Line #17 Creator/RLeeErmey


1	[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/r_lee_ermey.jpeg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:310:That's '''Gunnery Sergeant''' R. Lee Ermey to you, maggot!]]
3	->''"Every character I've ever played, I always try to take him right to the edge and not allow him to fall over, but directors have a tendency to pull me back a little bit."''
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5	Gunnery Sergeant Ronald Lee Ermey (March 24, 1944 – April 15, 2018) was a U.S. Marine Corps drill instructor and UsefulNotes/VietnamWar veteran who later found fame as a character actor and media personality. Probably one of the most iconic examples of CastTheExpert, as he drew on his military experience for his acting roles.
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7	After appearing in ''Film/TheBoysInCompanyC'' (playing -- what else? -- a Marine drill instructor) and serving as a technical advisor to Creator/FrancisFordCoppola for ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' and Taylor Hackford for ''Film/AnOfficerAndAGentleman'', Ermey became a pop culture icon through his role in Creator/StanleyKubrick's ''Film/FullMetalJacket'' as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, a foul-mouthed drill instructor whose sadistic training methods end up driving one recruit insane and leading to both of their deaths. Incidentally, his scenes are one of the few times Kubrick ''ever'' allowed improvisation in any of his films. Notably, Ermey had only signed on as a technical advisor, but the instructional tape he put together (that featured him yelling for 15 minutes while being pelted with rotten produce) convinced Kubrick to just make him the sergeant instead.
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9	Ermey's performance made him the poster child for the trope DrillSergeantNasty and landed him work in other films (most notably ''Film/{{Se7en}}'', where he ironically plays against type as a rather mellowed-out police captain), as well as a slew of voice-over work due to his distinct gruff voice (such as Sarge, the leader of the Army Men in ''Franchise/ToyStory''), and ultimately a hosting job for several [[Creator/TheHistoryChannel History Channel]] military-themed shows (''Mail Call'' and ''Lock n' Load with R. Lee Ermey''). He also guest-starred as the abusive ex-Drill Sergeant Nasty father of the title character of ''Series/{{House}}''.
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11	He actually retired from the Marines as a ''Staff'' Sergeant. In 2002, he was the first person in Marine Corps history to be promoted after retirement when the Commandant of the Marine Corps ordered an honorary promotion to Gunnery Sergeant "in recognition of his continuing support to Americans in military service, and of his service as an unofficial ambassador for the Marine Corps."
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13	Ermey passed away from pneumonia complications in April of 2018.
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15	!!Notable film credits:
16	* ''Film/TheBoysInCompanyC'' (1978) - Sgt. Loyce
17	* ''Film/FullMetalJacket'' (1987) - Gunnery Sgt. Hartman
18	* ''Film/MississippiBurning'' (1988) - Mayor Tilman
19	* ''Film/TheSiegeOfFirebaseGloria'' (1989) - Sgt. Maj. Bill Hafner
20	* ''Film/{{The Take\|1990}}'' (1990) - Tony Weller
21	* ''Film/{{Sommersby}}'' (1993) - Dick Mead
22	* ''Film/BodySnatchers'' (1993) - General Platt
23	* ''Film/OnDeadlyGround'' (1994) - Stone
24	* ''Film/MurderInTheFirst'' (1995) - Judge Clawson
25	* ''Film/{{Se7en}}'' (1995) - Police Captain
26	* ''Film/LeavingLasVegas'' (1995) - Conventioneer
27	* ''Film/DeadManWalking'' (1995) - Clyde Percy
28	* ''Series/SpaceAboveAndBeyond'' PilotMovie (1995) - Sgt. Maj. Bougus
29	* ''Film/TheFrighteners'' (1996) - Hiles
30	* ''Film/{{Switchback}}'' (1997) - Sheriff Buck Olmstead
31	* ''Film/{{Life\|1999}}'' (1999) - Older Sheriff Pike
32	* ''Film/SavingSilverman'' (2001) - Coach Norton
33	* ''Film/TheSaltonSea'' (2002) - Verne Plummer
34	* ''Film/{{Willard}}'' (2003) - Frank Martin
35	* ''Film/ManOfTheHouse'' (2005) - Capt. Nichols
36	* ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003'' & ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacreTheBeginning'' (2006) - Charlie Hewitt / Sheriff Hoyt
37	* ''Franchise/ToyStory'' - Sarge (voice)
38	** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' (1995)
39	** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' (1999)
40	** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' (2010)
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42	!!Notable video game credits:
43	* ''VideoGame/DoubleSwitch'' (1993) - Lyle the Handyman
44	* ''VideoGame/ToyStory'' (1995) - Sarge
45	* ''VideoGame/ToyStory2'' (1999) - Sarge
46	* ''VideoGame/FalloutTacticsBrotherhoodOfSteel'' (2001) - General Simon Barnaky
47	* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootTheWrathOfCortex'' (2001) - Wa-Wa
48	* ''VideoGame/ToyStory3'' (2010) - Sarge
49	* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts'' (2013) - Multiplayer Announcer
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51	!!Notable western animation credits:
52	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' (1995) - Col. Leslie "Hap" Hapablap ("[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E9SideshowBobsLastGleaming Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming]]")
53	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'' (1997) - Sgt. Goonther ("[[Recap/TheAngryBeaversE21FancyPrance Fancy Prance]]")
54	* ''WesternAnimation/BigGuyAndRustyTheBoyRobot'' (1999) - General Thorton
55	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' (2001) - Jousting Instructor ("[[Recap/FamilyGuyS3E9MrSaturdayKnight Mr. Saturday Knight]]")
56	* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' (2002) - Sgt. Hobo 678 ("[[Recap/InvaderZimS1E28Hobo13 Hobo 13]]")
57	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Fillmore}}'' (2003) - Col. Thrift ("[[Recap/FillmoreSouthofFriendshipNorthofHonor South of Friendship, North of Honor]]")
58	* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' (2003) - General Sims
59	* ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'' (2003) - Lt. Tice Ryan ("Saving Lt. Ryan")
60	* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' (2004) - Drill Sergeant ("[[Recap/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandyS3E7 Here Thar Be Dwarves!]]")
61	* ''WesternAnimation/FatherOfThePride'' (2004) - Sgt. Bunny ("One Man's Meat is Another Man's Girlfriend")
62	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'' (2005) - Sarge ("[[Recap/MyLifeAsATeenageRobotS2E2 Last Action Zero]]")
63	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' (2007) - Prison Warden ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS5E15TheInmatesOfSummerToSaveASquirrel The Inmates of Summer]]")
64	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' (2009) - ComicBook/{{Wildcat}}
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66	!!Tropes found in R. Lee Ermey's work:
67	* AuthorCatchphrase: In any work that features him that isn't rated R or TV-17, the character he plays can be expected to be heard saying, "[[OhMyGods Egads!]]"
68	* BulletTime: What did you expect with all of the guns on ''Lock n' Load''?
69	* TheCameo: On the Artillery episode of ''Lock and Load'', the hwacha, an ancient Korean multiple rocket launcher, is mentioned and shown being fired. It's the exact same one that the ''Series/MythBusters'' Build Team constructed, as shown by the mismatched wheels, though this fact is not mentioned in the show.
70	* DoesNotLikeSpam: ''Mail Call'' has the host note that watermelons are his "sworn enemy", and hence uses them as target practice. This gets carried over to ''Lock n' Load''.
71	** However, Ermey actually plays with the trope in an episode of ''Lock and Load''. "Some people think I don't like watermelons. Well, that's not true -- I just believe you gotta kill it before you eat it."
72	*** In another episode, he comments that he has nothing against watermelons, it's just that heads are so much more expensive.
73	*** Maybe a shout out to FMJ, since the one thing Private Snowball wouldn't like was that (in addition to fried chicken) watermelon isn't served on a daily basis in his mess hall.
74	** Another episode of ''Lock n' Load'' had Ermey mow down several jars of gumballs with an Uzi, prefacing the destruction by saying, "[[FelonyMisdemeanor I HATE Gumballs, they cause tooth decay!]]"
75	* DrillSergeantNasty: The role he's most often {{typecast\|ing}}ed as. While being a drill sergeant in real life often meant he had to take up this front, he was more often than not AFatherToHisMen.
76	* FourthWallMailSlot: The main point of ''Mail Call''.
77	* MoreDakka: Look, ''Lock And Load'' is about ''firearms''. What do you expect? (Taken to its logical extent with episodes devoted solely to machine guns, from [[GatlingGood the original hand-cranked Gatling]] onwards.)
78	* NotSoStoic: In a ''Lock and Load'' episode, when the host fires a [[HandCannon .44 Magnum]] and gets knocked down in the process, he promptly does not want to fire it again.
79	* PinPullingTeeth: Ermey addresses this in an episode of ''Mail Call'', pointing out how doing this is a good way to lose teeth.
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81	"SemperFi." ''(salutes)'' Carry on.

Context Creator / RLeeErmey