Band of Brothers was an incredible achievement by HBO; one that might’ve started the prestige TV era, proving that with good actors and scripts, episodic television can give more time and depth to all of its characters than a two-hour movie ever could. It’s one of the best HBO shows of all time, and one as ambitious as tricky, to the point that writer John Orloff admits they were worried if the disparity of points of view could work.
This Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks-produced miniseries won six Emmy Awards, and the most important of them all might be the one for Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, as Meg Liberman, Cami Patton, Angela Terry, Gary Davy, and Suzanne Smith hit it out of the park, casting every role perfectly, even the small ones, and finding true gems: actors who, all these years later, are Hollywood stars. Here’s where the Band of Brothers cast is today:
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Damian Lewis
HBO Enterprises
Damian Lewis played Lieutenant Richard “Dick” Winters, the leader of Easy Company, proving savvy both with military tactics and inspiring his men. This was Lewis’s big break, earning him a Golden Globe nomination and making Hollywood aware of his talents. Lewis has had two other big roles on TV: Nicholas Brody on Homeland and Bobby Axelrod on Billions. In both roles, he’s used his charisma and acting chops to create grey characters, who were neither good nor evil, but had strong convictions and reasons to have those convictions. His latest show has been the miniseries, A Spy Among Friends.
Ron Livingston
Ron Livingston played Lieutenant Lewis Nixon, an intelligence officer. He was as good of an operator, as he was a drunk, which created some conflicts with the squadron, and at one point led to his demotion. Livingston was already known when he played this role, as he had been the lead in Mike Judge’s Office Space, and had supporting parts in cult-following films like Swingers and Adaptation. Since then, he’s been the lead in multiple TV series (Loudermilk, Defying Gravity) and a supporting player in big movies (Tully). Next year, he’ll be Barry Allen’s father in Ezra Miller’s The Flash.
Neal McDonough
In Band of Brothers, Neal McDonough played First Lieutenant Lynn “Buck” Compton, who earns a Silver Star after saving the team with a grenade toss. McDonough was already a TV actor staple by the time he appeared on the show, and since then, he has worked steadily on all kinds of projects, most times as the bad guy, like in Justified, Arrow, or Desperate Housewives. He also had a surprisingly funny character in Captain America: The First Avenger as Dum Dum Dugan. His most recent role was as Sargent Ty O’Brien on 9-1-1-: Lone Star, and he has 13 different projects in production, proving that any show is better with a little bit of McDonough in it.
David Schwimmer
David Schwimmer played drill instructor Captain Herbert Sobel, who trained the Easy Company, and was a petty vengeful man. Schwimmer might’ve been the most popular actor who got cast on Band of Brothers, as he was already Ross Geller on Friends. For the actor, this role was for changing the perception audiences had of him, and had him playing something different from the paleontologist who thought he was on a break with his girlfriend. Since the end of both Friends and Band of Brothers, Schwimmer has been working in front and behind the camera as an actor and director. His latest role is as Jerry Bernstein in Nick Mohammed’s Intelligence.
Colin Hanks
Colin Hanks was cast as Lieutenant Henry Jones, a recent West Point graduate who proves his inexperience doesn’t mean he’s not brave and smart, as he’s successful in the team’s objectives. Hanks, the son of movie star and producer of the miniseries, Tom Hanks, had already appeared on Roswell, but this show made more casting agents look at him and what he could do differently, as he would then take on the lead role in Orange County. Hanks is the perfect supporting player and has been on all kinds of TV shows: from Dexter to Life on Pieces or Fargo. In the last year, he’s been on two miniseries: The Offer and Friend of the Family, giving two very different performances.
Donnie Wahlberg
Donnie Wahlberg played Lieutenant C. Carwood Lipton, and the seventh episode is seen through his perspective, as he and his team are fighting German forces near the Belgian town of Foy. Wahlberg was already known for being a founding member of the ’90s musical group New Kids on the Block, and this role proved he could be a serious actor. Now, he’s most known as being Mark’s brother and playing Danny Reagan in Blue Bloods.
Michael Fassbender
Machine gunner Burton Christenson was a small part of Easy Company; he wasn’t the smartest nor the bravest, but he was part of the team. This was Michael Fassbender’s first role on any show or movie, proving the eye of the casting team. This show earned him supporting roles on British TV, and from there stardom. In 2008, he was the lead on Steve McQueen’s Hunger; one of his best performances, and he never looked back. Fassbender is one of those actors that has smartly combined small beautiful films with big franchises, earning Oscar Nominations for 12 Years a Slave and Steve Jobs, while also being X-Men’s villain Magneto for a new generation of fans.
Tom Hardy
Another movie star with a small role in Band of Brothers, Tom Hardy played John Jovanec, a replacement recruit for Easy Company, in the last two episodes of the show. Hardy had only played one role in his career before, in Black Hawk Down, and his appearance is also surprising for how different he looks from his now-more muscular frame. Layer Cake and RocknRolla made people aware of who Hardy was, and his charismatic appearance as Eames on Inception sold the deal. Since then, he’s been Venom, Bane, Mad Max, and Capone. He’ll be back as both Venom and Max in 2023, and we can’t wait.
Michael Cudlitz
Michael Cudlitz played Sergeant Denver “Bull” Randleman, the toughest of them all, even trying to survive a night behind enemy lines. Cudlitz started his career playing tough, dumb guys (D3: The Mighty Ducks), but this role proved he could do much more if given the opportunity. In the last few years, Cudlitz has appeared on The Walking Dead, Southland, and Clarice. About Band of Brothers, Cudlitz told Smithsonian Magazine: “We’ve also bonded with the [veterans’] families. We told the stories of their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers with respect, reverence and love.”
Simon Pegg
In Band of Brothers, Simon Pegg played 1st Sergeant William Evans, the assistant to David Schwimmer’s loathed character. Pegg was already known in Britain thanks to his TV show Spaced, and after Band of Brothers, his profile got higher, thanks to the movies he co-wrote and starred in with Edgar Wright and Nick Frost. In the last decade, Pegg has become the comedy relief and sidekick on big franchises like Star Trek and Mission Impossible. This year, will see him in The Boys, and in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning.
