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There are a few shows or movies that set a standard and a template for a whole genre. HBO’s 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers not only did that for war dramas but also launched and boosted many acting careers. The series, created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, presented real-life events of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division throughout World War II.

The ensemble cast of Band of Brothers is one of the main reasons people still remember the show. Apart from playing the roles of soldiers, actors like Scott Grimes as Donald Malarkey, Kirk Acevedo as Joe Toye, and Damian Lewis as Richard Winters made the audience empathize with their losses and wins and connect with their camaraderie. Now, after more than two decades since its premiere, let’s catch up with some of these talented cast members and see what they are up to.

Quick Links What Happened To Dick Winters After Band of Brothers What Happened To Lewis Nixon After Band of Brothers What Happened To Buck Compton After Band of Brothers What Happened To Bill Guarnere and Joe Toye What Happened To The Rest Of Easy Company The Band Of Brothers Cast Vs. Real Life Soldiers What The Band Of Brothers Cast Said About The Show Band of Brothers was a miniseries created by Spielberg and Hanks, based on the real-life experiences of soldiers from Easy Company during WWII. The real soldiers of Easy Company, including Richard Winters, continued to live extraordinary lives after the war, recording their experiences and staying connected. The cast of Band of Brothers, although not physically resembling their real-life counterparts, delivered powerful performances that captured the emotional journey of the soldiers.

Band of Brothers' real soldiers, the men of Easy Company, 506th Infantry Regiment, had their stories...

Band of Brothers cast includes Tom Hardy, Jimmy Fallon, and many familiar actors playing real WWII soldiers. The series is based on the book by Stephen E. Ambrose and follows Easy Company through the major events of WWII. Despite some creative liberties, the show is known for its authenticity and remains one of the greatest TV shows ever made.

From Tom Hardy to Jimmy Fallon, the cast of Band of Brothers is packed with familiar actors in both major and minor roles. It has been over 20 years since the HBO World War II miniseries, based on the book of the same name by Stephen A. Ambrose, originally aired. Despite the time that has passed, the show regularly still lands on lists of the greatest-ever TV series. Band of Brothers follows E Company, a group of paratroopers within the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, from their early days of training...

Quick Links Scott Grimes as Donald Malarkey Damian Lewis as Richard D. Winters Ron Livingston as Lewis Nixon Shane Taylor as Eugene "Doc" Roe Donnie Wahlberg as C. Carwood Lipton Peter Youngblood Hills as Darrell C. "Shifty" Powers Matthew Leitch as Floyd M. "Tab" Talbert Nicholas Aaron as Robert E. "Popeye" Wynn Philip Barantini as Wayne A. "Skinny" Sisk Michael Cudlitz as Denver "Bull" Randleman

Ever since it originally premiered in 2001, despite being a miniseries consisting of only ten episodes, Band of Brothers has been long-regarded as not just one of the greatest HBO series, but one of the best television shows of all time in general. This isn't just due to the strength of its storytelling, but the strength of its characters of "Easy" Company, Richard Winters never wanted to be a soldier; in fact, his only reason for volunteering in the U.S. Army was to avoid being...

"Band Of Brothers" remains one of the most influential TV series of all time, if only because it helped bring about the so-called golden age of prestige TV we currently find ourselves in. Coming from creators and executive producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg — who will soon be bringing their follow-up "Masters Of The Air" to Apple TV+ — the show brought movie-level production values to the small screen, resulting in a vividly rendered version of World War II that still stands as one of the most affecting on-screen depictions of war.

Based on Stephen Ambrose's non-fiction book of the same name, "Band Of Brothers" begins by focusing on E, otherwise known as "Easy", Company of the 101st Airborne Division as they train for World War II. Across 10 episodes, the group, one of the first paratrooper teams used by the US in war, makes their way through Normandy, Belgium, the Netherlands,...

The cast of HBO's Band of Brothers is filled with talented actors — many of them were on the cusp of fame when the miniseries debuted in 2001 — playing every sort of soldier in World War II. More than 20 years later, it remains one of the best TV miniseries of all time thanks to outstanding acting by its ensemble cast.

The performances keep audiences invested in the idea that the men were truly brothers in arms. Some characters appeared for only a few episodes or even just one scene. Others remained front and center for the whole series. There are some actors whose performances stand above the rest, bringing true humanity to real figures from history.

Ron Livingston As Lewis Nixon

Lewis Nixon is the second lead of the show behind Dick Winters, and he balances out Winters' straight-laced personality with his own cavalier attitude. Ron Livingston plays Nixon brilliantly, giving him...

In the U.S., many of us who subscribe to five or more streaming services have grown tired of internet packages that bundle cable TV services we don't want or need. As streaming becomes more prevalent, UK households face their own kind of inconvenience, though it's not exactly new for them. On top of subscriptions, each household must pay an annual TV license fee to access broadcast television, which is currently set at £159 (189 in today's Usd) or face criminal prosecution. The fee, which funds the BBC, has become so controversial that earlier this year, UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries called to freeze it at the present rate and abolish it by 2027.

Other instances of the TV license fee facing such intense public scrutiny have been with respect to the programming that Bcc produces. I mean, if we were taxed to fund the Marvel Cinematic Universe instead of voluntarily handing over all our money to Disney,...

"Band of Brothers" was one of the first shows to bridge the gap between television and film. It took the baton from Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" and improved on it, at least regarding character and story. There is nothing in "Band of Brothers" that is quite so arrestingly savage as Spielberg's genre-changing Omaha Beach sequence. However, HBO's 10-part miniseries is still a thunderous account of World War II, replete with many sad and brutal moments.

Based on Stephen Ambrose's non-fiction book of the same name, "Band of Brothers" follows "Easy" Company of the 101st Airborne Division through Normandy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the German interior. Human interest is somewhat diluted by the sheer number of characters involved, but there are focalizers in the ranks, namely Maj. Richard Winters (Damian Lewis) and Capt. Lewis Nixon (Ron Livingston). These men and their peers are quickly battle-hardened, facing the enemy in fields,...

Louise Fletcher, who won the best actress Oscar for her indelible performance as Nurse Ratched in Milos Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” died Friday at her home in France, according to a rep. She was 88.

The classic film, based on Ken Kesey’s novel and exploring the repressive tendency of authority through the story of the patients and staff of a psych ward, won five Oscars in 1976, including best picture and best actor for Jack Nicholson.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was the first film in more than four decades to sweep the major categories of best picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay. It was nominated for an additional four Oscars and was also a substantial box office hit.

In the American Film Institute TV special “AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Heroes & Villains,” Fletcher’s Nurse Ratched was named the fifth-greatest villain in film history — and second-greatest villainess,...

Review Robert Keeling 28 Feb 2014 - 06:15

Rob's daily Band Of Brothers look-back reaches the half-way point with Tom Hanks-directed episode, Crossroads...

Read the previous part in this series, here.

Crossroads is another episode with Dick Winters as the focal point and it starts off with the real men of Easy telling us just what a great leader and model soldier he was. They are all quick to point out that he was never shy about leading from the front and when he was Easy’s commander, he was always the first man into battle.

The episode itself plays out partly in flashback as Winters, now in effective Battalion command, sets about writing up his numerous reports on the recent events that have effected Easy. It’s clear throughout this episode that while Dick is proud and content to be a high ranking officer, he misses the camaraderie and closeness...

Review Robert Keeling 25 Feb 2014 - 07:00

Rob's 10-part Band Of Brothers look-back continues with episode 2, Day Of Days...

Read the first part of this series, here.

After Currahee provided an initial introduction to the men of Easy Company, Day Of Days was a jolting wake-up call. The veterans at the episode’s start remind us of just how many men they lost on that first jump. Judging by the opening few minutes of confusion and carnage, you begin to wonder why it wasn’t so many more.

This episode revolves around Operation Overlord which took place on the 6th of June 1944. This was the military codename for the Battle of Normandy which famously included the vast D-Day beach landings. Easy’s job, along with that of many other paratrooper companies, was to land behind enemy lines and secure the causeway leading off the beach.

At the episode’s outset, as...

Isn't Homeland just so much better without Brody?  I'm sorry Damian Lewis, I like you a lot (too much, probably -- ask me about my unhealthy devotion to his portrayal of Dick Winters some time).  We even support the same football club.  But since the start of Season Two, the show doesn't know what to do with you.  So, here we have a series now that is essentially a spy thriller, with some great acting performances.  I'm ok with that, but I understand why other people aren't.  It isn't necessarily what we signed up for, but it's what we've got.  In light of that, "Still Positive" was a great episode.  However, remnants of the Brody plot are still spoiling the fun.  Hit the jump for why, "This is just the fucking beginning." Let's get Dana out of the way first, because we all would like her out of the way generally.

From all-American WWII war hero to domestic terrorist to hero U.S. astronaut/savior of the human race? Hey, if anyone can do it, it’s Major Dick Winters. Or Sergeant Nicolas Brody. Turns out, it’s the same guy! “Band of Brothers” star Damian Lewis is set to take the lead in the new sci-fi thriller “Alone” for co-writers/directors Kirk Weddell and Chris Taylor. In the film, Lewis would play a U.S. astronaut who must “save the planet when he is the sole occupant of an orbiting space station.” Not sure how he’s going to do that, but all this space station/stranded-in-space movies that are cropping up all of a sudden is really interesting. Usually when the movie world starts copying each other, it’s because one movie has made a buttload of money, but that hasn’t really happened here. Weird. The film is...

The little I knew of The Sweeney centered around the fact that prior to being re-imagined for modern audiences, it existed as a popular television show in the UK, famous for tackling hard-hitting topics like police corruption and bribery. With the new film, starring Ray Winstone and Ben Drew, hopefully the show finds a new audience not only in the UK, but here in the Us. I've always been a sucker for a great, hard-boiled cop show, so, suffice to say, I was excited to finally see The Sweeney. Also note: even though white people love Homeland, and I am, by all accounts, white, I know nothing of Damian Lewis' work on that show. Homeland seems like a miniseries that has gone on for a couple bloated seasons, but whatever, he'll always be Dick Winters to me.

Read more...

Twelve years ago, HBO put to screen a miniseries that was one part Television event, one part historical drama, which had the considerable backing of executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and the hype of being something of a spiritual successor to their highly acclaimed war film Saving Private Ryan. Through ten one hour long episodes, essentially using TV as a medium to explore a vast and epic journey through the Second World War that would simply be impossible to map on the big screen, and with Stephen E Ambrose’s critically acclaimed non-fiction book as source material and a huge cast representing a collective of real world heroes, one of the most ambitious storytelling exercises the small screen has ever mounted was brought to life. The result was much fanfare, both critically and among the masses, a recurring trope that continues to this day, and the fledgling start...

This fall we reported the early whispers that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg would be back to produce a third World War II miniseries for HBO, new details of which have emerged.  The two collaborated on the highly successful (and highly decorated) series Band of Brothers which first aired in 2001, and followed it up with The Pacific in 2010. The new series, called Masters of the Air, would explore the aerial wars of the men known as the "Mighty Eighth," using Donald L. Miller's historical book Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany as source material.  Hit the jump for more on the project. According to THR, Justified creator Graham Yost will be on board to write episodes for Masters of the Air as he did with several episodes of Band of Brothers and the Pacific. As THR also notes, the series have...

He's already picked up an Emmy and is nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of tortured U.S. Marine Nicholas Brody on the Showtime series Homeland. Here are five things you probably don't know about Damian Lewis.

1. Born February 11, 1971 in London, England -- his father was an insurance broker and his mother served on the board of Britain's prestigious Royal Court Theatre.

Related: Homeland Stars Cover TV Guide

2. After seeing him in a stage production of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Steven Spielberg cast him in the leading role of Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.

3. Says that during filming for Homeland, he stays in his American accent both on and off set because it's less confusing than constantly switching back and forth from his native British English.

Video: Homeland Exclusive Season One Deleted Scene

4. Revealed to People.com that during his first kissing scene with Homeland co-star Claire Danes, the two "hit...

Keane

Directed by Lodge Kerrigan

Written by Lodge Kerrigan

USA, 2004

Given his latest role in Showtime’s acclaimed Homeland has pushed Damian Lewis firmly back into the limelight of public awareness after some mixed success post-big break in Band of Brothers, it seems a good time to revisit his finest work to date. The Eton alumni, who Steven Spielberg once pledged to make the first “ginger star” in Hollywood, has been involved in some duds and some diamonds in the rough in the past, but his defining performance comes in Lodge Kerrigan’s barely seen 2004 flick Keane.

Only Kerrigan’s third film, the nightmarishly realistic and documentary-like Keane is perfectly in keeping with the uncomfortably authentic melancholy of previous efforts Clean Shaven and Claire Dolan, a firmly rooted character study of an irredeemably flawed and damaged protagonist whose existence challenges our every emotion. William Keane (Lewis) is a New Yorker...

If your heart has mended since having seen the WWII HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, which first aired in 2001, and you have gotten through the pain and triumph of The Pacific, the follow-up series that took place in the Asia theater of war (and aired in 2010) then prepare for a new soul-crushing possibility: a third series that would follow the aerial battles in the Pacific. The original installment seemed to act as a springboard for a huge number of actors who have continued rising in their fame (such as Michael Fassbender, Ron Livingston, Jamie Bamber, Tom Hardy, Colin Hanks and Simon Pegg), including Damian Lewis, whose heroic Major Dick Winters is miles away from his current role as the compromised former patriot Nicholas Brody on Showtime's Homeland (Dick Winters would never be turned against America!)  For more on the upcoming project, hit the jump. According to The Playlist, Steven Spielberg...

He picked up his first Emmy last night for his portrayal of tortured U.S. Marine Nicholas Brody on the Showtime series Homeland. Here are five things you probably don't know about Damian Lewis.

1. Born February 11, 1971 in London, England -- his father was an insurance broker and his mother served on the board of the Britain's prestigious Royal Court Theatre.

Video: Emmys: Stars Get Honey Boo Boo Nicknames

2. After seeing him in a stage production of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Steven Spielberg cast him in the leading role of Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.

3. Says that when filming Homeland, he stays in his American accent both on and off set because it is less confusing than constantly switching back and forth from his native British English.

Related: Complete Emmy Winners List 

4. Revealed to People.com that during his first kissing scene with Homeland co-star Claire Danes, the two "hit teeth" and "felt like teenagers...

The Olympics are almost finished, but archery’s greatest heroine is set to return this week when The Hunger Games arrives on home video. Jennifer Lawrence helped the first installment of the dystopian franchise split the box-office bulls eye, cashing in more than $400 million, and the blockbuster gets a special Saturday Blu-ray release. With midnight purchase parties, it could conceivably hurt the movies actually opening in theaters and make them… Expendable.

Sunday, Aug. 12

Olympics closing ceremonies and men’s basketball final, NBC

The closing ceremonies are notoriously a pot-luck affair, with the host nation dusting off every native-born international star...

Just as Nicholas Brody received a hero’s welcome upon being rescued from captivity in Afghanistan, Damian Lewis of Showtime’s Homeland has been met with plaudits for his riveting portrayal of the conflicted Marine sergeant, husband, father and… would-be terrorist. Lewis – going for his first Emmy nomination this year, having previously been nominated for the 2012 Golden Globes for playing Brody on this series and in 2002 for his role in HBO’s Band of Brothers – reveals how he makes the potentially reprehensible relatable.

Tvline | You had to play a character who for much of Season 1 needed to keep us guessing about his agenda.

Ray Winstone as an uber badass cop who kicks ass and then maybe, maybe-not ask questions? In a movie that includes Major Dick Winters aka Damian Lewis? Oh hells yeah. Check out the first trailer for the UK cop movie “The Sweeney”, which is apparently a big-screen adaptation of a ’70s cop show that I’ve never heard of before. It looks intense, and Winstone has always been pretty damn badass, but he really takes it to a whole ‘nother level here. You don’t really get a sense for the film’s plot, but then again, I don’t suppose it matters. They’re selling Ray Winstone’s beast of a cop here, and they’re doing a damn good job of it. Sold! Based on the 1970s British police drama series of the same name, The Sweeney follows two detectives (Ray Winstone and Ben Drew – aka Plan B...

“Band of Brothers” alum alert! The new thriller “The Millionaire Tour” co-stars Rick Gomez, George Luz himself from HBO’s “Band of Brothers”. Besides doing work in Inon Shampanier’s “The Millionaire Tour”, Gomez also recurs on the awesome “Justified” as Assistant U.S. Attorney David Vasquez, where this year has him co-starring with fellow “BoB” alum Neal McDonough, though the two have no scenes together … yet. Now if only they could toss Dick Winters in there… Anyways, Gomez is co-starring in Inon Shampanier’s “The Millionaire Tour”, which also co-stars Dominic Monaghan of “Lost” fame. A mysterious cab passenger, who is taken hostage, must convince the abductors that he is not the legendary conman they set out to kill. His various attempts to prove his identity only persuade the abductors of his devious conman trickery. Is it a case of mistaken identity, or a clever act of deception? A series of mind games,...

HBO Home Entertainment have recently released two of the greatest TV Mini Series of all time together as one box set and we’ve been given the chance for one lucky person to win one. Band of Brother and The Pacific, Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are two of the most real series you could ever watch. If you’ve never seen them, you simply must. You can order your copy here or scroll down for your change to win a copy.

Get ready for the ultimate gift this Christmas as the award winning Band Of Brothers and The Pacific, are both released together in a stunning DVD and Blu-ray limited edition gift set for the first time ever on 7 November 2011 from HBO Home Entertainment.

Ten years after Band of Brothers first came to our screens, this beautifully packaged limited-edition gift set includes every visually stunning and heart-pounding episode,...

British actor Damian Lewis almost missed out on his big break in Steven Spielberg's 2001 TV series Band Of Brothers by going on an all-night boozing session before meeting the director.

The Escapist star played Major Richard Winters in the World War II mini-series, which was co-produced by Tom Hanks, but Lewis admits he came close to blowing his big chance.

Lewis was so convinced he wouldn't land the role, he decided to party the night away in Los Angeles after his initial meeting with Hanks.

The actor was stunned when he was summoned to meet Spielberg the following morning, but he still managed to impress the filmmaker despite suffering a raging hangover.

He says, "I got asked to read the part with about 150 other actors. Incredibly within 48 hours I was on a plane to meet Tom Hanks in L.A. It went Ok but I still didn't think I had a chance so I went out on the town with a mate until five in the morning. Three hours later the phone rings and someone says Steven Spielberg would like to see me immediately.

"I still felt drunk so I had about four showers and poured coffee down my throat. But Steven couldn't have been more charming."...

Showtime Damian Lewis and Claire Danes in a scene from “Homeland.”

On the new hit Showtime drama “Homeland,” actor Damian Lewis plays U.S. Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody, a former Pow suffering from a serious case of post-traumatic stress disorder following eight years of captivity in Afghanistan. Brody, who may or may not be working for al Qaeda, is being covertly followed by a paranoid CIA agent played by Claire Danes, as the series explores complicated issues such as the price of freedom,...

My hope is that there’s some nice twists and turns in Showtime’s new show “Homeland”, because it’s gonna suck if I have to root against Damian Lewis. I’ve been rooting for this guy since he played Major Dick Winters in “Band of Brothers”, all the way through to “Life”, and I’d hate to start rooting against one of his characters now. In any case, check out your first look at Showtime’s latest thriller from the folks of “24″, “Homeland”. A taut psychological thriller about a volatile CIA officer (Emmy® winner Claire Danes) who becomes convinced that a recently rescued American Pow may be connected to an al Qaeda plot to be carried out on U.S. soil. Mandy Patinkin and Damian Lewis also star. Starring Damian Lewis, Claire Danes, and Mandy Patinkin. Coming this Fall to Showtime. function getVideo() { var so = new SWFObject("http://cdn.

Hello my lovelies, have we adequately healed from yesterday's Sad Spackle onslaught? Does the that image of a Pajiban Golden Boy cradling a puppy get us there? How about a Pajiban Dream Girl too? Here, my little wounded sparrows.

Better? Good. You know what else Pajibans love? Heart-warming human interest stories about scrappy folk heroes like, you know, Robocop. Stay classy, Detroit. (Yahoo)

In actual heroes who actually deserve an actual statue news, some of the cast of "Band of Brothers" (get on board, Damien Lewis) will be parachute jumping to raise money for a monument to the late Maj. Dick Winters in Normandy. Number one on the list of jumpers? My friend's Uncle Mike. Go, Uncle Mike! (Jumping For Heroes)

My new personal hero? Ken Jennings, the modern-day John Henry. (Imgur)

Sure, the computer may have won "Jeopardy!" but could a machine build This??! Well, probably. (Laughing Squid)

But...

"Goodbye, Dick Winters. Leader of a company of heroes." Tom Hanks pays tribute to the World War II commander who inspired the actor's hit miniseries Band Of Brothers. Winters passed away on 2 January at the age of 92.

You know when someone draws a comparison that you hadn't thought of but now can never unsee? Check out this sketch of Doctor Who as the Cat in the Hat. He wears a tall, stripey hat now. Tall, stripey hats are cool. (i09)

Um, so Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens didn't break up? Did break up? Are having ex sex? Are people I should care about? I'm not certain, but I thought you should know. (Celebitchy)

I was going to write a sentence that involved the words "shiny" and "'verse," but you have to be Kaylee cute to pull that sh*t off. Kaylee cute I am not. So, look! Firefly the Complete Series! For super cheap! Get it today! (Amazon)

When you're at your lowest and contemplating your life choices and wondering iffin' you're a good person and whether or not some of the mistakes you've made will haunt...

Dick Winters, World War II veteran, winner of the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism on D-Day, and the central character of HBO's "Band of Brothers" miniseries, has died. If you watched the miniseries (which I reviewed on my old blog a couple of summers ago), or read Stephen Ambrose's book on the exploits of Easy Company that inspired the miniseries, or watched the various documentary tie-ins, then you know that Winters (played in the miniseries by Damian Lewis) was a calm, selfless, inspiring, exceedingly decent man, and the very model of what Tom Brokaw dubbed The Greatest Generation. After the jump, three clips: one...