Marine-Turned-Actor Rob Riggle Brings Story of Jimmy Stewart’s ‘Wonderful Life’ to Big Screen

It’s been almost 80 years since Jimmy Stewart first brought George Bailey to life in the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Now nearly 30 years after his death, Stewart’s own story is being told in the new movie “Jimmy.”

“It’s overdue. He lived such an amazing life,” actor Rob Riggle told The Epoch Times.

Riggle, a retired Lt. Col. of the Marine Corps Reserve, stars as Col. Terrill, Jimmy Stewart’s Army squadron commander and mentor, in the biopic.

Of his early days transitioning from service member to stage performer, Riggle recalled the “vulnerability” he felt on stage. “The Marines have a saying: ‘embrace the suck.’ You just got to embrace it until you get comfortable in it.”

The movie follows Stewart from his Academy Award win for “The Philadelphia Story” to his enlistment in the U.S. Army Air Corps, combat service, and return to Hollywood before making “It’s a Wonderful Life.” 

“There’s a whole lot of people who don’t know anything about this wonderful man and the sacrifices he made to serve and to stop evil,” Riggle said.  

As a service member, Riggle served 23 years in the Marine Corps, starting on active duty before transitioning to the Marine Corps Reserve while building his acting career.

Between 1990 and 2013, the Louisville native was a public affairs officer and a civil affairs officer, and he deployed to numerous places around the globe, including Af­ghanistan, Albania, Liberia, and Kosovo. He then served as a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve officer who responded to Ground Zero after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Talking about that day 25 years later, Riggle, who helped dig and join the “bucket brigades” to look for survivors, focused on the positive. He recalled the generous volunteers who came to Ground Zero with food and clothing, and those who did anything they could to help. 

“Nineteen evil men doesn’t add up to the thousands and thousands of good people out there that wanted to do the right thing,” he reflected.

While Riggle came to acting as his military service wound down, Stewart was looking to don the uniform as an already formidable talent.

“People that have so much at their disposal and still choose the more difficult path, that’s rare these days,” Riggle said. “It still happens, thank goodness. There’s people, selfless folks out there that put service above self. But you just don’t see it that often, and so when you do see it, it’s pretty special.”

After returning from war, Stewart wasn’t sure he could pick up his career—logistically and because of the disconnect he felt between the darkness of the war he’d just fought and the light-hearted entertainment industry. That quiet burden is at the center of  “Jimmy,” which stars KJ Apa as Stewart. 

“Back then a lot of veterans from previous wars were left to themselves and left on their own to sort it out, to overcome it, to deal with it, to push it down,” said Riggle, whose 2025 memoir “Grit, Spit, and Never Quit” shares how the lessons he learned while serving in the Marines prepared him for life.  

“A lot of veterans, when they take the uniform off, there is an adjustment period, because they were asked to do such high-stakes work. They were trusted with so much responsibility.”

“Young 22-year-olds, corporals and sergeants making decisions that would have international ramifications and taking responsibility for other people’s lives, and then they come back here, and they have to have a two-week class on how to run a copier. Everybody has to figure out how to deal with it. Jimmy was no different,” he added.

“I got a guaranteed flight contract, so I thought I’d be a pilot. That sounded pretty good to a young man. Also, I wanted to serve my country. I thought there was something very noble in doing that. Service was important to do. I always thought about the John F. Kennedy quote ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ I’m a patriotic guy. Also it’s a great place to start, just like the ads say.” 

But being out of uniform hasn’t made Riggle—like Jimmy Stewart before him—forget his commitment to service. For the sixth time, he will host “American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes,” an annual Emmy-winning Veterans Day television special produced by the American Veterans Center. 

“I love hosting,” Riggle said. “I love raising money for great causes. If the moment calls for sincerity, I’m sincere. If the moment calls for levity, let’s enjoy it.”

This year’s special will air on TV stations across the country throughout the weekend of November 15. 

In keeping with that give-back spirit, and thanks to the generosity of major donors, service members, veterans, first responders, and their families can receive free tickets through Vet Tix to see “Jimmy,” which opens right before Veterans Day on November 6 in theaters nationwide.

Although Riggle never got to meet Stewart, he did have a Hollywood role model of his own—the Marine-turned-actor Harvey Keitel. “I was lucky enough to meet him when I was taking acting classes and doing improv comedy in New York,” Riggle said. 

“He was kind enough to take a minute and talk to me. There’s always folks out there that you look to, and you hope to emulate, or you appreciate their work, or their journey. Tony Robbins said it best when he said, ‘Success leaves clues.’ And so, if you see someone that’s doing what you want to do, and you believe that they’re really good at it, or successful, or you like their style, they leave clues, go look into them. They’ll probably have some good pointers for you.”