Damian Lewis

Damian Lewis is a British actor known for Richard “Dick” Winters in Band of Brothers, Nicholas Brody in Homeland and Bobby “Axe” Axelrod in Billions. His performance in Homeland won the Emmy for lead actor in a drama series in 2012.

Lewis is especially good at making a character's attention feel consequential. As Axe, he can listen casually while giving the impression that every detail is being weighed for possible use. The relaxed manner does as much to establish his wealth and confidence as the surroundings.

Winters demands a quieter, more responsible form of leadership, while Brody gives Lewis a character whose inner life is much harder for the people around him to read. The differences between those performances are a good indication of his range.

His other leading television roles include detective Charlie Crews in Life, Henry VIII in Wolf Hall and intelligence officer Nicholas Elliott in A Spy Among Friends.

The Billions review looks at his work opposite Paul Giamatti and the rivalry which gives the series its strongest draw.