Band of Brotherswas 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’sone 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.
What is Band of Brothers About?
Band of Brothers
The show tells the story of the “Easy” Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. It all starts with their training as paratroopers and their further descent into the madness of World War II. It is based on Stephen Ambrose’s book of the same name, and it ran for ten episodes in 2001 on HBO.
Lately, the show has been brought to the spotlight again due toApple TV’s release ofMasters of the Air, a companion show toBand of Brothers, andThe Pacific. In the miniseries starring Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, and Sawyer Spielberg among others, the 100th Bomb Group is tasked with bombing key locations in Europe, as it was occupied by the Germans during World War II.
The Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks-produced miniseriesBand of Brotherswon 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 theBand of Brotherscast is today.StreamBand of Brotherson Max and Netflix.
Damian Lewis — Major Richard “Dick” Winters
British actorDamian Lewisplayed 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 as a thespian capable of acquiring characters and adding the dramatic range that’s necessary for them to be credible and compelling.
Lewis has had two other big roles on TV: Nicholas Brody onHomelandandBobby Axelrod onBillions.In both roles, he’s usedhis charisma and acting chops to create gray 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. After his wife passed in 2021, Lewis withdrew from acting and instead focused on raising his children.
Ron Livingston — Lieutenant Lewis Nixon
Ron Livingstonplayed 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 inMike Judge’sOffice Space, and had supporting parts in cult-following films likeSwingersandAdaptation.
Since then, he’s been the lead in multiple TV series (Loudermilk, Defying Gravity) and a supporting player in bigger movies (Tully). His last roles were playing Barry Allen’s father inThe Flash, and in lesser-known filmsSitting in Bars with CakeandThe Featherweight.
Neal McDonough — First Lieutenant Lynn “Buck” Compton
InBand of Brothers,Neal McDonoughplayed 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 inJustified, Arrow, or Desperate Housewives.
He also hada surprisingly funny character inCaptain America: The First Avengeras Dum Dum Dugan. His most recent roles were as Sargent Ty O’Brien on 9-1-1-: Lone Star, and Malcolm Beck inYellowstone, proving that any show is better with a little bit of McDonough in it. He also showed up in smaller films likeThere Are No SaintsandThe Shift.
David Schwimmer — Captain Herbert Sobel
David Schwimmerplayed drill instructor Captain Herbert Sobel, who trained the Easy Company and was a pretty vengeful man. Schwimmer might’ve been the most popular actor who got cast inBand of Brothers,as he was alreadyRoss Geller onFriends.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. It’s, without question, Schwimmer’s most prominent role.
Since the end of bothFriendsandBand of Brothers, Schwimmer has been working in front and behind the camera as an actor and director, and one of his most notable features was the drama thrillerTrust. His latest roles include portraying Jerry Bernstein in Nick Mohammed’sIntelligence, the Apple TV showExtrapolations, and his indie filmLittle Deathis still being set for release after premiering in Sundance.
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Colin Hanks — Lieutenant Henry Jones
Colin Hankswas 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, theson of movie starand producer of the miniseries, Tom Hanks, had already appeared inRoswell, 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 inOrange County.
Hanks is the perfect supporting player and has been on all kinds of TV shows: fromDextertoLife on PiecesorFargo. Lately, he’s been in two miniseries:The OfferandAFriend of the Family,giving two very different performances. He also gave voice to Orion in the recently released animated fantasy filmOrion and the Dark.
Donnie Wahlberg — Lieutenant C. Carwood Lipton
Donnie Wahlbergplayed 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 groupNew Kids on the Block,and this role proved he could be a serious actor.
His most notable performance was in the'90s horror behemothThe Sixth Sense, but it was sadly too minor. Now, he’s most known for being Mark’s brother and playing Danny Reagan inBlue Bloods, and for reappearing as aNew Kid on the Blockfor the band’s reunion.
Michael Fassbender — Technical Sergeant Burton Christenson
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 wasMichael 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’sHunger;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 like showing up as a very important character in theAlienprequel,Prometheus. He earned Oscar Nominations for12 Years a SlaveandSteve Jobs, while also being X-Men’s villain Magneto for a new generation of fans. Recently, we saw him in David Fincher’sThe Killerand Taika Waititi’sNext Goal Wins. He’s working on two productions calledKung Fury 2andKneecap.
Tom Hardy — Private John Jovanec
Another movie star with a small role inBand 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, inBlack Hawk Down, and his appearance is also surprising for how different he looks from his now-more muscular frame.Layer CakeandRocknRollamade people aware of who Hardy was, andhis charismatic appearance as Eames onInceptionsold the deal. Since then, he’s been Venom, Bane, Mad Max, and Al Capone.
ForThe Revenant, he received his only Academy Award nomination so far. Recently, he was seen in the motorcycle club drama by Jeff Nichols,The Bikeriders. His latest production isVenom 3, which is currently filming.
Michael Cudlitz — Sergeant Denver “Bull” Randleman
Michael Cudlitzplayed 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 inThe Walking Dead, Southland, andClarice. He also plays Lex Luthor in the TV seriesSuperman & Loisfor The CW, and he provides voice work for theCall of Dutyvideo game series. Recently, he was seen in a romantic film calledBeautiful Disasterplaying a minor character.
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Simon Pegg — 1st Sergeant William Evans
InBand of Brothers,Simon Peggplayed 1st Sergeant William Evans, the assistant to David Schwimmer’s loathed character. Pegg was already known in Britain thanks to his TV showSpaced,and afterBand of Brothers, his profile got higher,thanks to the movies he co-wrote and starredin with Edgar Wright and Nick Frost.
In the last decade, Pegg has become the comedy relief and sidekick on big franchises likeStar TrekandMission Impossible. Recently, we saw him in the latest Ethan Hunt adventureMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, the black comedyNandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, and animated spin-offs ofThe BoysandScott Pilgrim.
More Noteworthy Performances
The show was also known for including short performances by relatively familiar faces that proved the ambitious nature of the production. Other notable performances include:
To stay in tune with the show, here’s a video of the best war movies based on true stories:
