William J. Guarnere

Bill Guarnere is a paratrooper in Easy Company's 506th, a scrappy, wisecracking guy from South Philadelphia who signed up itching for a fight after losing his brother in Italy. He is loud, loyal, and fearless to the point of recklessness, the sort of soldier who runs toward the noise rather than away from it.

Frank John Hughes plays him with a street-corner swagger that never curdles into bravado for its own sake — you believe this man's toughness and his tenderness come from the same place. His friendship with Joe Toye grounds the character, and 'Wild Bill' becomes the show's clearest argument that grief and nerve can look identical.