Five things you didn’t know about Dr. Ben Carson

1. He has an IMDB page.

Carson has achieved worldwide recognition as a bold pioneer in the surgical separation of conjoined twins. His path-breaking work also led to a Hollywood stint. In 2003, a mutual friend put Dr. Carson in touch with the Farrelly Brothers, the comedy-directing duo behind There’s Something about Mary. The Farrellys wanted Carson to play himself in their new project Stuck on You, starring Greg Kinnear and Matt Damon as conjoined twins. Carson agreed, but on the condition that the Farrellys promised to host the premiere in Baltimore and use it to raise funds for his educational foundations. The directors agreed. Carson, along with his wife and two children, had cameos in the movie, and the Baltimore premiere raised over $400,000. And that wasn’t the end of Carson’s big-screen career. He appeared as an extra in Gifted Hands — a 2007 adaptation of his life story in which he was portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. …

4. He was a medal-winning marksman and a dining companion of General William Westmoreland.

Despite having joined high-school ROTC a semester late, Carson was a superstar cadet, racking up medals in drill and riflery. He flew through the ranks, moving from private to second lieutenant in a year and change and then so thoroughly acing his field-grade exams (he set a new record) that he leap-frogged straight to lieutenant colonel, and then became one of three full-bird colonels in all of Detroit. In recognition of his achievement, a 17-year-old Carson was given the opportunity to dine with General William Westmoreland, the top U.S. commander in Vietnam, and was offered a full scholarship to West Point.