes
2000	The Chaos Factor	Col. Ben Wilder
	Skipped Parts	Caspar Callahan
	Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins	Sarge	Voice Direct-to-DVD
	Jericho	Marshall
2001	Saving Silverman	Coach Norton
	Recess: School's Out	Colonel O'Malley	Voice
	Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel	General Barnaky	Voice Video game
	Real War: Rogue States	Briefings	Voice Video game
	Real War: Air, Land, Sea
	Megiddo: The Omega Code 2	President Richard Benson
	Scenes of the Crime	Mr. Parker
	Family Guy	Coach	Voice Episode: "Mr. Saturday Knight"
	Taking Sides	General Wallace
	On the Borderline	Captain Elias
	Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex	Wa-Wa the Water Elemental	Voice Video game
2002	Run Ronnie Run!	Lead Kidnapper	Cameo
	The Salton Sea	Verne Plummer
	Scrubs	Janitor's father	Episode: "My Old Man"
	Frank McKlusky, C.I.	Jockey Master	Uncredited cameo Direct-to-VD
	Invader Zim	Sergeant Hobo 678	Voice Episode: "HOBO 13/Walk for Your Lives"
	A.K.A. Birdseye	Sheriff Gathers
2003	Toy Story: Buzz Lightyear's Blast Up Together	Sarge	Voice
	Willard	Frank Martin
	Fillmore!	Colonel Thrift	Voice Episode: "South of Friendship, North of Honor"
	The Texas Chainsaw Massacre	Sheriff Hoyt	Nominated – Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor
	Kim Possible	General Sims	Voice 2 episodes
2004	Y.M.I.	John
	The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy	Drill Sergeant	Voice Episode: "Bully Boogie/Here Thar Be Dwarves"
	Father of the Pride	Sergeant Bunny	Voice Episode: "One Man's Meat Is Another Man's Girlfriend"
2005, 2008	House	John House	2 episodes
2005	Man of the House	Captain Nichols
2006	X-Men: The Last Stand	Sergeant	Voice cameo
	Shark Bait	Jack	Voice
	The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning	Charlie Hewitt / Sheriff Hoyt
2007	SpongeBob SquarePants	Prison Warden	Voice Episode: "The Inmates of Summer"
2008	Solstice	Leonard
	Eleventh Hour	Bob Henson	Episode: "Agro"
2009	Lock n' Load with R. Lee Ermey	Himself (host)	13 episodes
2009–2011	Batman: The Brave and the Bold	Wildcat	Voice 4 episodes
2010	Toy Story 3	Sarge	Voice
	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Walter Burlock	Episode: "Trophy"
2011	Family Guy	Drill Sergeant with Alzheimer's Disease	Voice Episode: "Grumpy Old Man"
2012	The Watch	Manfred
2012–2015	Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness	General Tsin	Voice 3 episodes
2013	Call of Duty: Ghosts	Drill Instructor DLC	Voice Video game
2015–2017	GunnyTime	Himself (host)	31 episodes
2015	The Simpsons	Colonel Leslie "Hap" Hapablap	Voice Episode: "Waiting for Duffman"
2016	Military Makeover	Himself (host)

Other media

• Ermey recorded voice lines for a "talking" 12-inch tall "motivational action figure" depicting him in USMC drill instructor uniform, which replays his signature put-downs with the press of an electronic button on the back. Sideshow Collectibles manufactured the figure in two versions, one with (somewhat) family-friendly language and one with "extra-salty" remarks that include profanity; the latter is packaged with an R rating as a warning to consumers. One of these figures appears occasionally on Mail Call, wherein it is often referred to as "Mini-Lee" by the host and is sometimes seen berating a G.I. Joe.
• In the early 1990s, Ermey appeared as a Martian pilot in a training video for Virtual World Entertainment's game Red Planet, alongside other actors, such as Cheech Marin, Nora Dunn, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Joan Severance, and Judge Reinhold.
• In the Green Lantern series of comics published by DC, it is revealed that Green Lantern Kilowog (who trains all new Green Lantern recruits) was in turn trained by a Green Lantern named Ermey.
• He had a notable appearance on The Howard Stern Show in October 2002, appearing as Sgt. Hartman.
• He provided the voice of the DLC drill instructor in Call of Duty: Ghosts.
• Ermey starred in an instructional training video for Lockheed Martin dealing with the problems caused by Foreign Object Damage in manufacturing military equipment.

External links

• R. Lee Ermey at Find a Grave
• Official website
• R. Lee Ermey Sound Off Forum, fan site
• R. Lee Ermey at the Internet Movie Database
• R. Lee Ermey at the TCM Movie Database
• R. Lee Ermey at AllMovie
• R. Lee Ermey(Aveleyman)