Celebrities Who Are Military Brats
Today, April 30th, is #NationalMilitaryBratDay! Today we pay tribute to the often overlooked sacrifices of the children of active duty military personnel. Imagine never having a home for more than a few years at a time! Imagine being shuffled from location to location and school to school for (sometimes) your entire childhood… having to establish new friendship, join new sports teams and having the constant fear that your father and/or mother is deployed to a dangerous location! Today we celebrate those of you who understand these sacrifices! We thank you for your understanding and thank you for being an integral part of a team that 24/7/365 fights to keep our great country safe!
Many military brats who’ve gone on to fame and fortune actually credit being a child of a military father and/or mother as one of the main reasons they’ve become successful in their respective careers. Many comedians, actors and singers will tell you that–having to constantly meet new people, attend new schools and make new friends–helps build character and gives great life experiences as a young age.
Were you at one time in your childhood a military brat? Check out this sampling of well-known people who grew up in military families (broken down by branch):
United States Air Force:
Jessica Alba (actress), Ray Allen (NBA), Brad Arnold (lead singer 3 Doors Down), Jay Bell (MLB), Zack Bowman (NFL), Ron Coder (NFL), Suzanne Collins (author: Hunger Games) Chris Cooper (actor), John Denver (singer), Pam Grier (actress), Mia Hamm (professional soccer player), Glenn Jacobs (aka professional wrestler “Kane”), Kris Kristofferson (singer/songwriter/actor), Swoosie Kurtz (two time Tony Award winner), Chris LeDoux (country music singer), Craig Lefferts (MLB pitcher), Annie Leibovitz (photographer), Katrina Leskanich (singer “Katrina and the Waves”), Ronnie Lott (NFL Hall of Famer), Shawn Michaels (professional wrestler), Natalie Morales (NBC’s Today), Priscilla Presley (actress, ex-wife of Elvis), Victoria Principal (actress), Chris Richardson (American Idol contestant), Reggie Rivers (Super Bowl champion RB with Broncos), John Romero (lead software designer for Wolfenstein 3D, Quake, and Doom), Peter Sarsgaard (actor), Shawnee Smith (actress), Bart Starr (NFL Hall of Famer), Stephen Stills (singer/songwriter), Tank (R&B singer), Derrick Thomas (NFL), Dave Veres (MLB pitcher), Gore Vidal (writer), Mykelti Williamson (actor: “Bubba” in Forrest Gump), Michael Winslow (actor: “Jones” from the Police Academy movies), Wiz Khalifa (rapper, songwriter, actor), Danny Wuerffel (Heisman trophy winner and NFL quarterback).
United States Army:
Amy Adams (actress), Hunter “Patch” Adams (doctor), Christina Aguilera (Grammy-winning singer), Jackson Browne (singer/songwriter), LeVar Burton (actor: “Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge” in Star Trek), Joelle Carter (model, actress), Jerry Cantrell (guitarist), J. Cole (hip hop recording artist), Ciara (Grammy-winning singer), Johnny Damon (MLB), Faye Dunaway (actress), Herman Edwards (NFL coach, football analyst), Harris Faulkner (Fox News Channel anchor), Mayte Garcia (actress), Ron Gardenhire (MLB manager), Steve Geng (author) Newt Gingrich (politican, author and political analysts), Robert Griffin III (NFL QB), Scott Hall (professional wrestler), Ann Harding (actress), Priest Holmes (NFL All-Pro running back), Robert Horry (NBA seven-time World Champion), Davey Johnson (former MLB player and manager), Alan Keyes (former presidential candidate), Khalid (singer/songwriter), Cardinal Bernard Law (cardinal and former Archbishop of Boston), Martin Lawrence (actor/comedian), Timothy Leary (author and counterculture guru), Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (band: “TLC”), Douglas MacArthur (Medal of Honor recipient and Supreme Allied Commander in the Pacific during WWII), Amy Markham (model/tv personality), Julianne Moore (actress), Tahj Mowry (actor), Tamera Mowry (actress), Tia Mowry (actress), Shaquille O’Neal (NBA star), Mary-Louise Parker (actress), Lionel Richie (singer), Michelle Rodriguez (actress), Jeri Ryan (actress), Debby Ryan (actress: star of Disney Channel show “Jessie”), Sapphire (author), Ann Savage (actress), Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. (General in charge of Desert Storm), Scott Shannon (announcer for the Sean Hannity radio show, host of Internet’s True Oldies Channel, New York disc jockey, programmer and former VH1 VJ), Will Shields (NFL), Rachel Smith (Miss USA 2007), Michael Stipe (singer: R.E.M.), Sharon Tate (actress – murdered by Charles Manson and his followers), Robert Kelly Thomas (singer: Matchbox Twenty and solo artist), Blair Underwood (actor), Elizabeth Vargas (ABC News anchor), Gore Vidal (author), Ashley Wagner (2016 World Figure Skating silver medalist), Bruce Willis (actor), Reese Witherspoon (actress), James Woods (actor), Tiger Woods (professional golfer), Eric Zeier (NFL).
United States Marines:
Neal Boortz (talk radio host/author), Pat Conroy (author: “The Great Santini”), Deborah Foreman (actress/model), Emmylou Harris (multiple Grammy Award-winning singer), Robert Hays (actor), Heather Locklear (actress), Renee Montagne (NPR anchor, co-host of national morning news show Morning Edition, former co-host of All Things Considered), Patton Oswalt (actor/comedian), John Phillips (singer: “The Mamas & the Papas”), Mary Doria Russell (award-winning novelist), Lala Sloatman (actress), Austin St. John (actor: “Power Rangers”), Allen Neal Jones (“AJ Styles” professional wrestler), Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson (band: “Heart”).
United States Navy:
Nicole Gale Anderson (actress/model), Hoyt Axton (country/western composer-performer, actor), Billy Beane (manager of the Oakland A’s), Bill Cosby (comedian/actor), Steven Culp (actor), Andy Dick (actor/comedian), Nancy Dussault (singer/actress), Robert Duvall (Academy Award-winning actor), Kathie Lee Gifford (actress/singer/songwriter), Mark Hamill (Actor: “Star Wars” films), Marcia Gay Harden (actress), L. Ron Hubbard (science fiction author and founder of Scientology), Patrick Kilpatrick (actor/director/producer/writer), John McCain (Senator and 2008 presidential candidate), John S. McCain, Jr. (Admiral, Commander in Chief, Pacific Command), Steve McQueen (actor), Jim Morrison (singer/songwriter: “The Doors”), Donovan Patton (actor), Lou Diamond Phillips (actor), Mary Doria Russell (award-winning novelist), Mike Watt (bassist).
United States Coast Guard:
Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges (actors) – father: Lloyd Bridges served in the United States Coast Guardthen later in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Robert Davenport (author).
Branch of service unknown:
H.R. (singer/songwriter: “Bad Brains”), Dan Hicks (singer), Rob Hotchkiss (guitar/harmonica player: “Train”), Earl Hudson (drummer: “Bad Brains”), Jesse Jane (adult actress), Amerie Mi Marie Rogers (singer), Lil’ Mo (singer/songwriter), Trey Songz (singer/songwriter), Tré Cool (drummer: “Green Day”).
