Catching up with the actors of the World War II masterpiece.

The Band of Brothers cast*, *then and now: See the stars of HBO’s Emmy-winning miniseries 25 years later

Catching up with the actors of the World War II masterpiece.

By Andrew Walsh

and Kevin Jacobsen

September 9, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET

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(From left to right): Donnie Wahlberg as Carwood Lipton, Kirk Acevedo as Joe Toye, Scott Grimes as Donald Malarkey, Philip Barantini as Wayne A. ‘Skinny’ Sisk, Neal McDonough as Lynn ‘Buck’ Compton, Adam James as Cleveland O. Petty, Frank John Hughes as William ‘Wild Bill’ Guarnere, and Ross McCall as Joseph Liebgott, in ‘Band of Brothers’. Credit:

HBO undeniably pushed the boundaries of what was possible on television in the early 2000s, with *The Sopranos* and *The Wire* often cited as the primary game changers. But it was the cable network’s 10-part miniseries *Band of Brothers*, depicting the real-life saga of the 101st Airborne Division’s 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, E Company, 2nd Battalion, during World War II, that gave TV viewers the big-budget thrills of the cinema from the comfort of their homes.

Chronicling Easy Company’s epic journey from parachute training to the hell of D-Day and beyond, the Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg-produced series gripped viewers and earned 20 Emmy nominations, winning seven, including Outstanding Miniseries. The cast included both veteran character actors and relative newcomers whose careers blossomed through their involvement with the series. Now, on the 25th anniversary of *Band of Brothers*’ premiere, we’re charting the lives and careers of what the war drama’s stacked cast has been up to since leaving the battlefields.

Damian Lewis (Richard D. Winters)

Damian Lewis as Richard D. Winters in ‘Band of Brothers’; Damian Lewis attends a special fundraising Letters Live event in aid of the KOKO Foundation at KOKO in London on Nov. 7, 2024.

HBO; Dave Benett/Getty

Damian Lewis was Easy Company’s commander, and the series’ main character, Maj. Richard D. Winters.

Lewis told PEOPLE in 2018 he was hungover the day he landed the role. “I go out and get absolutely hammered… I come back at 3 in the morning and I get a phone call at 8 o’clock. ‘Damian, Steven [Spielberg] would like to meet you now, can you be here by 9?’... I have three showers, 17 cups of coffee, and I go in shaking. And Steven is there, and he’s already got his video on his shoulder and then they offered me the role, there in the room.”

The London-born thespian was unknown to American audiences at the time. Following his HBO breakout, he continued his Hollywood rise in the Stephen King adaptation *Dreamcatcher *(2003), then went on to smaller movies like *The Escapist* (2008) and *Keane *(2005).

Lewis took on a series lead on the crime drama *Life* and gained further acclaim as Marine-turned-terrorist Nicholas Brody on *Homeland*. The latter performance earned him an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

After receiving more Emmy and Golden Globe nominations as Henry VIII on *Wolf Hall*, he went mano a mano with Paul Giamatti on *Billions* and made a cameo as movie icon Steve McQueen in *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood *(2019). He most recently costarred as British Army General Bernard Montgomery in the 2026 WWII drama *Pressure*.

Lewis was married to actress Helen McCrory from 2007 until her death in 2021. They had two children. He is currently in a relationship with singer Alison Mosshart.

Ron Livingston (Lewis Nixon)

Ron Livingston as Lewis Nixon in ‘Band of Brothers’; Ron Livingston at Featured Session: Celebrating 25 Years of ‘Office Space,’ as part of the SXSW 2024 Conference and Festivals held at the Austin Convention Center on March 9, 2024.

Courtesy Everett; Jason Bollenbacher/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty

Ron Livingston was the hard-partying, easygoing Capt. Lewis Nixon.

“[Nixon] was an extraordinary guy and the rules didn’t quite apply to him,” he explained on HBO’s *Band of Brothers Podcast** *in 2021. “That was the key with him, having that entitlement. He felt comfortable telling people what to do.”

Livingston then landed a bit part in the not-quite-true-story *Adaptation *(2002) and played Jack Berger, the boyfriend who infamously dumps Carrie via Post-It note on *Sex and the City*. He’s been a go-to player in comedies like *Dinner For Schmucks *(2010), *Drinking Buddies *(2013), and *Tully *(2018), but has also flexed his dramatic chops in *Game Change *(2012), *The Conjuring *(2013), and *The Tender Bar *(2021). The actor has been particularly prolific on TV, including roles on *Boardwalk Empire*, *Search Party*, and *Loudermilk*.

Livingston has been married to actress Rosemarie DeWitt since 2009. The couple has two children.

Scott Grimes (Donald G. Malarkey)

Scott Grimes as Donald G. Malarkey in ‘Band of Brothers’; Scott Grimes attends Lupus LA’s presentation ‘Cuisine for a Cause’ at Vibiana in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 19, 2024.

HBO; Paul Archuleta/Getty

Scott Grimes played good-humored TSgt. Donald Malarkey.

“There’s 1,000 platoons that did something amazing in World War II, but they just happened to write about this one,” he told UPI in 2017*.* “I’m so happy the world got to know about Don Malarkey because he is still to this day the strongest man I have ever met in my life.”

A working actor since the early-‘80s, Grimes joined the cast of *ER* following *Band of Brothers*, then went on to *Robin Hood *(2010) and a guest arc on *Justified*. Following appearances on *Law & Order: SVU* and *NCIS: Los Angeles*, he became a regular on Seth MacFarlane’s *The Orville*. The two have been frequent collaborators; Grimes voiced characters on *Family Guy *and *American Dad!*, and starred on the *Ted* prequel series on Peacock.

Grimes and his ex-wife Dawn Bailey share two children. He wed his *Orville *costar Adrianne Palicki in 2019, but they filed for divorce two months later. The pair briefly reconciled before filing for divorce a second time in 2020.

Donnie Wahlberg (C. Carwood Lipton)

Donnie Wahlberg as C. Carwood Lipton in ‘Band of Brothers’; Donnie Wahlberg attends the 55th NAACP Image Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, Los Angeles, Calif., on March 16, 2024.

Courtesy Everett; Aaron J. Thornton/Getty

Former teen idol Donnie Wahlberg played the stoic, gritty Lt. Carwood Lipton.

“It was like war, you know?... It was really, really hard,” he told* Venice** *magazine in 2003 about making the miniseries. “We had to really be soldiers for that period. And ironically, like soldiers we complained [laughs]... But like World War II, when the war and the misery ended we came home to glory, you know?”

The singer-turned-actor led the short-lived cop drama *Boomtown* and reunited with Damian Lewis in *Dreamcatcher*. He starred in *Annapolis *(2006), *Righteous Kill *(2008), and three *Saw *installments before finding a home on *Blue Bloods*. Currently, he leads the *Blue Bloods* spinoff, *Boston Blue*.

Wahlberg has also dabbled in reality TV, namely *Wahlburgers *with his family, including brother Mark Wahlberg, and reunited with the boy band that made him famous, New Kids on the Block,* *in 2008. They have since released three albums and continue to tour.

Wahlberg was married to Kimberly Fey from 1999 to 2008. They have two sons. He wed Jenny McCarthy in 2014.

Michael Cudlitz (Denver “Bull” Randleman)

Michael Cudlitz as Denver ‘Bull’ Randleman in ‘Band of Brothers’; Michael Cudlitz poses at Warner Bros. Television Group’s/Fenty Beauty Fall TV Season portrait studio at NYA Studios West in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 10, 2024.

HBO; Maarten de Boer/WBTV via Getty

Michael Cudlitz was the cigar-chomping Sergeant Denver “Bull” Randleman.

In 2021, he told *Smithsonian* magazine* *that real bonds were formed during shooting: “We get together once a year at my place in Los Angeles… Whoever is in town shows up… We’ve also bonded with the [veterans’] families. We told the stories of their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers with respect, reverence, and love.”

In addition to building sets as a construction coordinator, Cudlitz built a long résumé as a character actor in the ‘90s*. *After *Brothers, *he popped up on *24 *and *Lost*, then went on to star on *Southland *before joining *The Walking Dead* as Sgt. Abraham Ford. Cudlitz was a series lead on *The Kids Are Alright* and *Clarice *before taking up the mantle of Lex Luthor on *Superman & Lois*.

Cudlitz and his wife, Rachel, have two children.

Neal McDonough (Lynn “Buck” Compton)

Neal McDonough as Lynn ‘Buck’ Compton in ‘Band of Brothers’; Neal McDonough attends the Young Artist Academy 2024 Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., on July 21, 2024.

HBO; Tommaso Boddi/Getty

Veteran character actor Neal McDonough was Lt. Lynn “Buck” Compton, a fan favorite beloved for his leadership and courage.

McDonough parlayed his *Brothers *relationships into other roles, including Spielberg’s sci-fi potboiler *Minority Report *(2002). He added *Timeline* (2003), *Walking Tall *(2004), and Clint Eastwood’s *Flags of Our Fathers *(2006) to his résumé before his memorable run on *Desperate Housewives* as Nicolette Sheridan’s shady new husband.

Beginning with *Captain America: The First Avenger* (2011), he donned the bowler hat of Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan in the MCU, while also bringing DC villain Damien Darhk to life in the Arrowverse. McDonough appeared on *Suits *and had a memorable turn as a ruthless out-of-town mobster on *Justified*. His movie work includes *1922 *(2017) and *Sonic the Hedgehog *(2019). After booking roles on *Yellowstone* and *American Horror Story*, he joined the cast of Sylvester Stallone’s *Tulsa King*.

McDonough met his wife, model Ruvé Robertson, while filming *Band of Brothers. *The couple married in 2003 and have five children.

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David Schwimmer (Herbert Sobel)

David Schwimmer as Herbert Sobel in ‘Band of Brothers’; David Schwimmer attends the 2024 Disney Upfront at Javits Center in New York City on May 14, 2024.

HBO; Gotham/FilmMagic

David Schwimmer played against type as the cruel drill instructor Capt. Herbert Sobel.

By the time he appeared in the WWII epic, Schwimmer had achieved worldwide fame as Ross Geller on *Friends*. He traded the sitcom soundstage for the London stage in Neil LaBute’s *Some Girl(s), *followed by his Broadway debut in a 2006 production of *The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. *The actor earned a second Emmy nod for his portrayal of Robert Kardashian in *The People v. O.J. Simpson*.

In addition to voicing the *Madagascar *franchise’s skittish giraffe Melvin, he’s appeared in *John Carter *(2012) and *The Laundromat *(2019), and on *Goosebumps*, earning a nomination at the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards for the latter.

Schwimmer was married to British artist Zoe Buckman from 2010 to 2017. They have one child, Cleo.

Michael Fassbender (Burton P. Christenson)

Michael Fassbender as Burton P. Christenson in ‘Band of Brothers’; Michael Fassbender attends the 27th British Independent Film Awards at the Roundhouse on Dec. B, 2024, in London.

HBO; Neil Mockford/WireImage

Michael Fassbender booked his first substantial role as TSgt. Burton Christenson*.*

“The first day of *Band of Brothers *I remember actually going to boot camp,” he told* Vanity Fair* in 2023*. *“We got into all our Army gear, and then we got on a bus, and we headed off to boot camp for 10 days.”

The Irish-German actor made his cinematic debut in *300 *(2007), but his career took off after his award-winning performance in Steve McQueen’s *Hunger *(2008). He reteamed with McQueen for the sex addict drama *Shame *(2011) and *12 Years a Slave *(2013), for which he earned his first Oscar nomination.

*Inglourious Basterds *(2009) brought him further attention, followed by his casting as Magneto in *X-Men: First Class *(2011) and its sequels. He stole scenes in *Prometheus *(2012) and *Alien: Covenant *(2017), while adding acclaimed work in David Cronenberg’s *A Dangerous Method *(2011), Ridley Scott’s *The Counselor *(2013), *Macbeth *(2015), and *Steve Jobs *(2015), for which he earned another Oscar nod. More recently, he headlined David Fincher’s *The Killer *(2023), Steven Soderbergh’s *Black Bag* (2025), and the spy series *The Agency*. He’ll star as Joe Kennedy Sr. in Netflix’s upcoming drama series, *Kennedy*.

Fassbender has been married to fellow actor Alicia Vikander since 2017. They have two sons.

Tom Hardy (John A. Janovec)

Tom Hardy as John A. Janovec in ‘Band of Brothers’; Tom Hardy attends the U.K. premiere of ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ at the BFI IMAX Waterloo in London, England, on Oct. 23, 2024.

HBO; Lia Toby/Getty

Newcomer Tom Hardy played the energetic, macho, ultimately tragic Private John Janovec.

“*Band of Brothers* was my first job, so I was virtually out of the frying pan and into the fire,” he told IGN in 2002*.* “I’d not had previous experience with working in front of the camera.”

After making his film debut in *Black Hawk Down *(2001), he was cast as the villain in *Star Trek: Nemesis *(2002) and continued to book small roles in movies while making his name on TV, including *Wuthering Heights *(2009). But his breakthrough was a maniacally intense performance in *Bronson *(2008), followed by a high-profile turn in Christopher Nolan’s *Inception *(2010). Then, the floodgates opened, with Hardy booking lead roles in *Warrior *(2011) and *Locke *(2013) and supporting parts in *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy *(2011) and *Lawless *(2012). He portrayed the supervillain Bane in *The Dark Knight Rises *(2012), twin gangsters in *Legend *(2015), and the title character in *Mad Max: Fury Road** *(2015).

The English actor earned his first Oscar nomination for *The Revenant *(2015), added a scene-stealing role in *Dunkirk *(2017), and scored a super(anti)hero franchise with *Venom* (2018). As his movie stardom rose, he maintained a presence on TV with *Peaky Blinders** *and *Taboo*. He currently stars on the Paramount+ series *MobLand*.

Hardy was married to Sarah Ward from 1999 to 2004. He was in a long-term relationship with Rachael Speed from 2005 to 2009, and they have a son together. He married actress Charlotte Riley in 2014, and they share two sons.

Eion Bailey (David Kenyon Webster)

Eion Bailey as David Kenyon Webster in ‘Band of Brothers’; Eion Bailey attends the IMDboat at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 in San Diego, Calif., on July 26, 2024.

Courtesy Everett; Michael Kovac/Getty

Eion Bailey played aspiring writer PFC David Kenyon Webster.

He reteamed with HBO for *And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself *(2003), starred in season 11 of *ER*, and won a Daytime Emmy for the TV movie *Life of the Party *(2005). The actor landed* *guest arcs on *Once Upon a Time*, *Ray Donovan*, and seduced Liz Lemon on *30 Rock. *He appeared in the 2020 adaptation of *The Stand *and was a regular on the horror series *From*.

Bailey and his wife, Weyni Mengesha, have been married since 2011 and have two children.

Kirk Acevedo (Joe Toye)

Kirk Acevedo as Joe Toye in ‘Band of Brothers’; Kirk Acevedo attends the PaleyLive ‘12 Monkeys’ season finale screening and panel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on June 29, 2016.

Courtesy Everett; Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty

Kirk Acevedo played tough-as-nails SSG Joe Toye.

The *Oz* alum then reunited with Terrence Malick, with whom he previously worked on *The Thin Red Line* (1998), for *The New World *(2005) and gained a foothold on network TV on *Law & Order: Trial by Jury*. He’s accumulated an extensive TV résumé since, with parts on *Fringe*, *12 Monkeys*, *Arrow*, *Star Trek: Picard*, and* Lioness*.

Acevedo has been married to actress Kiersten Warren since 2005. They have one child.

Matthew Settle (Ronald C. Speirs)

Matthew Settle as Ronald C. Speirs in ‘Band of Brothers’; Matthew Settle attends the 11th annual Project Sunshine Benefit Celebration at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on April 29, 2014.

HBO; Michael N. Todaro/WireImage

Matthew Settle was Capt. Ronald Speirs, a character equal parts fearless and brutal.

Post-*Brothers, *he guested on *ER, *appeared in *The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood *(2002), and played Warren Beatty in the made-for-TV movie *The Mystery of Natalie Wood *(2004). Settle switched from actor to host for the History Channel’s *Decisive Battles*, and reteamed with Steven Spielberg for the miniseries *Into the West*. The actor later landed a long-term gig on *Gossip Girl* as Rufus Humphrey. His first onscreen credit since 2017 was* Student Film: The Movie* (2026).

Settle was married to actress Naama Nativ from 2006 to 2011. They share one child.

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Source: “EW Period”