![]() Starting his movie career as a technical consultant for " Apocalypse Now," Ermey played a diverse group of authority figures along the way, the most famous earning him a Golden Globe nomination as Sergeant Hartman in "Full Metal Jacket." He was the only actor that director Stanley Kubrick allowed to ad lib. On television, Ermey was the father of Hugh Laurie's title character on "House," a former military fighter pilot that Laurie's pilled-out character could never quite live up to. He was the vengeful father of a murder victim in " Dead Man Walking," making a convincing case for the death penalty in a movie that otherwise advocated against it. He was the lead plastic Army soldier 'Sarge' in Pixar's " Toy Story" franchise, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman's exasperated superior in "Se7en," and a sadistic sheriff in the 2006 "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake. He was one of the few representatives from the military in Hollywood, a trend that's changing with the success of Adam Driver and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," which used British soldiers in many scenes to give authenticity. Lee Ermey had presence, and he could play it in different ways, in dramatically different figures of authority, even though it was a variation of that same Marine Drill Sergeant's yell that made him an instant star in " Full Metal Jacket."Įrmey's death on April 15, 2018, due to pneumonia complications, came as a sudden tragedy for his many fans. Gunny.Acting is easy, as James Spader once said, but presence is not. ![]() Lee Ermey will remember, he would sometimes mention his wife during episodes, referring to her as “Mrs. While she was an important part of his life, Nila Ermey tended to stay away from the spotlight during his career, though he did sometimes make reference to her. His longtime manager, Bill Rogin, announced Ermey’s death on the actor’s Facebook page and said that Ermey was a “family man, a kind and gentle soul.” ![]() Those who knew the actor said he was a loving and devoted family man, caring deeply for his wife and their four children. Nila Ermey was a fixture throughout his career. Ermey would go on to have a long and distinguished acting career, rarely deviating from the role as a hard-nosed military figure. Ermey appeared in a number of Filipino films before catching the eye of director Francis Ford Coppola, who cast him in Apocalypse Now. It was there that he met Nila, the woman who would become his wife, and at the same time, discover his life’s calling. As Ermey explained, he was restless and decided to buy a “run-down bar and whorehouse” in Okinawa, where he welcomed American GIs.Įrmey explained that he was doing some “black marketing” and attracted the attention of local authorities, so he escaped the heat and high-tailed it to the Philippines. ![]() Lee Ermey’s path to show business started in Vietnam, where he served in the Marine Corps until he received a medical retirement. Lee Ermey for the last 33 years, and who saw a much softer side than the gruff and commanding figure he played onscreen.Īs Entertainment Weekly noted in a 1997 story, R. A major part of that story was Nila, the woman married to R. The beloved actor passed away this weekend after a battle with pneumonia, throwing a spotlight on his long career and the winding path he took to becoming a movie star. Nila Ermey grew up in the Philippines about as far from Hollywood as possible, but she would end up spending her life near the bright lights of show business after meeting a fugitive whorehouse owner named R.
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