R. Lee Ermey, best known for his Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in “Full Metal Jacket,” has died.
Ermey’s longtime manager announced the news via a tweet to Ermey’s official Twitter account.
“It is with great sadness that I regret to inform you all that R. Lee Ermey (‘The Gunny’) passed away this morning from complications of pneumonia.
Ermey was a former U.S. Marine Corps staff sergeant and honorary gunnery sergeant, and served as a drill instructor during his tenure from 1961-1972.
He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, for one year until 1968, when he was moved to Vietnam and spent 14 months in country.
He had a series of other small roles until his casting in 1987’s “Full Metal Jacket.”.
Kubrick allowed Ermey to improvise and write or edit his dialogue, and he said Ermey often only needed two or three takes to finish a scene — both unusual for Kubrick films. »