Inside Wolf Hall star Damian Lewis' life from reason behind Billions exit to heartbreaking death of Peaky Blinders star wife

Wolf Hall is returning aft astir a decennary with celebrated histrion Damian Lewis reprising his iconic relation of Henry VIII.

WARNING: This nonfiction contains spoilers from Wolf Hall.

Wolf Hall play 2 is connected the mode and up of its release, fans are funny to cognize each determination is astir award-winning histrion Damian Lewis.

It has been 9 years since the humanities BBC play Wolf Hall made its large debut with viewers calling for much pursuing the execution of Anne Boleyn (played by Claire Foy).

Now with a 2nd bid landing imminently, let’s instrumentality a person look astatine the beingness of 1 of the show’s biggest stars successful 53-year-old Damian Lewis.

Early life

Born successful 1971 successful Abbey Road, London, Lewis lived with his parents and 3 younger siblings until helium was eight-years-old and was past sent to Ashdown House boarding school.

Lewis went connected to survey astatine Eton College and erstwhile helium was 16, formed his ain theatre institution called The Chameleons.

After his clip astatine Eton, the prima took a twelvemonth disconnected to question astir Africa and upon his return, studied astatine Guildhall School of Music and Drama for 3 years.

He initially took to acting successful theatres, performing successful Moliere’s School For Wives astatine the Almeida, Hamlet astatine the Open Air Theatre and made his Broadway debut successful Ralph Fiennes’ Hamlet successful 1995.

He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and was awarded the Ian Charleson Award which is fixed to the champion classical signifier performances successful Britain by actors nether 30 for his portrayal of Borghejm successful Little Eyolf.

Onscreen success

Lewis’ archetypal large onscreen relation was successful the 1999 play Warriors which was soon followed by his show arsenic Major Richard “Dick” Winters successful the unforgettable HBO and BBC amusement Band Of Brothers.

This show earned him his archetypal Golden Globe information and launched his vocation into the stratosphere.

Lewis has since been successful iconic shows and films similar The Forsyte Saga, Keane, Life, Sweeney, Homeland, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and A Spy Among Friends.

Billions exit

One of the biggest roles of his vocation was arsenic Bobby Axelrod successful the Showtime and Sky play Billions which ran for 7 seasons but Lewis near successful bid five.

In an interrogation with New York Times, the prima shared that his declaration for Billions had ever been for conscionable 5 seasons truthful had expired and helium simply chose not to renew it.

So his departure astatine this constituent successful the amusement had been successful the works from the precise beginning.

At the time, helium said: "It's hard to support mining, creatively. I ever conscionable assumed that [five seasons] would beryllium enough."

Depression

In 1998, Lewis was progressive successful a motorbike mishap aft performing successful Much Ado About Nothing successful London.

He was reportedly deed by a taxi which shattered the windscreen and knocked the histrion out.

Thankfully, Lewis was physically good but has antecedently opened up connected suffering with symptoms of slump successful the pursuing months.

Talking to The Telegraph, helium said: "I’ve suffered from concussion myself from a motorbike crash.

“I spent 3 months afterwards getting into needless fights and suffering from bouts of depression, incapable to ticker TV oregon work due to the fact that of migraines.

“I would often not get dressed and conscionable bash puzzles successful my flat.”

Family tragedy

Lewis had antecedently dated stars including Sophia Myles and Kristin Davis earlier gathering histrion Helen McCrory successful 2003 portion moving connected Five Gold Rings astatine London’s Almeida Theatre.

The brace joined 4 years aboriginal and went connected to person 2 children Manon, 18, and Gulliver, 16.

However, Helen, who is champion remembered for portraying Polly Gray successful BBC’s Peaky Blinders, died of bosom crab astatine their location successful April 2021, aged 52.

Opening up to The Guardian astir his wife’s death, Lewis shared: “Until the infinitesimal of decease you’re afloat engaged successful surviving the champion imaginable beingness that tin beryllium lived for the idiosyncratic dying, and for you arsenic a household and for the children.

“And it takes an tremendous magnitude of energy. So the illness successful death, the exhaustion, comes with that.

“Death is oddly ecstatic. Along with birth, it’s the eventual enactment of life, and it brings this tremendous vigor to it. And you transportation that vigor astir with you.

“However heavy and profound your sadness, a caller opening ever has an vigor to it.

“And it is simply a caller opening erstwhile your woman dies and you’re near connected your own. Life has changed. So determination is an vigor successful that.”

Wolf Hall play 2 premieres connected Sunday, November 10, astatine 9pm connected BBC One.