Today would have been Warren Oates’s 95th birthday.  When Oates died in 1982, he was only 53 years old but he left behind a rich and varied filmography and worked with everyone from Sam Peckinpah to Monte Hellman to Terrence Malick to Steven Spielberg.

One of Oates’s final and most popular performance was as Sgt. Hulka in Ivan Reitman’s Stripes.  Hulka was the ultimate drill sergeant, determined to get his men into shape and proving that he could even make soldiers out of Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and John Candy.  Originally, Sgt. Hulka was supposed to die halfway through the film was Reitman was so impressed with Oates’s performance that the script was changed to allow Hulka to make it all the way through.

In the scene below, Oates shows what a great dramatic actor he was, even when he was appearing in an otherwise light comedy.  He brings out the best not only in himself but also from his co-star, Bill Murray.

Don’t mess with Hulka!

And lighten up, Francis.