Damian Lewis

Damian Watcyn Lewis is an English actor and musician born on 11 February 1971. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. He achieved further acclaim for his role as U.S. Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody in the Showtime series Homeland, winning both a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. His prominent screen roles also include billionaire Bobby Axelrod in the Showtime series Billions, King Henry VIII in Wolf Hall, and actor Steve McQueen in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Lewis was born in St John's Wood, London, to Charlotte Mary and John "J." Watcyn Lewis, a City insurance broker. His paternal grandparents were Welsh, and his maternal grandfather was Lt-Col. Sir Ian Bowater, a Lord Mayor of London. He grew up attending English boarding schools, visiting relatives in the United States during summer breaks, and decided to become an actor at the age of 16. He attended Ashdown House School and Eton College before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1993.

Early in his career, Lewis worked as a telemarketer selling car alarms before making his television debut in a 1995 episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot. He performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in productions of Little Eyolf and Cymbeline. Director Steven Spielberg cast him in Band of Brothers after seeing his performance as Laertes in Hamlet. Lewis subsequently performed in stage productions of Ibsen's Pillars of the Community at the National Theatre and Molière's The Misanthrope at the Comedy Theatre in London.

On screen, Lewis portrayed Soames Forsyte in the ITV miniseries The Forsyte Saga and starred as detective Charlie Crews in the NBC series Life, which received an AFI Award in 2008. His film credits include Dreamcatcher, Keane, The Baker—directed by his brother Gareth Lewis—The Escapist, Our Kind of Traitor, and the vampire comedy film The Radleys, in which he played a dual role. His television work also includes the BBC drama Friends and Crocodiles, the ShakespeaRe-Told adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, and guest hosting Have I Got News for You.

In addition to acting, Lewis developed a music career, collaborating with jazz artist Giacomo Smith to write and record his debut album, Mission Creep, released on Decca Records in 2023. He also released the single Down On the Bowery and performed the national anthem at the 2023 British Grand Prix. Lewis has supported charitable causes, acting as a Trade Justice ambassador for Christian Aid, playing in multiple Soccer Aid matches, and helping raise funds for the Feed NHS initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was married to actress Helen McCrory from 2007 until her death in 2021, and they have two children.