George Neise (1917–1996) [They Raid by Night (1942); On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)], aka George N. Neise, was an American character actor. He made over 120 film and television appearances between 1942 and 1978. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Neise began his career playing soldiers in war-themed films. After serving in World War II, Niese became an in-demand character actor, playing eveything from Greek kings to angry bosses to airline pilots. Modern audiences will remember Niese in the dual role as the patronizing pharmacist Ralph Dimsal and powerful King Odius in the Three Stooges feature The Three Stooges Meet Hercules. He also appeared as Martian Ogg and an unnamed airline pilot in the trio's next feature The Three Stooges in Orbit. In addition to his film work, Niese appeared on sitcoms like Green Acres, The Andy Griffith Show, The Addams Family, Hogan's Heroes and Get Smart to name a few.

Barry Nelson (1917-2007) [Shadow of the Thin Man (1941); My Favorite Husband (1953)] was born Robert Haakon Nielson in San Francisco, California, of Scandinavian heritage. He was an American film, stage and television actor. Serving in WWII, he appeared in the Moss Hart play Winged Victory, in what would become his Broadway debut, in 1943 and a year later he appeared as "Corporal Barry Nelson" in the 1944 film version of the play. One of his biggest claims to fame is that of having been the first person to play James Bond, on the television show Climax! in 1954, based on the novel Casino Royale.

Paul Newman (1925-2008) [Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956); Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)]. By 1950, the 25 year old Newman had graduated high school, been kicked out of Ohio University for unruly behavior, served three years in the Navy during World War II as a radio operator, graduated from Ohio's Kenyon College, married his first wife, Jackie, and had his first child, Scott. 1950 was also the year that Paul's father died. When he became successful in later years, Newman said if he had any regrets it would be that his father wasn't around to see it. He brought Jackie back to Shaker Heights (Cleveland, Ohio) and he ran his father's sporting goods store for a short period. Then, knowing that wasn't the career path he wanted to take, he moved Jackie and Scott to New Haven, Connecticut where he would attend Yale University's School of Drama. While doing a play there, Paul was spotted by two agents who invited him to come to New York City to pursue a career as a professional actor.

Alex Nicol (1916-2001) [The Sleeping City (1950); The Man from Laramie (1955)] was born Alexander Livingston Nicol Jr. in Ossining, New York, the son of a prison warden there at Sing Sing, and his wife, the matron of a detention center. Alex developed an early interest in acting and originally trained at the Fagin School of Dramatic Art. On the stage from 1938, he soon found work as an apprentice to Maurice Evans. Following a stage role in Return Engagement, his newly-found career was interrupted by World War II. Follwing his five-year stretch as a Tech Sergeant with the National Guard and Cavalry Unit, he became a student and eventual charter member of Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio. He also returned to Broadway in such shows as Sundown Beach and South Pacific (in the ensemble as a Marine). Other post-war stage plays included Waiting for Lefty, Forward the Heart and Mister Roberts, in which he took over Ralph Meeker's role (as the sailor Minnion) and served as understudy to Henry Fonda. The pinnacle of his Broadway career occurred when he replaced Ben Gazzara and received excellent reviews as Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1956.

Leslie Nielsen (1926-) [City on Fire (1979); Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)] was raised in Tulita (formerly Fort Norman), Northwest Territories, Canada. His father was a mountie and a strict disciplinarian. His mother was Welsh. Leslie studied at the Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto before moving on to New York's Neighborhood Playhouse. He is a natuaralized U.S. citizen and an avid motorcylist living in Paradise Valley, AZ in June 2007. During WWII, at age 17 1/2, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and trained as an aerial gunner.

David Niven (1910-1983) [Around the World in Eighty Days (1956); The Guns of Navarone (1961)]. Suave, debonnaire, graduate of Sandhurst, was a Lt. Colonel with British Commandos in Normandy. David Niven was named after the Saint's Day on which he was born, St. David, patron Saint of Wales. He attended Stowe School and Sandhurst Military Academy and served for two years in Malta with the Highland Light Infantry. At the outbreak of World War II, although a top-line star, he re-joined the army (Rifle Brigade). He did, however, consent to play in two films during the war, both of strong propaganda value--The First of the Few (1942) and The Way Ahead (1944). In spite of six years' virtual absence from the screen, he came in second in the 1945 Popularity Poll of British film stars. On his return to Hollywood after the war he was made a Legionnaire of the Order of Merit (the highest American order that can be earned by an alien). This was presented to Lt. Col. David Niven by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Tommy Noonan (1921-1968) [Boys Town (1938); Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers (1967)] was born Thomas Patrick Noone in Bellingham, Delaware. Slim, often bespectacled comedy performer started off in experimental theater alongside his half-brother, actor John Ireland, who went on to have an enviable career of his own. Tommy's career was interrupted by a stint in the Navy during World War II, but returned to it following his discharge. Tommy wound up in New York and briefly displayed his budding talents on Broadway before RKO signed him up for post-war films and he relocated out West. By this time, brother John, who was already a well-known film commodity, had met and married movie actress Joanne Dru, whose brother was a singer/actor named Pete Marshall. With a solid background in comedy and burlesque, Noonan hooked up with straight man Marshall to form the 1950s comedy duo of "Noonan and Marshall." They appeared with a modicum of success in clubs and on TV, including "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Louis Nye (1913 or 1922-2005) [The Facts of Life (1960); Cannonball Run II (1984)] (first name pronounced Louie) was a master at sketch comedy, foreign accents and the quicksilver adlib. He broke into the big time when he earned a regular gig on Steve Allen's comedy show during the mid-50's Golden Age. His best known character, hands down, was the droll, effete country-club braggart Gordon Hathaway with the forlorn-looking eyebrows whose off-the-cuff catchphrase salutation to Allen, "Hi, ho, Steverino!," continues to have life in various shapes and forms even today. Destiny led Louis to meet Carl Reiner while entertaining troops in World War II. Both had entered the Army as regular soldiers, but due to their talents were soon assigned to Special Services, performing in shows across the Pacific.

Hugh O'Brian (1923- ) [Red Ball Express (1952); The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955) on TV; Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone (1994)] was born in Rochester, New York, and had the term "beefcake" written about him during his nascent film years in the early 1950s, but he chose to avoid the obvious typecast as he set up his career. He first attended school at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, then Kemper Military School in Booneville, Missouri. Moving from place to place growing up, he managed to show off his athletic prowess quite early. By the time he graduated from high school, he had lettered in football, basketball, wrestling and track. Originally pursuing law, he dropped out of the University of Cincinnati in 1942 (age 19) and enlisted in the Marine Corps for the duration of World War II. Upon his discharge he ended up in Los Angeles.

Edmond O'Brien (1915–1985) [The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939); D.O.A. (1950)] was an American film actor born in New York, New York. After returning from his wartime service with the Army Air Force in World War II, O'Brien built a distinguished career as a supporting actor in A-list films. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Barefoot Contessa (1954), and was also nominated for his role in Seven Days in May (1964). Other notable films include White Heat (1949), The Girl Can't Help It (1956), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), The Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Longest Day (1964), and The Wild Bunch (1969). He also appeared extensively in television. He died in Inglewood, California of Alzheimer's Disease. O'Brien has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for his contribution to motion pictures at 1719 Vine Street, and television at 6523 Hollywood Boulevard.

George O'Brien (1899-1985) [Woman-Proof (1923); Cheyenne Autumn (1964)] was the son of the San Francisco Chief of Police who became a college athlete. He was the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the Pacific Fleet during World War I. In the early 1920s, George wound up in Hollywood where he worked as a stuntman and part time actor. In 1924, Director John Ford picked virtually unknown George to star in his first picture, The Iron Horse (1924). Over the next two years, he appeared in four more Ford films and co-starred with Janet Gaynor in The Blue Eagle (1926) and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927). "Sunrise," a winner of two Academy Awards, was the story of a simple farmer who lets another woman talk him into murdering his wife. George remained popular until sound came along. By that time, his popularity was sliding, but he did make the transition to sound. With his rugged looks and physical size, he was soon a Western Cowboy Star. He was in some of the best stories ever written, Riders of the Purple Sage (1931), and in some of the worst. But he was consistently in the Top Ten money-making Western Stars. He appeared in a few films outside the horse set, such as Ever Since Eve (1934), but those roles were few. By the end of the 1930s, George was still a popular 'B' movie Cowboy Star, but he would not take the parts as seriously as he did a decade before. During World War II, he hung up his spurs, and re-enlisted in the Navy where he fought in the Pacific and was decorated many times. He couldn't find work after the war but his old director, John Ford, gave him parts with the cavalry in three of his films.

Carroll O'Connor (1924-2001) [In Harm's Way (1965); Kelly's Heroes (1970)] was born in Manhattan and raised in Forest Hills, a community of Queens, New York. After high school in 1942, he joined the Merchant Marines and worked on ships in the Atlantic. In 1946, he enrolled at the University of Montana to study English. While there, he became interested in theater. During one of the amateur productions, he met his future wife, Nancy Fields, whom he married in 1951. He moved to Ireland where he continued his theatrical studies at the National University of Ireland. He was discovered during one of his college productions and was signed to appear at the Dublin Gate Theater. He worked in theater in Europe until 1954 when he returned to New York. His attempts to land on Broadway failed and he taught high school until 1958. Finally in 1958, he landed an Off-Broadway production, Ulysses In Downtown. He followed that with a production that was directed by Peter Bogdanovich. At the same time, he was getting attention on TV. He worked in a great many character roles throughout the 1960s. A pilot for Those Were The Days was first shot in 1968 based on the English hit, Till Death Do Us Part, but was rejected by the networks. In 1971, it was re-shot and re-cast as All in the Family (1971-1979) and the rest is history.

Gerald S. O'Loughlin (1921- ) [A Hatful of Rain (1957); The Secret Kingdom (1998)]. Short, dark, but tough-talking and rough-looking American character actor he received his start on the stage after pondering a career in law. After a stint with the Marine Corps in World War II, he used his GI bill income to train in New York at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Throughout the early 50s, he was frequently seen on TV drama and highlighted his stage career with a national tour of A Streetcar Named Desire as Stanley Kowalski with the incomparable Tallulah Bankhead starring as Blanche DuBois, and with the role of mental patient Cheswick opposite Kirk Douglas' Randle McMurphy in 1963's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest on Broadway.

Patrick O'Neal (1927-1994) [The Mad Magician (1954); Under Siege (1992)] was born in Ocala, Florida, of Irish descent. He served toward the end of World War II with the Air Force and, in his late teens, was assigned to direct training shorts for the Signal Corps. A graduate of the University of Florida at Gainesville, he subsequently moved to New York and continued his dramatic studies at the Actor's Studio and Neighborhood Playhouse.

Peter Ortiz (1913-1988) [Rio Grande (1950); The Wings of Eagles (1957)] was born of French-Spanish parentage. Colonel Ortiz spoke 5 languages fluently and was the most decorated Marine officer in World War II. He served in the O.S.S. and, before that, was the youngest Sergeant in the French Foreign Legion. In 1940, he was wounded and captured by the German invading army, he escaped and joined the U.S. Marines. Parachuting into France, he became a Maquis (French underground) leader in 1944. He frequented a Lyons nightclub to gain information from the German officers who also frequented the popular club. One night, a German officer damned President Roosevelt, then the USA, and finally the Marine Corps. Ortiz then excused himself, went to his apartment and changed into his Marine Corps uniform. Returning to the club, he ordered a round then removed his raincoat and stood there resplendent in full greens and decorations yelling, "A toast to President Roosevelt!" Pointing his pistol at one German officer then another, they emptied their glasses as he ordered another round to toast the USA then the Marine Corps! The Germans again drained their glasses as he backed out leaving his astonished hosts and disappeared into the night. After the war, Colonel Ortiz worked with director John Ford, also a former OSS member. The films 13 Rue Madeleine (1947) and Operation Secret (1952) were based on his exploits.

Bill Owen (1914-1999) [The Way to the Stars (1945); On the Fiddle (1961)] was born in Acton, Middlesex, England, UK and became well-known for playing the same kind of blokes on both film and TV. Born William Rowbotham, he was the son of a tram driver and laundress. He knew early on that entertaining was the life for him. He worked in odd jobs as a printer's apprentice and band vocalist to make do and, when he became of legal age, started playing drums in London nightclubs and toured music halls with his own cabaret act to pay for acting classes. He entertained at Butlin's holiday camps and performed in repertory, joining the Unity Theatre where he attained respect as a stage producer. His career was interrupted by military service in World War II with the Royal Army Ordinance Corps and was injured in an explosion during battle training course. Returning to acting, he was taken to post-war films after notice in a play.