World War II touched every soul that lived through its chaos, and among those were some of the most recognizable names in entertainment, politics, and literature. In this roundup, we spotlight 10 famous people whose wartime experiences were as astonishing as the legends they later became.
10 Famous People Who Lived Through the Greatest Conflict
10 George Bush Barely Escaped Being Eaten By Japanese Cannibals
At just 20 years old, future President George H.W. Bush was a Navy pilot on a daring raid over the Japanese‑held Bonin Islands when his aircraft was shot down. He and eight crewmates survived the crash, but only Bush managed to cling to a life raft and wait for rescue.
The other eight men were not as fortunate. Captured by Japanese troops, they endured brutal torture, beatings, and execution. Some of the victims were even dissected, with their livers and thigh meat served at a gruesome officer’s banquet.
Thanks to the swift intervention of the submarine USS Finback, Bush was plucked from the sea and brought to safety. Had the rescue not arrived, the future 41st president might have ended up on a very different kind of dinner plate.
His narrow escape turned a routine combat mission into a story of survival that would echo through history.
9 Star Trek’s ‘Scotty’ Survived Being Shot Six Times
Before he became the beloved chief engineer “Scotty” on *Star Trek*, James Doohan served as a lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Army. Known for his reckless flying stunts—like slamming a plane between two telegraph poles—he earned a reputation as the “craziest pilot” in the Canadian Air Forces.
During the D‑Day invasion at Juno Beach, Doohan displayed heroic grit, taking down two enemy snipers and guiding his troops through a mine‑strewn field. Ironically, his own side would later turn the gun on him.
While moving between command posts, a nervous Canadian soldier mistook Doohan for an enemy and opened fire, striking him six times. One bullet lodged in his chest, but a sturdy cigarette case tucked in his breast pocket deflected the worst of the damage, saving his life.
8 JFK Saved His Crew With A Coconut
John F. Kennedy, deemed medically unfit for combat, still managed to secure a naval posting. During a mission, his ship was rammed by a Japanese destroyer and split in two, leaving his crew adrift on a small boat.
For twelve harrowing hours the survivors clung to the wreckage before deciding to brave shark‑infested waters. When an injured comrade couldn’t swim, Kennedy slipped a life jacket onto him and hauled the man to shore by biting the strap between his teeth.
Stranded on a remote island for days, Kennedy carved an urgent SOS into a coconut, handed it to two island natives, and begged them to deliver it to the nearest Allied base. The coconut’s message reached help, rescuing the crew. Kennedy kept the hollowed shell as a paperweight in the Oval Office for years to come.
7 Tony Bennett Was Demoted for Eating Lunch With A Black Soldier
Before his crooning career took off, Tony Bennett served as a corporal in the U.S. Army, fighting his way through France and Germany. The war’s end didn’t bring him peace; it arrived at a lunch table.
Bennett invited an old friend to share a meal, only to discover his companion was Black. Their commanding officer, outraged, ordered the Black soldier to eat alone in the kitchen, violating military camaraderie.
Incensed, Bennett launched a fiery tirade against his racist superior. The outburst was so severe that he was stripped of his rank, demoted to private, expelled from his unit, and assigned to the grim task of digging up mass graves for repatriation.
6 Gene Roddenberry Created ‘Khan’ To Get In Touch With A Military Friend
When World II erupted, future *Star Trek* visionary Gene Roddenberry enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He flew alongside a fellow airman named Kim Noonien Singh, who would later inspire one of sci‑fi’s most iconic villains.
After the war, Roddenberry lost contact with Singh. Hoping to reconnect, he slipped a character named Khan Noonien Singh into the original *Star Trek* series, believing the name might catch his old friend’s eye.
When Singh never responded, Roddenberries kept trying. In *Star Trek: The Next Generation* he introduced Dr. Noonien Soong, another subtle nod, hoping the familiar surname would finally bridge the gap.
5 Bill Nye’s Father Used A Sundial To Find The Location Of His POW Camp
Bill Nye the Science Guy’s father was captured by the Japanese and interned in a POW camp. Even in captivity, his scientific curiosity shone through.
When guards weren’t looking, he arranged pebbles around a fence post, forming a crude sundial. By comparing the shadow’s position against the stars, he calculated the camp’s latitude, a feat of ingenuity under duress.
Although the sundial never secured his rescue, it kept his mind sharp and his morale intact. After the war, he turned his hobby into a profession, designing and selling sundials full‑time.
4 Ernest Hemingway Posed As An Officer And Led A French Militia
Although Ernest Hemingway was officially a war correspondent, he refused to stay on the sidelines. While in occupied France, he stumbled upon a rag‑tag group of resistance fighters and decided they needed proper leadership.
Stripping off his non‑combatant badge, Hemingway convinced the group that he was a U.S. colonel. He then persuaded the American army that he was ferrying weapons for another unit, securing machine guns and grenades for his makeshift militia.
Instead of launching a full‑scale assault, Hemingway steered his band toward Paris, liberating bars along the way so he could indulge in his favorite pastime—drinking. The squad eventually stormed the Ritz, and Hemingway later claimed he was the first to free the iconic hotel.
3 Audrey Hepburn Ate Tulip Bulbs To Survive
In 1944, a teenage Audrey Hepburn found herself trapped in the Dutch “Hunger Winter,” a period of severe famine imposed by the Nazis. Traditional food sources vanished, forcing families to scour the bleak landscape for sustenance.
Hepburn’s family resorted to eating nettles, boiled grass, and even tulip bulbs to stay alive. By the war’s end, she had been reduced to a frail 40 kg (88 lb), suffering from jaundice and asthma, teetering on the brink of death.
Just before liberation, a Dutch soldier handed her seven candy bars. She devoured them all in one frantic gulp, a moment of sweet relief that symbolized the end of her desperate struggle.
2 Lenny Bruce Pretended To Be Gay To Get Discharged
After 30 months of naval service, comedian Lenny Bruce grew weary of the sea and plotted an exit strategy. He penned a letter to a medical officer, claiming he was “physically attracted to several of the fellows” and that his homosexual urges were becoming unbearable.
He painted himself as a “ticking gay bomb,” insisting that if he remained among the ship’s handsome crew he would inevitably act on his desires. The ruse worked: officials transferred him to a station where “heterosexual companionship was available,” and eventually granted him an honorable discharge.
The story later inspired the cross‑dressing character Corporal Klinger on the TV classic *M*A*S* H*, cementing Bruce’s legacy beyond comedy.
1 Coco Chanel Was A Nazi Spy
While many French citizens resisted the occupation, fashion icon Coco Chanel chose a far more controversial path. She became the lover of a Nazi officer and was recruited as a spy, operating under the code name “Westminster.”
Tasked with enlisting agents across Europe, Chanel even met Heinrich Himmler, offering to leverage her connection to Winston Churchill for intelligence gathering. Her espionage activities placed her squarely in the Nazi’s strategic network.When the war concluded, Chanel and her Nazi lover fled to Switzerland, where they remained together for a decade. She escaped execution only because Churchill intervened, removing her name from the death roster.
11 Further Reading
Lest We Forget . . .
10 Fascinating Snapshots From World War II
10 Heartbreaking World War II Diary Entries Written By Everyday People
10 Mind‑Blowing Secret Operations From World War II
10 Unanswered Questions From World War II
10 Unsolved Mysteries From World War II
— Mark Oliver