R. Lee Ermey Belongs To The Ages

...Full Metal Rolex...

R. Lee Ermey

Belongs To The Ages

1944-2018

A few days ago, Andi from Munich, Bavaria wrote in and mentioned that fellow Rolex fanatic and memorable actor R. Lee Ermey had recently passed away. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at his career achievements as well as some of the Rolex watches he wore.

In the photo seen above, we see R. Lee Ermey wearing his Rolex Daytona. 

So you think you are an alpha male? R. Lee was probably best known for his role as a U.S. Marine Corps drill instructor in the movie Full Metal Jacket, which was about Vietnam. In his role as a Marine Drill Instructor Sergeant, he gives a knock-down-drag-out performance of a hardcore alpha male, which would make most men who think they are alpha males, seem like girly-men (to use a Schwarzeneggerism :-) 

The only other movie scene I can think of in another movie that comes close to being this over-the-top is Alec Baldwin's 'Always Be Closing' speech from Glengarry Glen Ross.

R. Lee Ermey earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in his portrayal as Marine Corps drill instructor, in Stanley Kubrick's  Academy Award-nominated 1987 movie, Full Metal Jacket. Stanley Kubrick famously directed many iconic movies like Lolita (1962), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Clockwork Orange, The Shining (1980), and Eyes Wide Shut (1999).

R. Lee Ermey began his acting career when he was cast by Francis Ford Coppola as a First Air Cavalry chopper pilot in the 1979 movie named Apocalypse Now.

WARNING: The video below is NSFW and contains a great deal of profanity and verbal abuse. Normally I would not post a video clip like this, but R. Lee Ermey's performance, as seen in the opening of Full Metal Jacket is considered by many to be one of the most engaging and emotionally charged performances in a military movie. Once again, please use discretion if you decide to watch the video below as it contains a great deal of swearing.

I remember seeing Full Metal Jacket in theaters when it came out, and this opening scene (above) actually shocked me. I remember when I turned 18 praying they did not bring the draft back, as the last thing on earth I wanted to do was have to go and fight in some stupid war, halfway around the earth.

WARNING: The video below is also from Full Metal Jacket is also filled with profanity, but is another famous scene from the movie.



Below is an interesting 1987 review of Full Metal Jacket by Rex Reed.

R. Lee Ermey was in the Marines as we see in the photo of him below.

R. Lee Ermey is interviewed below discussing his role in Full Metal Jacket.

Gomer Pyle USMC

1964-1969

Talk about Deja Vu. I realize I am wandering off the reservation a little bit, but that is what I do on Jake's Rolex World... 
When I was a small child, I watched a tremendous amount of TV. I learned so much about the world from the boob tube. One of my favorite shows, when I was a small boy, was Gomer Pyle USMC, which was a spin-off of the Andy Griffith show. It starred Frank Sutton, who was AMAZING as Sergeant Carter. Below is and excerpt from the first episite of Gomer Pyle.

One of the reasons I am including these videos from Gomer Pyle is that R. Lee's character in Full Metal Jacket references Gomer Pyle a few times in the movie, and there really are many parallels. This is perhaps part of the Stanley Kubrick genius.

A Serious Rolex Collector

R. Lee Ermey was a serious Rolex wearer as we see in the photos below which show him wearing a stianless steel Rolex Datejust on an Oyster bracelet, a yellow gold Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet, a Pepsi GMT-Master on a Jubilee bracelet, a two-tone Rolex Submariner on a Jubilee bracelet as well as a two tone Rolex Daytona.

In the photo above and below we see R. Lee Ermey wearing his Pepsi GMT-Master on a Jubilee bracelet, which Rolex just reintroducted at Basel World 2018.