Whenever June 6 rolls around, my mind usually turns to the star-studded World War II film “The Longest Day” (1962). The film dramatizes the D-Day Invasion on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944.

The film stars every major star you can think of, but the person who stood out to me the most was Henry Grace.

Who is Henry Grace?

Grace played Dwight Eisenhower in “The Longest Day.” But Grace wasn’t an actor. He was set decorator. He was chosen for the film because of his surprising resemblance of our 34th president.

Eisenhower was actually considered to play himself, but makeup artists couldn’t make him look young enough, according to IMDB.

Set designer Henry Grace (left) and President Dwight Eisenhower (right)

Grace started as a set director in 1934 through 1970, working on films such as “Camille” (1936), “Blackboard Jungle” (1955), “Viva Las Vegas” (1964) and the television show “The Man From Uncle.”

“The Longest Day” was Graces’s only film performance.

Next time you watch the film, make sure to look out for Grace! It’s a very long, but very good movie.

Stars in “The Longest Day”:
John Wayne
Robert Mitchum
Robert Ryan
Henry Fonda
Sal Mineo
Richard Burton
Eddie Albert
Richard Todd
Sean Connery
Alexander Knox
Red Buttons
Richard Beymer
Jeffrey Hunter
Richard Dawson
Fabian
Roddy McDowall
Peter Lawford
Edmund O’Brien
Paul Anka
Mel Ferrer
Tommy Sands
Robert Wagner
and the list goes on

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