Ronald Lee Ermey (born March 24, 1944) is an American actor, best known for his role as austere Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He is a retired United States Marine Corps staff sergeant and an honorary gunnery sergeant; during his tenure in the U.S. Marine Corps, he served as a drill instructor.

Ermey has often been typecast for roles of authority figures, such as Mayor Tilman in the film Mississippi Burning, Bill Bowerman in Prefontaine, Sheriff Hoyt in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, Jimmy Lee Farnsworth in Fletch Lives, Police Captain in Seven, plastic army men leader Sarge in the Toy Story films, Lt. "Tice" Ryan in Rocket Power, and the Warden in SpongeBob SquarePants.

He has hosted two programs on the History Channel: Mail Call, in which he answered viewers' questions about various militaria both modern and historic; and Lock N' Load with R. Lee Ermey, which concerned the development of different types of weapons.

Biography

Ermey married his wife Nila in 1975. They have four children. In Ermey's television show Lock N' Load with R. Lee Ermey, he refers to his wife as "Mrs. Gunny."

Best films