“Is ginger heartthrob a contradiction in terms? I think that’s hugely patronising. Of course it isn’t”. That’s according to Damian Lewis, the red-headed British actor who’s well on his way to becoming Hollywood’s first ginger hearrthrob.

The leading man of ITV3’s new US import, Life, was told by Tom Hanks himself that he was poised to be the first ever red-headed film star when the two men worked together on the mini-series Band of Brothers. “If people with red hair can be perceived as sexy and land romantic leads, then that has to be good for redheads in general”, says damian. “It’s fun to be able to challenge the status quo”.

Move over David Caruso, there’s a new ginger ambassador in town, and it takes only one glance at the sexy actor to see why Damian Lewis is so red-hot right now.

Name
Damian Watcyn Lewis.

Vitals
Born 11 February 1971, St. John’s Wood, London, England, UK.

Centre Stage
Damian is no stranger to the spotlight, having formed his own theatre company at the age of 16 before studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama alongside Daniel Craig and Joseph Fiennes. Talk about nurturing some damn fine talent! He then served as a stage actor for the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he was spotted by none other than Steven Spielberg and cast as Major Richard Winters in the HBO/BBC World War II miniseries Band of Brothers.

Damian followed up this breakthrough performance playing Soames Forsyte in the ITV series The Forsyte Saga. He then decided to do the Bard again when he appeared in the BBC adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. It was clear that Damian was generating much ado about something – he’s hit primetime and we’ll be sitting front and centre to see what all the fuss is about.

A Cop in Handcuffs
A police officer framed for murder and imprisoned for 12 years before being exonerated is at the centre of the new series, Life, and yes, our Damian is the troubled cop in question. We wouldn’t say no to getting the handcuffs out and putting him under house arrest ourselves, mind. He’s sex on legs with a badge to boot.

He’s also on his way to fulfilling Tom Hank’s vision of a flame-haired film star with his recent performance in The Baker as Milo, a hitman who retires to become a baker. We’d sure love to check out those buns. He’s also just starred in The Escapist as Rizza, a self-styled prison boss. “I play the king, head honcho, top dog”, he says. We come out with our hands in the air, Damian!

It’s Not Easy Being Straight
“Am I single? No, and I’m stopping the question right there. Am I gay? No, but it would be easier to be”. They’re the words to have come out of the mouth of our new favourite TV cop. Well, if you ever feel like being lazy, Damian, you know where to find us. Things don’t always have to be so hard – of course, there are exceptions to that…

Availability
He may be living on the other side of the pond, but you can cop a big eyeful of Damian flashing his badge every Thursday on ITV3.

Want More
See more of Damian in our gallery. To reveal the whole picture just click on the images below…

Check out Damian Lewis' buns and buy his film, The Baker, on DVD. Get it online and save!