Humphrey Bogart Served In Both World Wars, But He Had A Very Different Role The Second Time Around

If someone asked you to name the greatest male movie icons of all time, we’d bet our bottom dollar that Humphrey Bogart would be high on that list. Along with the likes of Cary Grant and James Stewart, the Casablanca star is undoubtedly one of the faces of Hollywood’s Golden Age. But what you might not know about “Bogie” is that he had important roles in both World Wars. And in fact, his service in the military helped to inform some of the late, legendary actor’s most iconic film roles.

Noir star

You can’t talk about film noir without Bogart getting a mention. His roles in classic noirs such as The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep — the latter co-starring his wife Lauren Bacall — made him something of a poster boy for the genre. Bogie was of course, also the star of one of the most celebrated pieces of classic cinema: Casablanca. And he picked up a Best Actor Oscar for his unforgettable turn in The African Queen.

Serious parents

You would think that a movie star of Bogart’s status would have acting in his blood, wouldn’t you? Well, that wasn’t exactly the case. You see, Bogie’s parents were serious-career types. His father Belmont was a heart surgeon, while his mother Maud was a successful commercial illustrator who earned big bucks in the early 1900s.

Lack of love

The Big Sleep star’s parents were apparently more focused on their work than they were on raising their son and his sisters Frances and Catherine Elizabeth. Maud even insisted that her children address her by her first name; and would merely pat them on the shoulder to show affection, “almost the way a man does,” the Casablanca star was quoted as saying in Ann Sperber and Eric Lax’s 1997 book Bogart.

Teasing

The Bogart we know from the silver screen was mostly a surly, jaded tough guy. So it might surprise you to learn that as a child, the Caine Mutiny star was a curly-haired cutie, who was teased for his immaculate appearance and “uncool” name. Which might go some way to explaining why he became a rebellious student in his teens.