What actors were military generals?

Answer 1

The only one that comes to mind is Jimmy Stewart. Stewart was already established in Hollywood when WWII started, and unlike many others in his profession avoided assignment to movie-making, or morale, or Propaganda duty, and sought out a path that led to combat. He became a command pilot on B-24 heavy bombers, and a very good one. He completed his tour in Europe and stayed on as a check pilot, which was a senior pilot who flew with newly arrived pilots to ensure their skills were at the level required to stay alive over Europe. He stayed on in the Reserves after the war, kept his ratings as a pilot current, and eventually retired from the Air Force reserve as a Major General. He lived to be almost 90, and is one of the most beloved actors of all time.

There were a lot of actors in the post war years who had served before they became famous. Few like Stewart who were already well launched on a career in the movies saw combat though. Clark Gable was sent to England to make a documentary/training and morale film about the 8th Air Force units bombing Europe, and he flew on four or five missions, and he did not have to do that. (Gable's wife, Carole Lombard was killed in the crash of a military aircraft as she was on a "bond tour", encouraging people to buy War Bonds). Ronald Reagan had served in the Horse Cavalry of the Illinois State Guard, and like most Hollywood men in uniform wound up in the "Hollywood Motion Picture Unit" in LA, making movies to support the war effort.