R. Lee Ermey

R. Lee Ermey

Ronald Lee Ermey (born March 24, 1944) is an American actor, best known for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, for which he was nominated a Golden Globe Award in the Best Supporting Actor category. He is a retired U.S. Marine and an honorary Gunnery Sergeant; during his tenure in the U.S. Marine Corps, he served as a drill instructor.

Ermey has often been typecast for the roles of authority figures, such as Mayor Tilman in the Alan Parker film Mississippi Burning, Bill Bowerman in Prefontaine, Sheriff Hoyt in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, and plastic army men leader Sarge in the Toy Story films.

He has hosted two programs on the History Channel: Mail Call, in which he answered viewers' questions about various militaria both modern and historic; and Lock N' Load with R. Lee Ermey, which focused on the development of different types of weapons.