Damian Lewis was born on February 11, 1971 in St.John's Wood, London to a family from Wales. He was educated at Eton College and graduated from Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1993. Shortly thereafter he became a stage actor for the Royal Shakespeare Company where he appeared in productions like Little Eyolf, Cymbeline and Pillars of the Community. He was discovered by Steven Spielberg while he was performing in a production of Hamlet with Ralph Fiennes. Spielberg then cast Lewis for a role of Richard Winters in the World War 2 miniseries BAND OF BROTHERS. Lewis also got the role of Soames Forsyte in THE FORSYTE SAGA and played Jeffrey Archer in the TV special JEFFREY ARCHER: THE TRUTH. His film appearances include those in BBC's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and STORMBREAKER. In 2006, he appeared in the BBC drama Friends and Crocodiles and then became a trade justice ambassador for Christian Aid, one of the UK's oldest charities. A year later he was cast for the lead role in the new NBC series, LIFE.