Damian Lewis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Damian Lewis
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Lewis in 2015
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Damian Watcyn Lewis
11 February 1971 London, England
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| Education | Guildhall School of Music and Drama (BA) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Partner(s) | Alison Mosshart (2022–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
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| Labels | Decca |
Damian Watcyn Lewis (born 11 February 1971) is a British actor, musician, and producer. He is well-known for playing U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in the TV show Band of Brothers. Lewis also won awards for his role as U.S. Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody in the series Homeland. He played Henry VIII of England in Wolf Hall and Bobby Axelrod in the show Billions. He even appeared as actor Steve McQueen in the movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Contents
Early Life and School
Damian Lewis was born in London, England, on February 11, 1971. He is the oldest son of Charlotte Mary and John Watcyn Lewis. His father worked as an insurance broker in the City of London. Damian's grandparents on his father's side were Welsh.
As a child, Damian often visited relatives in the United States during summer breaks. He decided he wanted to be an actor when he was 16 years old.
He went to private schools, including Ashdown House School and Eton College. He then studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1993.
Acting Career Highlights
Damian Lewis started his acting career with small roles. His first TV appearance was in an episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot in 1995. He also appeared in A Touch of Frost and the movie Robinson Crusoe.
He worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, performing in plays by Henrik Ibsen and William Shakespeare. His role as Laertes in Hamlet was seen by director Steven Spielberg. This led to Lewis being cast as Richard Winters in the miniseries Band of Brothers in 2001. For this role, he had to learn an American accent.
Lewis then played Soames Forsyte in the TV series The Forsyte Saga, which was very popular. He also starred in the movies Dreamcatcher and Keane. In Keane, he played a man searching for his missing daughter, and his acting received great reviews.
He continued to appear in many films and TV shows. In 2005, he was in a BBC adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing. He also played Yassen Gregorovich in the film Stormbreaker.
From 2007 to 2009, Lewis starred as Charlie Crews in the American TV series Life. The show won an award for best TV series. He also acted in The Baker, a film directed by his brother, Gareth.
One of his most famous roles was Gunnery Sergeant Nicholas Brody in the TV series Homeland, from 2011 to 2013. For this role, he won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
In 2016, he began playing Bobby Axelrod in the TV series Billions. He was on the show for five seasons and returned for part of the seventh season. He also appeared in the spy film Our Kind of Traitor.
More recently, in 2024, he played two characters, Peter and Will Radley, in the vampire comedy film The Radleys.
Music Career
Damian Lewis has always wanted to be a musician. In 2022, he shared that he was working with jazz artist Giacomo Smith. They started by playing cover songs and then began writing their own music.
Lewis released his first song, "Down On the Bowery," in April 2023. His first album, called Mission Creep, came out in June 2023. It was released by Decca Records.
In July 2023, he sang the national anthem at the British Grand Prix car race.
Other Activities
In 2009, Damian Lewis was featured in a book called Inspired By Music. This book, for The Prince's Trust charity, showed celebrities talking about songs that inspired them.
Lewis became an ambassador for the charity Christian Aid in 2010. He has also played in charity football matches for England in Soccer Aid several times. He also played golf for Europe in the All*Star Cup.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lewis and his wife, Helen McCrory, helped start a fundraiser called Feed NHS. This project aimed to provide food from restaurants to NHS staff. By April 2020, they had raised £1 million for the charity.
Awards and Recognition
Damian Lewis has received several honors for his acting and charity work. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2014. In 2022, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
His role as U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in Band of Brothers earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
For his performance as U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Nicholas Brody in Homeland, he won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 2012.
He also received nominations for his role as Henry VIII of England in Wolf Hall.
Personal Life
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Damian Lewis married actress Helen McCrory on July 4, 2007. They had a daughter and a son together. Sadly, Helen McCrory passed away from cancer in April 2021.
Lewis is a big fan of the football team Liverpool F.C..
Since 2022, he has been in a relationship with singer Alison Mosshart.
Filmography
Here are some of the films and TV shows Damian Lewis has been in:
Films
- Robinson Crusoe (1997) as Patrick
- Dreamcatcher (2003) as Gary "Jonesy" Jones
- Keane (2004) as William Keane
- Stormbreaker (2006) as Yassen Gregorovich
- The Baker (2007) as Milo "The Baker" Shakespeare
- Will (2011) as Gareth
- Romeo & Juliet (2013) as Lord Capulet
- Our Kind of Traitor (2016) as Hector
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) as Steve McQueen
- The Radleys (2024) as Peter Radley / Will Radley
Television Shows
- Agatha Christie's Poirot (1995) as Leonard Bateson
- Band of Brothers (2001) as Maj. Richard D. Winters
- The Forsyte Saga (2002–2003) as Soames Forsyte
- Life (2007–2009) as Charlie Crews
- Homeland (2011–2014) as Nicholas Brody
- Wolf Hall (2015) as Henry VIII
- Billions (2016–2023) as Bobby Axelrod
- A Spy Among Friends (2022) as Nicholas Elliott
Stage Plays
Damian Lewis has also performed in many plays on stage:
- Hamlet (1995) as Laertes
- Cymbeline (1997) as Posthumus Leonatus
- Much Ado About Nothing (1998) as Don John
- The Misanthrope (2009) as Alceste
- American Buffalo (2015) as Teach
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details |
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| Mission Creep |
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Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
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| "Down On the Bowery" | 2023 | Mission Creep |
| "Zaragoza" | ||
| "Makin' Plans" | ||
| "She Comes" |
Images for kids
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Lewis in 2015
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Damian Lewis Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2024
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Helen McCrory and Lewis at the 2013 British Academy Film Awards
See also
In Spanish: Damian Lewis para niños
