“Heterogeneous structures” or “heterostructures” have emerged as a cutting-edge paradigm in the field of mechanical strengthening and toughening, promising to overcome the long-standing trade-offs among strength, ductility, and toughness in metallic materials. Inspired by the multiscale design principle of natural materials, researchers have proposed a synergistic design of bioinspired “hierarchical lamellar heterostructures”, enabling exceptional and simultaneous enhancements in the strength, ductility, and toughness of metallic materials. This study reviews the theoretical foundations, design principles, and strengthening-toughening mechanisms underpinning several archetypal hierarchical lamellar heterostructures: bionic herringbone type, micro-lamellar heredity pattern, and cocoon-like dislocation network model. This review focuses on how these hierarchical lamellar heterostructures effectively overcome the strength-ductility trade-off limitations imposed by uncontrolled crack propagation, ultrafine grain structures, and high-density dislocations. It also elucidates how this heterostructure strategy and its remarkable efficacy have been successfully extended to multiple metal systems, enabling the design and fabrication of a new generation of key high-speed railway contact wires with internationally leading comprehensive performance. Finally, the review discusses the prospects for developing more advanced hierarchical lamellar heterostructured materials and explores their potential future directions.