Summary

• 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 ed, 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 through the end of the war in 1945.

Band of Brothers is more than a simple war show; it's about camaraderie, the human spirit, and the unthinkable conditions that war put those men in. The actors in the show all play real soldiers who served in the war, some of whom appear in the series in interview segments where they recall their experiences. Over 10 episodes, Band of Brothers follows Easy Company from their time in basic training to their capture of the Nazi Party's "Eagle's Nest" in Bavaria and the end of the war. The talented Band of Brothers cast brought it all to life with expertise.

Richard D. Winters

Played Damian Lewis

Character: Damian Lewis leads the Band of Brothers cast as Richard D. Winters. Richard Winters is first introduced in Band of Brothers as the second lieutenant of Easy Company's 2nd Battalion during their training in Camp Toccoa. His great leadership and tactical expertise led to him being promoted first to the rank of captain, and then finally becoming Major Winters by the end of the war. Throughout Band of Brothers, Lewis's Winters is portrayed as a respected and even-tempered leader of Easy Company, who's left feeling conflicted by promotions that pull him further back from direct command of his men.

Actor: Damian Lewis followed up his breakout role in Band of Brothers with his first Hollywood starring role in the Stephen King adaptation of Dreamcatcher as Jonesy. Lewis has gone on to find a lot of success on television, with the mystery show Life as Charlie Crews, the thriller Homeland as Nicholas Brody, and the drama Billions as Bobby Axelrod. In movies, Lewis has appeared in Our Kind of Traitor as Hector and played Steve McQueen in a cameo in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Lewis Nixon III

Played By Ron Livingston

Character: Ron Livingston plays Lewis Nixon III in the Band of Brothers cast, another central character in the show. Richard Winters' close friend and fellow second lieutenant of Easy Company's 2nd Battalion, Nixon shares many of Winters' campaigns during the war but does not have the same trajectory up through the ranks. From early on in Band of Brothers, Nixon is portrayed as having a reliance on alcohol that is only further compounded by the struggles and trauma of war.

Actor: Ron Livingston's first major movie role was as Rob in Swingers alongside Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau. He went on to star as Peter in the cult comedy classic Office Space and played Carrie's notable love interest Berger in Sex in the City. Most recently Livingston has appeared in the lead role of Sam Loudermilk in the comedy series Loudermilk and played Henry Allen in The Flash.

Lynn "Buck" Compton

Played By Neal McDonough

Character: Played by Neal McDonough in the Band of Brothers cast, Buck Compton is assigned as Easy Company's 2nd Battalion assistant platoon leader during their training in Aldbourne, England. Though a capable fighter and leader, Compton's enthusiasm for the war is shaken first by a severe gunshot wound, and then by Easy Company's nightmarish weeks in the woods of Bastogne.

Actor: Neal McDonough followed up his role in Band of Brothers by reuniting with Steven Spielberg in the sci-fi movie Minority Report as Fletch. He appeared in another World War II project shortly after, as Captain Dave Severance in Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers. He also played the villain role of Jay Hamilton opposite Dwayne Johnson in Walking Tall. He is known for TV villain roles on Suits and Yellowstone and as Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan in Captain America: The First Avenger.

C. Carwood Lipton

Played By Donnie Wahlberg

Character: Donnie Wahlberg had a career-defining performance when he stepped up to play Lipton in the Band of Brothers cast. C. Carwood Lipton begins Band of Brothers as a sergeant, having been recently promoted from the rank of private. Episode 7, "The Breaking Point," focuses on Lipton's perspective during the latter half of Easy Company's time spent holding the line in Bastogne, and their capture of the nearby town of Foy.

Actor: Donnie Wahlberg is a member of the boy band New Kids on the Block, and is also known for playing Eric Matthews in the Saw movie franchise. He also played the brief yet pivotal role of Vincent Grey in The Sixth Sense and reunited with Band of Brothers costar Neal McDonough in the short-lived but acclaimed crime series Boomtown as Detective Joel Stevens. However he's best known for his starring role Daniel Fitzgerald "Danny" Reagan in the long-running CBS police procedural, Blue Bloods. He's also the older brother of Mark Wahlberg.

Herbert Sobel

Played By David Schwimmer

Character: David Schwimmer is one of the most widely recognized names in the Band of Brothers cast, and his performance as Sobel showcases his versatility outside comedic roles. As first lieutenant and later captain of Easy Company's 2nd Battalion during their training, Herbert Sobel becomes loathed by the men for his sadistic training regimens and his habit of seeking out and punishing the smallest infractions. There was also a lack of confidence in him leading the men into battle, which resulted in his being reassigned.

Actor: David Schwimmer is best known for playing Ross Geller in the NBC sitcom Friends, and, of course, returned for HBO Max's Friends reunion special. Schwimmer also voiced Melman the Giraffe in the Madagascar franchise, and appeared on The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story as Robert Kardashian, O. J.'s defense attorney. Recently, he starred as Jerry Berstein in the comedy series Intelligence, which ran for two seasons.

Ronald Speirs

Played By Matthew Settle

Character: Matthew Settle delivers one of the most breathtaking performances in the Band of Brothers cast as the indomitable Ronald Speirs. Initially, a leader of Dog Company in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Captain Ronald Speirs is viewed with trepidation and awe by his fellow soldiers due to a number of outlandish stories circulating about him. When he later s Easy Company during their capture of Foy, Spiers proves to them firsthand his fearlessness and his cool under fire.

Actor: Matthew Settle is an American actor who, prior to starring in Band of Brothers, appeared as Will Benson in the slasher sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. He also already had war movie experience as he played Larson in U-571. Since Band of Brothers, Settle's most notable role was Rufus Humfrey in Gossip Girl.

Donald Malarkey

Played By Scott Grimes

Character: Scott Grimes ed the Band of Brothers cast to play the wide-eyed and naive Donald Malarkey. Nicknamed "Private Bulls**t" by David Schwimmer's Sobel, Donald Malarkey is eventually promoted to the rank of first sergeant by the end of World War II. In Band of Brothers, he is one of the few of Easy Company never to be seriously wounded, which means that he gets no respite from the fighting and ends up serving more consecutive time than any other member of the company.

Actor: Scott Grimes is also known for playing Archie Morris in ER and voicing Steve Smith in American Dad! He has also worked alongside Seth MacFarlane in the live-action world, playing helmsman Gordon Malloy in the sci-fi comedy The Orville, as well as playing Matty Bennett in the TV series of Ted. In movies, Grimes appeared as Will Scarlet in Ridley Scott's Robin Hood and as Strauss' counsel in Oppenheimer.

Eugene "Doc" Roe

Played By Shane Taylor

Character: Shane Taylor's character in Band of Brothers was Doc Roe. A medic with Easy Company's 2nd Battalion, Eugene "Doc" Roe is the focal point of Band of Brothers episode 6, "Bastogne." During the harsh winter spent encircled by German troops, Roe fights to save his fellow paratroopers from injuries inflicted on them by artillery shelling with so few supplies that he's left to beg morphine syrettes from soldiers' aid kits and use torn bedsheets for bandages.

Actor: Despite playing a Louisiana-born soldier in Band of Brothers, Shane Taylor is one of several British cast of the miniseries. Taylor has not found a role as significant as his part as Roe in Band of Brothers, but he continues to work, appearing as Miklós Horthy, Jr. in the action drama Walking With the Enemy and as Turner alongside Gerard Butler in the thriller Hunter Killer.

Denver "Bull" Randleman

Played By Michael Cudlitz

Character: Walking Dead star Michael Cudlitz saw early career success when he signed on to the Band of Brothers cast to play the rebellious Denver Randleman. Along with several of his fellow non-commissioned officers, Denver "Bull" Randleman risks execution with a mutiny to protest the poor leadership of Captain Sobel in the first episode of Band of Brothers. This same fearlessness is on display throughout the series, particularly in episode 4, "Replacements," when Randleman is wounded and forced to hide out in a barn surrounded by enemy soldiers.

Actor: Michael Cudlitz is best known for playing Abraham Ford in The Walking Dead, a character who was introduced in season 4 of the show. He also earned critical acclaim for his role as the tough but complex police officer John Cooper in Southland. Cudlitz also notably took on the iconic comic book villain role of Lex Luthor in Superman and Lois.

John W. Martin

Played By Dexter Fletcher

Character: British actor Dexter Fletcher has a memorable performance in the Band of Brothers cast as John W. Martin, one of the original 140 of Easy Company who jumped into Normandy on D-Day. Staff Sergeant John Martin fights in all of the company's major engagements in Band of Brothers and is close friends with William "Wild Bill" Guarnere (played by Frank John Hughes).

Actor: Dexter Fletcher is known for his roles as Soap in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and as Cody in Matthew Vaughn's Layer Cake. More recently, Fletcher has made a name for himself behind the camera as a director, beginning with the true sports story Eddie the Eagle starring Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman. He took over directing duties of the Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was fired and then helmed the music biopic Rocketman.