World War II veterans have seen a lot: the dawn of color TV, the creation of the polio vaccine, the resignation of Richard Nixon. But when it comes to the work of one of the world's most famous movie stars? Well, that's a different story.


Indeed when British D-Day veteran Peter Comfort, 90, was personally invited to a World War II film set by actor Brad Pitt, Comfort had to look him up online because he had no idea who the superstar was. Pitt had wanted to meet with Comfort in order to discuss his latest action film "Fury" in which Pitt plays an American soldier fighting Nazi Germany at the end of the war.


"Mr. Pitt was very friendly and charming actually, but I didn't know who he was," the veteran told the Daily Mail. "I said to him 'Until last night I didn't have a clue who you were and then I Googled you and you've been in quite a lot of films'."


Apparently, Comfort's admission had everyone on the set laughing, including Pitt.


In the film, Pitt plays the commander of an amphibious Sherman tank, something Comfort is very familiar with as the last survivor of a World War II Sherman tank regiment. The film is being shot just outside London in Hertfordshire.


The film crew "wanted to know where we slept, where we spent a penny, the living conditions and what it was like in action, so I told them," Comfort told the Daily Mail. "I don't like to talk about it because I saw too many people killed but Mr. Pitt was very nice and I will be interested to see the film."


Comfort, a grandfather of six, has been invited to attend the British premiere of "Fury" in November of next year.


Pitt, who turns 50 in December, is a Golden Globe-winning actor known for such roles as Tyler Durden in "Fight Club" and Rusty Ryan in "Ocean's Eleven."


Certainly he's not the only actor who hasn't been recognized.


Last year, artist Ellen Grossman found herself sitting next to Jay-Z on the subway. She didn't recognize him, asking "are you famous?" when she noticed everyone staring at him.



Earlier on HuffPost50:




Loading Slideshow...



  • The Kid


    <strong>Who:</strong> Ralph Macchio, 50<br />
    <strong>Why:</strong> He kicked his way into the hearts of 80s teens as the David to Cobra Kai's Goliath in <em>The Karate Kid</em>. Macchio's baby-faced good looks made him a mainstay in other hits from the era, including <em>The Outsiders</em> and <em>My Cousin Vinny</em>, before he disappeared from the big screen. It wasn't until he appeared on <em>Dancing With The Stars</em> that we remembered Daniel-San is quite a looker.




  • The Smile


    <strong>Who:</strong> Steve Martin, 66 <br />
    <strong>Why:</strong> The comedian who brought belly-laughs to "Saturday Night Live" has introduced his audience to all of his talents over the years. Whether it is his memoir "Born Standing Up", his pieces for "The New Yorker", or his Grammy winning bluegrass album -- Steve Martin's clearly not slowing down -- and we don't want him to.




  • The President


    <strong>Who:</strong> Barack Obama, 50<br />
    <strong>Why:</strong> Besides being the first African American to hold the office of President of the United States, the Harvard-educated Barack Obama has clearly kept his family a priority, taking on another role as assistant basketball coach, and, as his <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20500603,00.html" target="_hplink">Father's Day essay</a> reports, making sure his two girls still 'do their chores, make their beds, finish their schoolwork and take care of the dog,' regardless of their White House residency.




  • The Virgin


    <strong>Who:</strong> Richard Branson, 61<br />
    <strong>Why:</strong> The British business tycoon has conquered just about everything -- including space. When Branson was 16, he started a magazine called <em><a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/08/01/8382250/" target="_hplink">Student</a></em>, and hasn't slowed down since. <br />
    <br />Branson has always <em>enjoyed</em> what he does, which is one of the reason we believe he is so successful. "For me business is not about wearing suits, or keeping stockholders pleased. It's about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials," <a href="http://yfsentrepreneur.com/2011/06/21/yfs-magazine-and-virgin-america-small-business-travel-contest-takes-flight/?quick_view=1" target="_hplink">asserts</a> the billionaire.

    Branson is a representative of <a href="http://www.theelders.org/" target="_hplink">The Elders</a>, a group determined to reach peace, eliminate suffering, and provide education around the world. This is one of his many humanitarian participations.

    Photo: Getty




  • The Sundance Kid


    <strong>Who:</strong> Robert Redford, 75 <br />
    <strong>Why:</strong> The two-time Academy Award winning actor has done more than star in some of the most memorable films of all time -- he's helped make sure movies get made. In 1969, Redford bought Timphaven Mountain in Provo, Utah - which he renamed, "Sundance" after his iconic role of "The Sundance Kid".
    <br />
    The Sundance Film Festival is the preeminent event for Independent films in the United States. Redford was the inaugural chairman.

    Photo: Getty




  • The Director


    <strong>Who:</strong> Steven Spielberg, 64 <br />
    <strong>Why:</strong> Although he made his make in films such as "Jaws" and "E.T.", his later films reflect a more serious nature. "Schindler's List", "Saving Private Ryan", and "The Color Purple" are examples of his work which resonate on greater cultural challenges. Spielberg has donated to numerous hospitals, charities, and disaster relief organizations.




  • The Barista


    <strong>Who:</strong> Howard Schultz, 58<br />

    <strong>Why:</strong> The former Chairman and CEO fo Starbucks is more than the man behind a good cup of coffee. <br />
    <br />
    Schultz has lead with his soul, allowing him to act responsibly in his business ventures. He speaks out on his concerns of the global economic crisis and has been awarded numerous times for his charitable efforts. Specifically, the National Leadership Award, the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award and the <em><a href="http://www.firstmagazine.com/" target="_hplink">FIRST Magazine</a></em> Responsbile Capitalism Award.




  • The Gentleman


    <strong>Who:</strong> Tom Ford, 50<br />

    <strong>Why:</strong> The Texas born Fashion designer, style icon, architecture buff and Academy Award nominated director is one of the most important men in popular culture today. <br />
    <br />
    Ford transformed the house of Gucci (which was valued at $4.3 billion when he started and $10 billion when he left) back into a Fashion powerhouse. Shortly after, he started Tom Ford - a brand, which when it started, was considered to be the epitome of a modern day gentleman's wardrobe. Although sometimes controversial, Ford has spoken out about his homosexuality and his opinions on monogamy and sexuality.




  • The General


    <strong>Who:</strong> Colin Powell, 74<br />
    <strong>Why:</strong> The retired Four-Star Army General and former (and frist African American) Secretary of State has done far more than serve our country, but we must make mention of it. Powell has received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with three Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. <br />
    <br />
    Although his reputation was soiled in the now infamous WMD/Invasion of Iraq speech, Powell was since spoken out about reforming the intelligence community. An interesting fact about the former Joint Chief of Staff: He <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/08/a-conversation-with-colin-powell/3436/#" target="_hplink">restores old cars</a> as a hobby.

    Photo: Getty




  • The Quarterback


    <strong>Who:</strong> Dan Marino, 50 <br />
    <strong>Why:</strong> Not only has the gridiron icon been ranked as the No. 25 football player of all time by NFL Films in 2010, but he has also raised more than $30 million with the Dan Marino Foundation to help children with autism, like his son, Michael. Married to wife Claire since the 1980s, the father of six is also an entrepreneur with a growing restaurant chain.




  • The Laugh


    <strong>Who:</strong> Alec Baldwin, 54<br />
    <strong>Why:</strong> While we wag our fingers at the actor's tendency for outrageous
    Twitter outbursts -- and <a
    href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/alec-baldwin-american-airlines-disagree-on-what-happened-during-words-with-friends-incident/2011/12/08/gIQAKqrEgO_story.html"
    target="_hplink">extreme love of Words With Friends</a> -- Baldwin's charm knows no bounds. <br />
    <br />As <a
    href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/arts/television/alec-baldwin-sets-record-hosting-snl.html"><em>Saturday
    Night Live</em>'s most frequent host</a>, the smarmy exec with the heart of
    24K gold on <em>30 Rock<em> and the narrator of the phenomenal <em>Frozen Planet</em> series, we'll look the other way at the 54-year-old's more
    juvenile tendencies.




  • The Anchor


    <strong>Who:</strong> Matt Lauer, 54<br />
    <strong>Why:</strong> Co-host of NBC's "TODAY" since 1997, the dashing Lauer is the cream in our morning coffee, mixing the serious presidential interviews and reporting from the Middle East with the just-plain-goofy, including that "Where In The World Is Matt" travel segment thing and a recent smooch with Howard Stern. Only Lauer has the brains and the likability to strike the balance with panache.