Popular Culture
Drill instructors have a reputation as unforgiving taskmasters, and they are often portrayed as such in popular culture. Among the definitive fictional portrayals are:
- U.S. Air Force:
- Myron McCormick as Master Sergeant Orville King in 1958's No Time for Sergeants and the 1955 Broadway production of the same title, both times opposite a young Andy Griffith.
- U.S. Army:
- R. Lee Ermey as an unnamed Sergeant First Class in a Coors Beer commercial advertisement, opposite archival footage of John Wayne
- John Finn as Sergeant Major Mulcahy in 1989's Glory
- Gregory Hines as Sergeant First Class Cass in the 1994 film, Renaissance Man
- Warren Oates as Sergeant First Class Hulka in 1981's Stripes
- Christopher Walken as Sergeant First Class Toomey in the 1988 film, Biloxi Blues
- Hal Williams as Sergeant First Class L. C. (later, "Ted") Ross in both the 1980 film, Private Benjamin, and 1981-1983 television series of the same name
- U.S. Marine Corps:
- Clint Eastwood as Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Highway in the film Heartbreak Ridge. His character was the Recon Platoon Sergeant, which is not a Drill Instructor position, but the character was portrayed like a Drill Instructor.
- R. Lee Ermey (who served as a U.S. Marine drill instructor in 1965-1967) as:
- Staff Sergeant Loyce in the 1978 film The Boys in Company C
- Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket
- Sergeant Major Bougus in the 1995 pilot episode of Space: Above and Beyond
- Master Sergeant Hiles (deceased) in the 1996 film, The Frighteners
- Sergeant Major Sauer in a second series episode of JAG
- Scott MacDonald as Drill Instructor Fitch in the 2005 film Jarhead
- Darren McGavin as Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Drake opposite Jan-Michael Vincent in the 1970 television film Tribes
- Frank Sutton as Gunnery Sergeant Vincent Carter in the 1964-1969 television series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
- Jon St. John as Senior Drill Instructor Dwight T. Barnes in the 1999 video game Half-Life: Opposing Force
- Jack Webb as Technical Sergeant Jim Moore in the 1957 film The D.I.
- U.S. Navy:
- Louis Gossett, Jr. as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in 1982's An Officer and a Gentleman (Gunny Foley's trainees were U.S. Navy aviation officer candidates)
- Robert De Niro as Chief Petty Officer Billy Sunday in the 2000 film Men of Honor.
- Don Rickles as Chief Petty Officer Otto (or "Seymour") Sharkey in the 1976-78 television series C.P.O. Sharkey.
- Viggo Mortensen as Command Master Chief John Urgayle in the 1997 film G.I. Jane.
Real-life Drill Instructors from law enforcement agencies around the globe are becoming increasingly popular in documentaries such as:
- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department/Fox Network reality television program, The Academy
- The Western Australia Police / ABC Australia program, Police Training Academy (PTA)
- The NSW Police Force Cordell Jigsaw television program, Recruits.
Read more about this topic: Drill Instructor
Famous quotes containing the words popular and/or culture:
“It is among the ranks of school-age children, those six- to twelve-year-olds who once avidly filled their free moments with childhood play, that the greatest change is evident. In the place of traditional, sometimes ancient childhood games that were still popular a generation ago, in the place of fantasy and make- believe play . . . today’s children have substituted television viewing and, most recently, video games.”
—Marie Winn (20th century)
“Insolent youth rides, now, in the whirlwind. For those modern iconoclasts who are without culture possess, apparently, all the courage.”
—Ellen Glasgow (1873–1945)