By now, you have more than likely heard the news that actor R. Lee Ermey passed away over the weekend at the age of 74. The former Marine had 124 acting credits to his name. Here are five movies to watch in honor of his passing.
1 - Full Metal Jacket (1987)
By far his most famous role was Gny. Sgt. Hartman in the Stanley Kubrick Vietnam War movie. It follows soldiers through boot camp and then into combat. Ermey received a Golden Globe nomination for his work in the movie. The majority of roles he took on in his nearly 40 year acting career were as a member of the military in some form or fashion.
Full Metal Jacket is now streaming on Netflix
2 - Toy Story Trilogy
Ermey did a lot of voice work in his career. The highlight of which being his portrayal of the classic "Green Army Man" toy we all had as children. The three movies mainly followed the adventures of Woody and Buzz Lightyear, but they survived many of their close calls because of the work of the bucket of soldiers voiced by Ermey.
3 - Seven (1995)
One of his few notable roles where he doesn't play a member of the military. Ermey was still an authority figure in the dark crime saga, playing the role of "Police Captain". Ermey's character was charged with leading a team of detectives (played by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt) to find the identity of a serial killer (played by Kevin Spacey). It's a small role, but it's truly one of the best movies ever!
Seven is now streaming on Netflix
4 - Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
The remake of the classic 70s slasher flick fleshes (pardon the pun) the story out a little more. One of the better horror remakes in existence. Made better by Ermey's role as a small town sheriff. If the genre of horror isn't too much for you to take, you could do worse than this movie.
5 - The Simpsons
Season 7 - Episode 9 - "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming"
Another great example of Ermey's voice work comes as Col. Leslie Hapablap in The Simpsons. He ran a military base that was infiltrated by Springfield's most notorious criminal, Sideshow Bob. A solid entry in one of The Simpsons best seasons. The episode parodies nuclear war movies like "Dr. Strangelove..."
The Simpsons is currently streaming on the FXNOW app