Damian Lewis

Born: February 11 1971
Where: London, UK

British actor Lewis came to the attention of home audiences as Major Richard Winters in the acclaimed war series Band of Brothers.

He received a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a mini series for his role in the 10-episode series.

Earlier, he had appeared in Warriors, the story of UN peacekeepers in Bosnia, and played Jeffrey Archer in a satire on the disgraced politician's life.

A graduate of Guildhall College of Speech and Drama, he spent two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Theatre credits included Laertes to Ralph Fiennes's Hamlet on Broadway and he also appeared in the TV series Poirot and A Touch of Frost.

He made his big screen debut in Dreamcatcher, a lacklustre adapation of Stephen King's book with Morgan Freeman.