Happy Veterans Day to everyone, and a heartfelt “Thank you” to all the men and women who have served in America’s military past and present. On this day we’d like to offer a special salute to the movie career of real-life hero Audie Murphy (1925-1971), the Texas-born sharecroppers’ son who joined the Army after Pearl Harbor and overcame illnesses and battlefield wounds to become the nation’s most decorated soldier, earning every military combat award for valor and winning the Medal of Honor.
Brought to Hollywood by none other than James Cagney, Murphy would go on to make over 40 pictures in more than two decades. While his screen résumé was comprised primarily of westerns, he had the lead role in the 1951 Civil War drama The Red Badge of Courage and won acclaim for playing himself in the 1955 film adaptation of his best-selling autobiography To Hell and Back. As the western genre faded in the 1960s Audie turned his attention to songwriting and breeding quarter horses at his Arizona and California ranches. Murphy’s final screen turn came as outlaw Jesse James in 1969’s A Time for Dying. He was killed in a plane crash near Roanoke, Virginia two years later at the age of 45 and now rests in Arlington National Cemetery.
Take a moment to vote below for which of Murphy’s film roles is your favorite, and sound off in the comments if we overlooked yours.