[1] Born in Germany to an American father and a British mother, D'Amico was raised in the United Kingdom, then later appeared in various theatre productions.
Early in his career, D'Amico had brief roles in Superman II (1980) and Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987).
D'Amico had stated a preference for stage acting,[2] and among his various stage performances were a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at London's Young Vic Theatre, and The Boys Next Door at London's Comedy Theatre.
He was nominated for the 1992 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Louis in Angels in America.
According to author Armistead Maupin: However, he had referred to his past work on the Tales of the City miniseries as "Exhausting, enlightening and challenging.