Daniel Day-Lewis, a British-Irish actor renowned for his method acting, has delivered some of the most transformative performances in modern cinema. With a career spanning four decades and three Academy Awards for Best Actor—a record for a male performer. His retirement in 2017 after Phantom Thread underscored his unique contribution to cinema.
Films exhaust me, they do, and I often want nothing more to do with them, but I’m continually surprised at the resurgence of the impulse to come back and do it all over again.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis : Beginning
Daniel Day-Lewis was born on April 29, 1957, in London to Cecil Day-Lewis, a renowned poet and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, and Jill Balcon, an actress whose father was a prominent film producer of Jewish origin. He has an older sister, Tamasin Day-Lewis, a documentary filmmaker. Raised in Greenwich, London, and later in Croom, Ireland, his early life blended artistic and intellectual influences. His father’s death in 1972, when Daniel was 15.
Day-Lewis attended Sevenoaks School in Kent, where he developed an interest in woodworking and acting, performing in school plays. He later studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, honing his craft. His professional debut came with a small role in the film Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) at age 14, though it was uncredited. His stage work with the Bristol Old Vic and Royal Shakespeare Company, including “Romeo and Juliet (1983),” built his profile.
In 1982, Day-Lewis acted in the multiple Oscar-nominated film “Gandhi,” directed by Richard Attenborough. It was a small role, but he does not go unnoticed in the vast cast, which includes stalwarts from Britain and India. His film breakthrough arrived with “My Beautiful Laundrette (1985),” directed by Stephen Frears, where he portrays a British street punk who is in love with his childhood Pakistani friend. The film was widely acclaimed and got Day-Lewis rave reviews.
The making of an artist
In 1985, Daniel Day-Lewis acted in James Ivory’s A Room with a View (1985), which was based on a novel by E. M. Forster. In the film starring names like Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott, Judi Dench, Helena Bonham Carter, Simon Callow and Julian Sands, he portrayed the role of an upper-class man, Cecil Vyse, engaged to Lucy Honeychurch, played by Helena Bonham Carter.
His next significant role came in The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), directed by Philip Kaufman, based on a novel by Milan Kundera. Day-Lewis learned Czech to play a Czech surgeon. For the duration of eight months, Day-Lewis remained in character.
When I’ve gone back to work, it’s always with that sense of inevitability. That may be a complete delusion, but it’s the one that I need to get out of bed and go about my business. That sense that I can’t avoid this thing. I better just get on with it.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Towards the greater heights
In 1989, he collaborated with Jim Sheridan for “My Left Foot,” a film adapted from acclaimed Irish writer and painter Christy Brown’s memoir. In the film, Day-Lewis portrayed Brown, who was born with cerebral palsy and became a painter and writer using his left foot. His preparation involved spending weeks at a clinic, learning to paint and write with his foot, and remaining in a wheelchair off the set too. The performance captured Brown’s physical limitations and emotional depth, earning Day-Lewis his first Oscar for Best Actor. Critics praised his ability to convey resilience and humor through minimal movement, setting a benchmark for portraying disability on screen.
In 1992, he starred in Michael Mann’s The Last of the Mohicans (1992), which was adapted from a novel by James Fenimore Cooper. Day-Lewis portrayed “Hawkeye,” the adopted white son of a Mohican chief in 18th-century colonial America. He underwent rigorous training, living off the land and mastering period weapons, even running barefoot through forests to build authenticity. His portrayal blended physical prowess with emotional intensity in harsh conditions. He also shines in his romance with Cora, portrayed by Madeleine Stowe.
Day-Lewis played Gerry Conlon in Jim Sheridan’s In the Name of the Father (1993). The film is a biographical drama about the wrongful conviction of the Guildford Four. Conlon, an Irishman falsely accused of an IRA bombing, endures imprisonment and fights for justice. Day-Lewis lost weight, spent nights in a cell, and endured mock interrogations to embody Conlon’s trauma. His raw depiction of anger and vulnerability earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
The Stardom
He then went on to act in Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence (1993), Nicholas Hytner’s The Crucible (1996), and Jim Sheridan’s The Boxer (1997). In 2002 he starred in Martin Scorsese’s period epic “Gangs of New York.” The film also starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Brendan Gleeson, and Liam Neeson. His portrayal of gang leader Bill “the Butcher” Cutting earned Day-Lewis his third Oscar nomination. He also won his second BAFTA for Best Actor for the film.
In Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood (2007), Day-Lewis portrayed Daniel Plainview, a ruthless oil tycoon in early 20th-century America. His preparation included studying historical oilmen and adopting a voice inspired by John Huston. The performance, marked by intensity and a chilling descent into greed, featured iconic lines like “I drink your milkshake.” Day-Lewis’s commanding presence earned him his second Oscar for Best Actor. Critics noted his ability to dominate every frame, making Plainview a study in ambition and moral decay.
Lincoln (2012)
He then acted in Rebecca Miller’s The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005) and Rob Marshall’s Nine (2009) before doing Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012). The film saw Day-Lewis as the 16th U.S. President. The film is based on Lincoln’s 2005 biography, “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln,” written by Doris Kearns. It covers the final four months of Lincoln’s life. The film also starred Sally Field, Adam Driver, David Strathairn, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, among others.
He spent a year researching, studying Lincoln’s writings, and developing a higher-pitched voice based on historical accounts. Remaining in character throughout filming, he even signed texts as “Abe.” His portrayal captured Lincoln’s political acumen and personal struggles, earning him a third Oscar for Best Actor. Day-Lewis’s meticulous performance was lauded for humanizing a historical icon.
Daniel Day-Lewis : Method Acting
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread (2017) was his final film before his retirement. In the film, he played Reynolds Woodcock, a 1950s London dressmaker and a perfectionist entangled in a complex relationship with a younger woman, played by Vicky Krieps. Day-Lewis learned couture sewing and designed a dress for the role, reflecting his methodical approach. His portrayal of Woodcock’s obsessive control and subtle vulnerability earned an Oscar nomination. The film’s critical success marked a fitting end to his career, showcasing his ability to embody nuanced characters.
Daniel Day-Lewis is renowned for method acting, fully immersing himself in roles. For My Left Foot, he spent weeks in a wheelchair, learning to paint with his foot, earning his first Oscar. In The Last of the Mohicans, he trained with survival experts and lived off the land. For Lincoln, he adopted the president’s Kentuckian accent after months of study. His process involves extensive research and staying in character offset, often requesting the crew to address him by his character’s name. This dedication, while praised for authenticity, has drawn criticism for its intensity, yet it consistently yields critically acclaimed performances.
A significant incident was his near-exit from acting in the early 1990s after The Last of the Mohicans, when he took a two-year break to work as a shoemaker in Italy. His return with In the Name of the Father marked a career resurgence. Achievements include three Best Actor Oscars (My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, Lincoln), making him the first to win three times. He received the British Academy Fellowship in 2014 and a knighthood in 2014 as Knight Bachelor for services to drama.
The Retirement and Comeback
His retirement announcement in 2017 after Phantom Thread surprised the industry. After a seven-year absence, in 2024, it was announced that Day-Lewis would return to acting with “Anemone,” a film directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis.
The Family
Daniel Day-Lewis married Rebecca Miller, daughter of playwright Arthur Miller, on November 13, 1996, after meeting on the set of The Crucible. They have two sons, Ronan (b. 1998) and Cashel (b. 2002). He has a son, Gabriel-Kane (b. 1995), from a previous relationship with Isabelle Adjani. The family splits time between New York and Ireland. In his later years, post-retirement, he has focused on woodworking and family, residing in Annamoe, County Wicklow.
Daniel Day-Lewis’s iconic roles, from Christy Brown to Reynolds Woodcock, reflect his unparalleled commitment to method acting. His transformations in There Will Be Blood and Lincoln redefined character immersion, earning him three Oscars and global recognition as one of the best actors of all time. These performances, spanning historical dramas to psychological studies, highlight his influence on acting standards and his legacy in cinema.
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