Lee Marvin: The Untold Stories of a WWII Scout Sniper 

Now I understand why my father, a retired Marine, liked him so much

His son Chris was my roommate back in the nineties (he was a great drummer - passed away a few years ago). He had the best stories, and I even got to talk to his mom (she was a pilot, like me) and his ex, Michelle, on the phone. They were both very nice. Chris had a great big family photo album and showed me many AWESOME family photos. He had his dad's gravelly voice and a heart of gold. He told me that when he was 5 years old on the set of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" that he was invited to sit in on a poker game with John Wayne, director John Ford and a few other actors, where he "won" 5 bucks. His dad was in his trailer (not at the poker game), and when Chris proudly showed him the money when he got back, Lee marched him back to the trailer where they were playing poker, and made him give back the 5 dollar bill. Chris shared all kinds of such moments with me. He was obviously very proud of his dad.

Lee Marvin a man's man

WWII Hollywood types were so much better than what we have today. Having served in the Infantry in Viet Nam I totally get what he went through. RIP Lee.

Met him in San Diego in the fall of 1968 if memory serves. Some sort of celebration going on in SD & I along with others partying in a house near Balboa park, Some of our group who were marines ran into him & brought him to thee house. He bankrolled food & drink for two days. Respected by all of us. Good man.

Hell In The Pacific is a pretty amazing film. It's just Lee and Toshiro Mifune! I would think that this was a very profound and cleansing project for this Marine Scout Sniper. So many actors served in WWII, it's incredible!

Lee Marvin was an original bad ass!

Lee Marvin was a badass, on and off screen, respect.

One of my favorite actors, I'd watch anything with him in it.

Lee Marvin , Charles Bronson, David Niven , Telly Savalas, Tony Curtis etc. all WW2 veterans.

Always loved Lee Marvin growing up in a military family and my father having seen combat as a tail gunner in a B17, everything was always about service to country. Many actors from that Era were combat veterans and were great role models for following generations.

Based on another account I read, Marvin's wound was much more serious than what he described to his parents. His sciatic nerve was severed. When he was finally placed on a stretcher, he was soon blown off it by the demolition of a captured Japanese ammo dump. He landed on his wound, further exacerbating his condition. He was evacuated to a hospital ship and spend the next 13 months in Navy hospitals recuperating. During his recovery he learned he had very narrowly avoided being permanently paralyzed. Meanwhile, his brother, Robert, and father, Lamont, were still serving in Europe. Lamont had been a decorated veteran of WWI who volunteered to serve again in WWII. Shortly after the war ended and the entire family was finally reunited, Lamont had a nervous breakdown. All three Marvin men were dealing with stress and depression, so Lee's mother, Courtenay, quit her successful career and relocated the family to the sleepy little hamlet of Woodstock, NY. Lee later tried to reenlist in the Corps, but his disability prevented this. The rest is history.

You covered this very well. No embellishment, just the straight facts. I liked Lee Marvin as an actor and as a man. Thank You.

I was in Washington, D.C. for a conference and took time for a walking tour of Arlington National Cemetery. Came across Lee Marvin USMC not knowing he was buried there and checked out his Marine service. Lee Marvin earned those decorations and Brokaw wasn't exaggerating when he called them the Greatest Generation.

Christopher Lee is an actor who was definitely a ‘bad ass’ and his exploits are still subject to Top Secret classification….. started his experience in Finland before WW2 started in Europe fighting the Russians in the ‘Winter War’ then into the SOE and it was said by Ian Fleming that part of the James Bond character he wrote was based on Lee…. Then of course David Niven, an officer in the commandos who was a famous actor who could have avoided wartime service let alone service in the commandos by staying in the US upon UK declaration of war against Germany….. but one actor I always think of is the British actor Richard Todd a very well known actor who was an actor in the movie The Longest Day he played Major Howard who led British airborne assault on Pegasus Bridge on early morning of DDay…. his character Major Howard was in dialogue on the bridge with another character, a Lt. Richard Todd played by another actor….. as Richard Todd himself was one of the airborne forces that were also on the bridge that day…. must have been surreal to be acting alongside someone acting as you….!! Then of course, there’s Donald Pleasance, actor from the Great Escape and Halloween etc…. He was part of a bomber crew who flew 60 operations over Europe and was shot down towards the end of the war and was a POW for the last year of the war…. There’s a great story about him on the set of the Great Escape making a suggestion to the director Sturges and being vilified for doing so… but James Garner and Charles Bronson (both veterans themselves) had a word with Sturges and put him straight about Pleasance… indeed some say Bronson had a very colourful discussion with the director and from that day on, Sturges would always ask for Pleasance’s input on his scenes….. it was Donald Pleasances idea about placing the pin on the floor in order to convince Richard Attenboroughs character that he could see just fine….! Another great actor rarely mentioned is Anthony Quayle who spent a lot of his service behind enemy lines and was awarded several medals for his actions…. So many great actors proved their mettle in WW2…. Thanks for sharing mate 👍

He is buried Arlington. Of all his accomplishments in life, read his headstone. It says it all. Thanks for this wonderful video.

Been to Arlington, seen Lee Marvin's site. Lee Marvin is buried next to Joe Lewis (Barrow). According to Tour Guides at Arlington. When Joe Lewis died, he was pennyless having been cruelly "Robbed" by former managers. Lee Marvin, being a "friend", paid for Joe Lewis' monument at the grave site and then "requested" the site next to Joe Lewis be reserved for him. This was against Cemetery policy, but the site was reserved for Lee Marvin. Lee Marvin is buried with a typical Veteran's headstone right beside the Monument to Joe Lewis.

Thank you for showing Lee Marvin's WW2 documentation. I was a big pharma rep [ Up John ] in 1974 and headquartered out of the reginal office in LA. We had some training exercises in infectious disease to attend to and stayed at the Universal Studios Hotel at Universal City. Lee used to hang out there and spent some time in their bar for sandwiches and libation. Af ew of our sales reps were there one evening talking to him and I will never forget what he told them., He said "regardless of what I ever achieve in Hollywood, I want to be remembered for my service to my country in WW2 as a US Marine. Everything else is secondary and non important in comparison." Being a disabled Vn Era Combat Medic and Surgical Technician. I was most impressed and proud to have Lee as a fellow veteran who served his country with honor in time of war....Dana First Army MEDDAC Dept, Surgery and CMS Veteran Representative retired,, ex big pharma rep. and Science Teacher.. Thank you all veterans for your service to our country !

I think we all could sense there was something very special about Lee Marvin and of course here it is.. God bless you for telling us what Marine hero Lee Marvin would not

I am a retired Marine and was stationed just about everywhere Lee was stationed in his early enlistment! I did not know this until watching your video! I always admired Lee Marvin (the good and bad stuff) as well. I now plan to buy a couple of the books about him. Thanks for covering him in this video! Once a Marine, always a Marine as they say!😊

Lee Marvin and Lee Van Cleef are my two favorite movie "tough" guys of all time. Both veterans of WWII. Both always stood out in whatever roles they played.

I am among the many fans of Lee Marvin and thank you so much for your efforts in putting this impressive 'short/mini' documentary of him. The quality of your research, content, editing, and finished product is very impressive and did Lee Marvin right.

In the early 70’s I was fortunate to have met him while he was shooting a movie in Canada. The conversation didn’t last long but I will never forget it. He was larger than life.

When it comes to RU-vid, you can only do what you can do. No one can figure them out. There is zero consistency. This was an outstanding video on Lee Marvin -- fantastic job!

On his death bed, Lee Marvin's last words were , once a Marine, always a Marine... Semper Fi Mac

I went to Saint Leo in the late 60s early 70s there is Saint Leo Hall. He was one of our heroes. I looked into his military service and made him even more of a hero. My dad was third armor division and he looked at me when I mentioned his name, and said one of the best.

I'm going to take a different track. I LOVE it when a historian gets excited about the material he is telling the story about.

A lot of actors and professional athletes served in WW II. They were the greatest generation. No wonder Mr. Marvin played the part of military men so well; he was a bad ass Marine. Thanks for great video!

Lee Marvin, an actor and a man (today a rare combination).

I always liked Lee Marvin's performances on screen and have heard some things about his military experiences but nothing as detailed as this. You did a great job presenting this information and I thank you for it. Lee Marvin was a Man's man and a damned good Marine as well. Thanks for bringing this to us all.

Lee spent a lot of time in Tucson AZ, Met an old coin dealer that knew him. He had tremendous respect for Lee.😊

My dad was in the 4th (Motor-T). I still have his uniform, French trench knife, and bayonet. I lost his pack, floatation belt, and helmet playing army as a kid (or they were stolen). He loved the Marines but got out to care for his mom. His sporterized Arisaka is still in the family. I don't know if he had it done or if he bought it that way post war. The bore is still perfect. Thanks for your respectful and interesting doco.

Great actor I always enjoyed watching. He had intensity like Burt Lancaster but could pull off a comedy role too. A good bloke too so they say, a courageous veteran of WWII who will live on in his many films.

My Uncle was an Army sniper in WWII and I watched this to understand what his experience was like,

Lee Marvin was a solid straight up Marine! Semper Fi, Brother! No wonder he was so authentic in "The Dirty Dozen", like Gunny, he lived it, breathed it, held it high and Honored His Blood Covenant Oath. I have to correct you on something in your narration, we (the US military and US citizens) did not have/use the 5.56mm NATO M16 platform during World War Two. The Marine Corps standard service rifle he qualified on was the Springfield 1903A3 bolt action rifle in .30-‘06, sniper rifles were typically hand selected for better accuracy and had a Unertil optic mounted on it. Sometimes also a Weaver 10X scope. He would also have qualified with the 12guage pump shotgun( usually the Winchester 1897, but Ithaca’s, Savage’s and Remington’s too) and by late 1943 the M1 Garand in our standard service caliber .30-‘06 and the 110 grain .30 caliber Ball round for the Winchester carbines. So, with all due respect, correct your narrative so it is accurate. Thank you!

Met Lee in cairns of Australia in the 70’s. lee loved marlin fishing and that’s what he came here for. He was a great guy, and that voice … RIP Mr Marvin

I'm actually holding a old coral encrusted brass caseing from a marines rifle that I picked up on Kwajalein in the early sixties

Funny as you were closing his military service part and talking about his start in Hollywood I thought about his roles (2 characters) in Cat Ballou just before you mentioned it, I did not know he won an Academy Award for those roles. I remember him being an unlikely singer "I WAS BORN UNDER A WANDERING STAR". He was the perfect senior NCO in "THE BIG RED ONE" which came out just before my time in the service began. In that one he picks up a new sqad member's shot out testicle and told him how lucky he was to be going home mostly intact and said "THAT'S WHY GOD GAVE YOU TWO". I just learned that he died a couple of weeks ago and celebrate who he was and thanks to his work who he will always be. A HERO THEN AND NOW! UHHH WITH A SENSE OF HUMOR!!!!! A Marine!

I will never forget our great American heroes, and I loved watching Lee in the movies. Some of my favorite: Death Hunt, Donovan's Reef,and of course the Dirty Dozen.

I always liked Lee Marvin, he was a great actor!

This is a well done documentary, love the details and the sources cited. Lee was a true war hero like so many of that generation. Well done.

What a great story! I knew he was a war veteran (as many of my family members) but didn't know he was that quality of a Marine! My uncle Lawrence never came home from the Philippines. I have his 48 star flag that was on his casket! Thank you all for your service in hopefully our last WW!

What a great actor and patriot. That generation produced many men like that. My father was in the battle of the bulge among many others. They were indeed the greatest generation.

What a great coverage of not only a Hollywood star, but a true American! Thank you for that, Lee was one of my favorites as a kid, The Dirty Dozen, Cat Balou, The Big Red One, and so many others were really great, I did not know the rest of the story. So many actors fought in WWII, I am not sure that would happen today, they volunteered.

Thank you for giving well-deserved respect to a GREAT AMERICAN! May he never be forgotten!

Very interesting. I saw him in an interview with Dick Cavet and he really down played his military service. From this I realize how deeply he was involved in WWII. THanks for posting.

Well told story. Didn't realise that apart from being a WW2 hero, he was a nice guy.

The thing about LB, was, he was just so damn likeable. I wish I had that attitude of 'having no attitude'. Great guy.

1 month boot camp that would have been nice. I entered the Marine Corps June 1981 our boot camp MCRD San Diego was 11 weeks. I realize during WWII the Marine Corps needed men and needed them now. Semper Fi brother.

Semper Fi and RIP to legend. Loved him in the movies.

I was at Cairns game fishing club the day it was announced he was gone, quite a character and massive influence and person in the town when visiting.

Wonderful recollection! A favorite actor on TV and on the big screen. M Squad, The Dirty Dozen among so many. Thank you for this recollection!

I watched. ''Cat Ballou'', at the drive-in theater, in May of 1965. Lee Marvin continued to captured my attention for sixty tears. His iconic representation of the American alpha male continues to guide me through thick and thin.

Great story about a Hollywood hero from the greatest generation

Lee was my favorite actor, he was certainly a man's man! As a combat marine in Vietnam I feel like I know what hell he must have gone through on siapan! Thank you for this great insight on Mr. Lee Marvin's life!

Always a favorite of mine,seemed like a great guy and a badass in real life. They sure don't make em like that anymore. Much respect,RIP brother.

What a man , and what a life and what a legacy. Lee Marvin a true legend and gentleman and sorely missed .

Gilhooly! A distant cousin that I didn't get to meet. Love his shows and persona. Really appreciate hearing and seeing these stories come with new life. They need to be told everyday. So thankful for the greatest generation and those who proceeded them.

always loved Lee Marvin he looked a lot like my grandfather and he was a great man

I watched an episode of my favorite prime time show when I was in junior high school named 'Combat' this evening. Its reruns on an antenna tv network on Saturday nights from 10 PM EST to midnight 2 episodes. Lee Marvin co stared in one episode this evening & he just blew the top off the character (an ultra tough Sargent) he was playing. As good as acting as I've ever seen on tv. And like this video mentions he handles & in this show is an expert in class C explosives.

Semper Fi!Mr.Marvin you were always one of my Favorite Americans!

Always a fan of great American veteran and actor Lee Marvin.

Cat Ballou was epic. Lee was perfect as a good guy and as a bad guy.. the music was wonderful. Jane was Cute for the last time. Thank you, Lee

I can watch any of his movies and not be disappointed one bit.

He was always one of my favorite actors ! They don't make-em like the used too. Very impressive 👏

To Lee Marvin, thank you for your service to our country you were a great man you rest in peace, sir

His best roll was Liberty Valance. Nobody will ever top him as the meanest, badassiest bad guy in cinema history!!😂❤👏👍

Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson...two guys who survived that conflict. Thanks.

Rest In Peace 🫡🇺🇸🙏🏽Lee Marvin you where the Best God Bless you 🏝️🇲🇵🇺🇸🇲🇽

I have a 4th Marine Division uniform as found. I've never known how to get it researched. My Marine goes by the name of La Forest who also holds the same rank as Lee Marvin. I really could use some help seeing that I have hundreds of uniforms from all branches of service from WW1 to the Present. Thank you, for such a wonderful video. P&PM

This was awesome. He was always one of my favourite actors. Thank you for making this.

OOHRAH! Pfc Marvin was ine of my favorite actors as a kid. I didnt find out he'd been a Jarhead until after i graduated from bootcamp. 1982. After that, i saw every movie he was in. My favorite its, oddly enough, "Paint Your Wagon " (its my favorite Clint Eastwood movie as well).

This is a well done synapsis of a certain period of life of an American icon. Thank you.

Very well put together production. Thank you for sharing.

Great job. I guess he iused to show up at a bar in Tucson AZ in the early 70's, just a regular guy. Always liked him.

WOW! Great story! Lee Marvin, great American!!

Excellent presentation, Lee was one of my favorite actors. First time I saw him was when he played Chino in The Wild One with Brando. He also impressed me when he was in the twilight zone episode Steel.

Lots of GREAT shots in this! My only complaint is I had to keep hitting pause to look a the documentation, photos! LOL! Thanks!

One of my faves of that era, the best era of actors. Many of that crew served like Clark Gable as a door gunner on a bomber with several combat missions and with a Hitler price tag on his head.

Thanks for this. Lee Marvin was always one of my favorite actors. Especially knowing he was on Enewetak. I was there in the late 70’s for the radiation cleanup. Thanks for the info.

Great actor.

I always liked the anti-hero actors, so Lee was naturally a favorite of my mine. I knew he was a marine who took part in many island landings in the Pacific during WW2, but I didn't know he was a scout sniper. That took some real courage to go in before the main forces at night!

Interesting information on a great actor. Thanks for sharing

Find historical work. Appreciate this very much carry forward sir. I’ll be watching.

I knew Lee Marvin personally and I knew him to be a real good guy.

Brilliant! Well researched and documented on one of my all time favorite Hollywood actors.

Love this story such a great guy and a great career.

LEE MARVIN ROCKS!!!! TO LEE regarding your service with the USMC .... THANK YOU SIR!!!

Battle War Actors Jimmy Stewart, Harold Russell Both Academy Award Winners.

50 yrs of seeing him on TV as a irritating character now makes sense in a different light. Respect.

Thank You for the exposure to Lee Marvin's story

You did a great job for a great man! Thank you.

Big Red One is a great one. I wonder if Samuel Fuller’s 1st Division uniform is preserved somewhere?

A profile on Sterling Hayden would be amazing.

Thank you , Lee Marvin !

Thank you for the freedoms we have and the rich lives this country has given . To fight in a war with a foe that would not surrebder , who if they got their hands on a Marine it was a few days till death released that soul . God bless you Sir .

So glad I found this channel! ❤❤❤❤

WOW! Great video! Lee Marvin was always one of my favorite actors. And I have seen his grave at Arlington Cemetery.

When men were men. My father respected Lee Marvin. My father respected men!

Lee Marvin the legend