Lee Marvin had high praise for all the men in the film, commenting that everyone was ideally cast "and even when they ad-libbed a scene, invariably it was in character, so all it could do was to help the film." 🪖 Watch THE DIRTY DOZEN ('67) Sunday (5/18) at 7p ET on FMC! | FMC

Remembering Lee Marvin, Merle Oberon, Cedric Hardwicke, and director John Frankenheimer on their birthdays | Turner Classic Movies: TCM

Before he was known as Hollywood's quintessential tough guy, Lee Marvin served as a scout in the U.S. Marine Corps' 4th Division. During the brutal Battle of Saipan in June 1944, machine gun fire severed his sciatic nerve, a wound that hospitalized him for over a year and earned him the Purple Heart. After his discharge in 1945, he utilized the educational benefits of the G.I. Bill to train as an actor in New York. His breakthrough film role came in 'The Big Heat' (1953), but his career-defining

During the Vietnam War, a wounded Major Howard Lee of 3rd Marine Division led his men to continue attacking and calling artillery strikes deep into the night until the enemy withdrew. For his heroic actions, he earned the Medal of Honor. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Logan Foster) | U.S. Marine Corps