Yahoo News The famous stars you forgot were in Band of Brothers
Several famous faces in Hollywood appeared in the HBO show before making it big.
Band of Brothers changed the game when it came to adapting war epics, but it also served as a jumping off point for many actors' careers.
The 2001 miniseries followed the Easy Company, and explored the regiment's heroic actions on the Western Front during World War II. Damian Lewis led the extensive cast as Major Richard "Dick" Winters, with episodes featuring an array of up-and-coming actors by his side. Created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the series was followed up by The Pacific and, from Friday, Masters of the Air.
Read more: How to watch WW2 drama Masters of the Air
As some of these actors were little known stars at the time, some viewers may not even realise that some of their favourite stars featured in the HBO drama. Here is everything you need to know about the famous actors who appeared in the series before their rise to fame.
The famous stars you forgot were in Band of Brothers
Michael Fassbender
Before his breakout roles in Inglorious Basterds and the X-Men prequels, Michael Fassbender starred in Band of Brothers as Technical Sergeant Burton P. "Pat" Christenson. The actor, who was just 23 at the time of the show's release, appeared in seven episodes in a supporting category.
James McAvoy
Fassbender's X-Men co-star James McAvoy also had a starring role in the HBO series, but his character was more minor by comparison. The Split star appeared as James W Miller in one episode of Band of Brothers, titled Replacements, in which the Easy Company helped to liberate the Dutch town of Eindhoven.
Dominic Cooper
Dominic Cooper also starred in one episode of Band of Brothers as Allington in the pilot Currahee, which introduced the Easy Company in 1942 as they went through their arduous training to be ready for war. Cooper was one of the many soldiers in the line-up.
Tom Hardy
Appearing in two episodes, Tom Hardy starred as John A. Janovec in the Points and Why We Fight. The actor featured prominently in the two episodes but as it was his screen debut he is likely to have been missed by viewers at the time, since then he has become a household name with hit shows like Peaky Blinders and appearances in films like Inception and The Dark Knight Rises.
Andrew Scott
Before Sherlock and Fleabag catapulted him to stardom, Andrew Scott appeared in one episode of Band of Brothers as John D. Hall. The All of Us Strangers actor stars in Day of Days, in which the Easy Company find themselves scattered after parachuting into Normandy in 1944.
Colin Hanks
Band of Brothers is executive produced by Tom Hanks so it might not come as a surprise that the actor's son Colin makes an appearance on the show. The actor has gone to forge an impressive acting career of his own with Fargo, A Friend of the Family and more. In the HBO series he stars as Lt. Henry Jones in The Last Patrol and Why We Fight.
Jimmy Fallon
Before he was a talk show host Jimmy Fallon dabbled in acting, and he appears as Lt. George C. Rice in the episode Crossroads. While his screen debut was in 2000's Almost Famous, his appearance in Band of Brothers was one of his bigger acting roles outside of Saturday Night Live before he went into late night TV.
Stephen Graham
This is England may have made the public finally take notice of Stephen Graham but the actor put in the work long before this, starring in projects like Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York and, of course, Band of Brothers. He starred in the first two episodes of the show, Currahee and Day of Days, as Sgt. Myron "Mike" Ranney.
Simon Pegg
While Simon Pegg had his breakout with Shaun of the Dead and has gone on to become a Hollywood mainstay thanks to the Mission: Impossible franchise, the actor's early career saw him star in Band of Brothers. He played William S. Evans in the first two episodes of the HBO series.
Dexter Fletcher
Now a well-established director, Dexter Fletcher is also known for his acting work. He played John W Martin in nine episodes of Band of Brothers, playing a key supporting role in the series. Since appearing on the show he has directed films like Rocketman and Wild Bill.
Masters of the Air premieres on Friday, 26 January on Apple TV+.
Watch a trailer for Masters of the Air:
