Forsyte Saga

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That's the series that introduced me to him--you covered it all!

i actually just finished the last episode from netflix. but i would have to disagree, i dont think he was the villian at all. i completely understood how betrayed, hurt and pissed off he was. he loved his wife, never cheated, never hit her, bought her gifts and she couldnt even stay faithful to him. no, i totally get it. only his daughter seemed to bring the life out in him, only if irene could have AT LEAST tried to love him, or at least honor him . . .
controlling, yes. but after being cheated on, it is hard not to be controlling and paranoid. repressed, deliciously so. i particularly loved the 'spits hatred' description, absolutely spot on. in fact, i cant imagine any other actor playing soames forsyte, lewis was WONDERFUL!

C'est le temps que tu a perdu pour ta rose qui fait ta rose si importante...

can't add too much here beyond what is already been said. He is simply amazing in this role.

I have recently watched this marvellous series, and agree entirely with the OP. Damian Lewis gives a wonderful portrayal of Soames. Irene really did want the best of all worlds, didn't she? I think now I will have to read the books.

I recently rewatched the entire Forsyte Saga 1&2, and having also seen Band of Brothers and Life - I've got to say I think this man might be one of the great actors of his generation. His Soames Forsyte is simply the creepiest most frightening and almost palpably angry men I've ever seen portrayed while also being ice cold and remote. I'd pay to see Damian Lewis read the Yellow pages.

Absolutely agree with you. All you need is your airfare to London and you can purchase a ticket to see him on stage with better than the Yellow pages! He is a wonderful actor, and it should be a great show. (Too far away for me however)

This man was fantastic in this role. I had seen the first rendition of the Forsyte Saga which was the first ever "Masterpiece Theatre" in the United States and bought the VCR set from BBC. When BBC did the new production with Damien Lewis I couldn't believe it at first, because he looked too young and good looking to play this villanous character. But he did a remarkable job. By contrast, the other actor appears stiff and formulaic throughout. Damien's performance is layered; his character feels so many different emotions during the story but can never overcome his basic character flaws. To see Lewis go from this character to his performances in "Life" and "An Unfinished Life" is some experience. Now I've got to check out all of his performances. I hope he does a play in NYC soon so I can go see it. Also, I'd love to see him get more roles in US movies while he's still young. His accent is perfect; no one knows he's not American. Unfortunately, a lot of people over here don't like redheaded men as romantic leads. It's a shame.