Who is Connor Ratliff? Podcaster fired from Band of Brothers set to face Tom Hanks after two decades 

Dead Eyes podcast host Connor Ratliff was fired by Tom Hanks from his HBO miniseries Band of Brothers in 2000. Nearly two decades later, the podcaster will finally chat with the Forrest Gump star on the season finale of his podcast.

According to The Independent, Ratliff had previously claimed that Hanks fired him from a small role in the miniseries because he had “dead eyes.” The actor was reportedly replaced at the last moment and is now looking forward to learning more about Hanks’ decision.

During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Connor Ratliff revealed that the name of his Dead Eyes podcast was inspired by Hanks’ reasoning of his suspension from the HBO series. However, the podcaster successfully managed to invite Tom Hanks as a guest for his podcast’s season three finale.

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Everything to know about Connor Ratliff

Connor Ratliff is an American actor, comedian, and podcast host. He is best known as the star of The George Lucas Talk Show and host of the Dead Eyes podcast. He is also part of New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade as a member of the improv comedy troupe The Stepfathers.

The media personality was born to parents Bill and Gretta Ratliff on August 27, 1975. Following his high school graduation, Ratliff attended the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. He later started acting at London’s Royal Court Theater.

Ratliff joined UCB Theater East after moving to New York and started performing with The Stepfathers on weekly Friday nights. He also performed on ASSSSCAT 3000, the theatre’s longest running show.

He went on to perform on The Chris Gethard Show and also contributed to short films like The Lone Cornmeal Machine with award-winning artist Maelle Doliveux. Ratliff started hosting The George Lucas Talk Show in 2014 and appeared on the show as Star Wars creator George Lucas.

According to IMDB, Ratcliff has previously contributed to the Search Party and currently appears on Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Deadline noted that the actor produced 30 episodes of the Dead Eyes podcast, which has featured artists Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, Jon Hamm, and Colin Hanks, among others.

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What did Connor Ratliff say about Tom Hanks?

Connor Ratliff said he has always been a fan of Tom Hanks (Image via Lloyd Bishop/Getty Images)

Connor Ratliff decided to name his own podcast, Dead Eyes, inspired by the time he was fired by Tom Hanks from HBO’s Band of Brothers for having “dead eyes.” The podcast has often featured actors who have shared their own experiences of rejection in Hollywood.

More recently, Ratliff invited Hanks to attend the season finale of his podcast and said that his conversation with the Oscar Award winner will be a “satisfying experience” for listeners. He shared,

“I was fully prepared for this to never happen, but I am thrilled that it has. I think for listeners who have been following along, it will be a very satisfying experience.”

The podcaster even encouraged new fans to listen to the finale, especially due to it being a Tom Hanks special episode. He said,

“For new listeners, it’s a Tom Hanks episode, so what’s not to like? We want it to feel as if you’re just there in the room with me and Tom.”

Ratliff further shared that he has always been a fan of Hanks and became a bigger admirer of the actor after he agreed to attend the show.

“I have been a fan ever since I heard him scream the line ‘I am not a fish’ in Splash, and doing this podcast has only made me a bigger fan, even before he agreed to be a guest.”

In addition to the much-awaited conversation between Ratliff and Hanks, the latter will also share about his journey in the entertainment industry, give an insight on his process of selecting projects and actors, and open up about the “unspoken rules” of working on a set.