10 Huge Actors You Didn't Realise Were In Band Of Brothers

Here's one you more than likely missed. Recently, Dominic Cooper has been pleasing fans with his roles in the series Preacher and major film roles in Mamma Mia and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But before he ever broke out into cinema and any kind of leading role, he had a blink-and-you'll miss it cameo role in the very first episode of Band of Brothers, "Currahee."

As Easy Company take their seats in the cafeteria in the show's premiere, Cooper can be seen getting his food whilst the other members of the in-training company chat amongst themselves. His name-tag reads "Allington." After that, he disappears as one of the many extras used in the sweeping scenes of the soldiers-in-training.

The remarkable thing about Dominic Cooper's brief and mostly unseen appearance in the show is the fact that it was only his fifth acting credit up until that point, and despite it being such a small role he has gone on record to say that the atmosphere on set and the intensity involved in some of the bigger scenes almost made him quit the industry.

Based on where he is now, it seems he made the right decision to stick around.

Before he was the leader of Mutantkind, battling killer clowns or suffering from a strange case of multiple personality disorder, James McAvoy found his way into one episode of Band of Brothers, starring as Private James Miller in the show's fourth episode, "Replacements."

The episode sees Easy Company following the events of D-Day. They've lost a good number of soldiers and are in desperate need of reinforcements. Enter Miller, a fresh-faced and innocent trooper who the company's veterans take to by teasing and mocking him. He settles in to the group and they're tasked to take part in operation Market Garden, a disastrous attempt by the allies to end the war by Christmas that involved British and American airborne units being dropped behind enemy lines in Holland.

During the assault, Miller is killed by a sudden explosion which blows him off his feet and leaves him dead almost instantly from a gaping head wound. It ended McAvoy's tenure on the show, but it also gave audiences yet another shocking and deeply upsetting death scene.

McAvoy has of course gone on from here to become one hell of a big star, with leading roles in the X-Men franchise, Split, Atomic Blonde, Wanted and It: Chapter Two. Band of Brothers still makes for a solid mark on his resume, mind.

Given the fact that Tom Hanks' created the show - writing the first episode and directing the fifth entry, "Crossroads" - it may not be too surprising that his son Colin Hanks found a way to get in on the action.

The younger Hanks stars in one of the show's most shocking and genuinely rough episodes, as Lieutenant Henry Jones. Joining Easy Company in the eighth episode, "The Last Patrol", Jones comes in with little-to-no field experience and a high rank. His position in the group doesn't massively endear himself to the other soldiers.

During his time as a member of Easy Company, Jones leads a daring patrol with a number of other soldiers, in hopes of crossing a river and taking enemy prisoners. When the patrol comes under fire from the enemy, he steps up and leads his men to safety, and manages to warn the rest of the company of an impending attack.

The part was an early role for Hanks, who has since gone on to have major roles in the TV shows Fargo and Roswell and films such as King Kong (2003), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Parkland.

Jimmy Fallon may be a seriously big name in late night talk shows these days, as well as being best friends with Justin Timberlake and being arguably the world's most excitable man, but there was once a time when he was a just another aspiring actor trying to make it big. Before and after his one-episode tenure on Band of Brothers, he was a main-stay on Saturday Night Live, and it's likely that the war drama helped boost his public profile.

In the show, Fallon portrays Lieutenant George Rice in the fifth episode, "Crossroads." There, Easy Company are preparing to enter Bastogne (the epicentre of the Battle of the Bulge), and are coming to terms with the fact that none of them are ready for another big battle.

Enter Lieutenant Rice, who comes barreling into the show in a Jeep, handing out supplies to the soldiers as their hope slips further and further away. It's an admittedly small role for sure, but crucial to letting audiences know just how dire the situation is for the company.

Plus, for bonus points, Fallon manages to keep his laughter in check for once, which has to be admired.

Before he was trying to take down both James Bond and Sherlock Holmes, Andrew Scott was one of many actors who found their way onto the set of Band of Brothers. His role in show - and in Easy Company - is not quite as big as others on this list, but he does have an important distinction which separates him from his fellow co-stars.

Playing Private John "Cowboy" Hall, a member of Easy Company during the show's second episode, "Day of Days", Scott has a few moments to shine and show audiences what he's made of. But once the company is on the ground after the initial D-Day Landings, Hall becomes the first soldier to fall under the command of then-Lieutenant Winters.

His death sparks a shift in tone for the show, and a sudden realisation for Winters (Damien Lewis) that the coming war will be anything but easy to get through. Like many other deaths on the show, Hall's is one which weighs on the mind of Winters.

Since starring in the war drama, Scott has gone on to a major role in Sherlock as Jim Moriarty, and roles in the Bond film Spectre and the series Fleabag. He also returned to the war genre with the epic 1917.

As a nice bonus fact, Scott also had a role as an extra in 1998's Saving Private Ryan, during the D-Day Landing scene. Maybe he made an impression on Hanks and Spielberg?

Stephen Graham seems to be everywhere these days, whether he's turning up in an epic gangster flick or a serious TV drama. And though he's more than earned his reputation as a strong, versatile and passionate performer, he was once just an actor looking to make it big. Along the way, he took a small but memorable role in HBO's war series.

Graham stars as Private Mike Ranney and appears in the first two episodes of the mini-series. In the show, he is one of several soldiers to mutiny against Captain Sobel (David Schwimmer), whose leadership tactics and field expertise many found to be poor and dangerous. Because of the mutiny, Ranney finds himself demoted and transferred to another company. He isn't seen again in the show.

Since then, Graham hasn't really slowed down to take a breath. He's had starring roles in a number of hit TV dramas, including Boardwalk Empire (where he wowed fans as a young Al Capone), The Virtues, Save Me, Line of Duty and Taboo. On film, he has starred in Gangs of New York, The Irishman, This is England (and its following TV sequels), Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and Rocketman. Pretty good going for a mutineer.

Alongside Jimmy Fallon, Simon Pegg may be one of the odder additions to Band of Brothers cast. He's of course know worldwide these days thanks to his cult favourite antics in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, At World's End (the Cornetto Trilogy) and Spaced, but before that he had a small, two-episode role in the hit war epic.

Pegg stars as First Sergeant William Evans, Captain Sobel's mostly sentient right-hand man. He has a couple of lines, delivered with a perfect American accent, but doesn't get a chance to be seen in battle or even getting a prominent moment to shine. In 2001, unless you were a Spaced fan, it was likely you just didn't notice him.

Looking back, though, it's a good role, one which gave Pegg the chance to spread his wings and fly into a different genre. And, of course, get the chance to work with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

Since Band of Brothers, Pegg's career has been nothing short of extraordinary, with roles in a wide range of comedies from the Cornetto Trilogy to Paul, Big Nothing (also with Schwimmer), and Run Fatboy Run. More than that, though, Pegg's career is one built on franchises, with starring roles in both the Mission: Impossible series and the Star Trek reboot, and a small supporting role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

That said, Band of Brothers makes for a good notch on the ol' CV.

You may have noticed by now the amount of British actors who found themselves in Band of Brothers. Well, prepare to add another name, because outside of Simon Pegg and Stephen Graham, mega-star Tom Hardy also had a role in the hit show. To make his role even cooler when looking back, it should be noted that this was his very first on-screen performance.

Hardy stars as Private John Janovec, a replacement member for Easy Company in the show's last two episodes - "Why We Fight" and "Points." Hardy has plenty of time to shine in the small part, and his charming and innocent delivery often pays off wonderfully when interacting with the rest of the company.

Janovec is killed in the series finale in a Jeep accident, and passed having seen little combat during the show's run.

Since then, Hardy's career has gone full throttle thanks to roles in Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Venom, Legend, Bronson, The Revenant (for which he was nominated for an Oscar), Dunkirk and the hit shows Peaky Blinders and Taboo (with Stephen Graham). It's safe to say he's not going anywhere, and re-watching him in Band of Brothers is a welcome reminder of just how big he has become.

Not only does Professor X turn up in Band of Brothers, he is joined by young Magneto himself, Michael Fassbender. Fassbender makes his way into seven of the show's ten episodes, believe it or not, but rarely gets the chance to stand out above the pack.

He plays Sergeant Burton "Pat" Christenson, a member of Easy Company who is terrorised by Captain Sobel during the company's intensive training exercises. After the first episode, he can be seen mostly in the background of the show's many key moments, mainly during episode nine, "Why We Fight", when Easy Company comes across a concentration camp. He can be seen in a state of disbelief as the company try to come to terms with what they're seeing.

After Band of Brothers, Fassbender has gone on to bigger and better things in his career, starring in the Alien franchise, the renewed X-Men series, Shame, Hunger, and 12 Years a Slave. Despite some of his recent work missing the mark with audiences, it's safe to say Fassbender has proved himself to be a seriously capable actor and a performer who's still got a lot left to show.

A serious kudos is in order if you saw this one. It was inevitable that Tom Hanks would turn up - he did create the show, and direct and write some episodes - but it's safe to say that no one thought he'd make such a subtle on-screen appearance.

In the episode "Crossroads", which he also directed, Hanks can be seen as a random extra whilst the British "Red Devils" toast Easy Company. He portrays a British soldier, seen only briefly before he disappears behind the crowd. It's a quiet and clever cameo, and one worth looking out for the next time you watch the show.

Hanks' career both before and after Band of Brothers needs no real rundown. He's starred in everything from romantic comedies, war epics, fantasy flicks, family animations, acclaimed biopics and action-thrillers.

He wanted to tell the story of Easy Company - he also wanted to be on-screen when he did so. What an appearance - and what a story - it is.