Gene Wilder
The original Willy Wonka actor didn't have quite such a whimsical past. He had halted his successful fencing career when he was drafted and he began serving in the medical unit. He wanted to continue acting so he chose to serve as a paramedic for the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at Valley Forge Army Hospital, about 2 hours from New York City, where he could still attend acting classes and auditions.