4 celebrities who are badasses in real life
by Nicholas Yong
Sir Christopher Lee, who left us last week, was a complete badass in real life. But he isn’t the only actor whose real-life exploits were greater than anything they pretended to do on film.
Here are four celebrities who are badasses in real life.
1. Steve Buscemi
(Photo source: indieking.com)
You probably know him as Mr Pink from Reservoir Dogs and Nucky from Boardwalk Empire. But Steve Buscemi is also a bona fide hero of 9/11.
Before he became an actor, Buscemi served as a New York City firefighter for four years. And on the day of the attacks, he pulled on his old uniform to help his old colleagues with rescue and clean up efforts.
Buscemi worked 12-hour shifts for a week, and never courted publicity for his efforts.
But he did star in last year’s A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY, a documentary that highlighted the heroics of NYC firefighters.
2. James Blunt
He wasn’t always just beautiful - in the late 90s, Captain James Blunt served as an officer in the UK’s Life Guards.
In 1999, he was even deployed as an armoured reconnaissance officer to Kosovo during the Kosovo War.
And Blunt unwittingly played a key role in avoiding further conflict, when his unit was ordered to forcibly retake Pristina airport by then-NATO Supreme Commander Wesley Clark.
By querying the orders, Blunt helped prevent a battle between British and Russian forces. You can find out more about Blunt’s experiences in the documentary Return To Kosovo.
3. Audrey Hepburn
Before she starred in Breakfast At Tiffany’s and became a style icon, the late Audrey Hepburn had a much more dangerous occupation: An agent for the Dutch Resistance during World War II.
As a teenager in Nazi-occupied Netherlands, Hepburn danced in secret performances to raise money for the Resistance, and also ran messages for them.
She later remarked: "The best audience I ever had made not a single sound at the end of my performances.“
4. Jimmy Stewart
People in authority dismissed him for his age (33 in 1941) and celebrity status.
But Oscar-winner Jimmy Stewart wasn’t content to settle for a desk job when he enlisted with the Army Air Corps.
Pushing for a combat assignment, Stewart eventually became a squadron commander who flew numerous bombing missions into the heart of Nazi Europe.
He finished the war as a colonel and with numerous medals. Years later, Stewart, who ended his service as Brigadier-General, even flew a non-combat mission during the Vietnam War.
Source: Cracked, Daily Mail, Today I Found Out, Time, The Independent
