CineScope
Daniel Day-Lewis picture

Daniel Day-Lewis

Acting
Known For

68 Years Old

Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an actor of dual English and Irish heritage. Often described as one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2014, Day-Lewis received a knighthood for services to drama. Born and raised in London, Day-Lewis excelled on stage at the National Youth Theatre before being accepted at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which he attended for three years. Despite his traditional training at the Bristol Old Vic, he is considered a method actor, known for his constant devotion to and research of his roles. Protective of his private life, he rarely grants interviews and makes very few public appearances. Day-Lewis shifted between theatre and film for most of the early 1980s, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company and playing Romeo Montague in Romeo and Juliet and Flute in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Playing the title role in Hamlet at the  National Theatre in London in 1989, he left the stage midway through a performance after breaking down during a scene where the ghost of Hamlet's father appears before him—this was his last appearance on the stage. After supporting film roles in Gandhi (1982) and The Bounty (1984), he earned acclaim for his breakthrough performances in My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), A Room with a View (1985), and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). He earned three Academy Awards for Best Actor for his roles as Christy Brown in My Left Foot (1989), an oil tycoon in There Will Be Blood (2007), and Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln (2012). He was Oscar-nominated for In the Name of the Father (1993), Gangs of New York (2002), and Phantom Thread (2017). Other notable films include The Last of the Mohicans (1992), The Age of Innocence (1993), The Crucible (1996), and The Boxer (1997). He retired from acting twice, from 1997 to 2000, when he took up a new profession as an apprentice shoemaker in Italy, and from 2017 to 2024.

Born

Greenwich, London, England, UK on 29th April 1957

All Credits

BBC Play of the Month Image
BBC Play of the Month
Gordon Whitehouse
Playhouse Image
Playhouse
Alex
The Oscars Image
The Oscars
Self
There Will Be Blood Image
There Will Be Blood
Daniel Plainview
The Last of the Mohicans Image
The Last of the Mohicans
Hawkeye
Gangs of New York Image
Gangs of New York
Bill "The Butcher" Cutting
The Age of Innocence Image
The Age of Innocence
Newland Archer
Lincoln Image
Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Gandhi Image
Gandhi
Colin
Phantom Thread Image
Phantom Thread
Reynolds Woodcock
The Bounty Image
The Bounty
John Fryer
In the Name of the Father Image
In the Name of the Father
Gerry Conlon
Shoestring Image
Shoestring
DJ
Shoestring Image
Shoestring
The Crucible Image
The Crucible
John Proctor
A Room with a View Image
A Room with a View
Cecil Vyse
Nine Image
Nine
Guido Contini
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Image
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Tomas
My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown Image
My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown
Christy Brown
Daniel Day-Lewis: The Hollywood Genius Image
Daniel Day-Lewis: The Hollywood Genius
Self (archive footage)
Spielberg Image
Spielberg
Self
My Beautiful Laundrette Image
My Beautiful Laundrette
Johnny Burfoot
The Boxer Image
The Boxer
Danny Flynn
And the Oscar Goes To... Image
And the Oscar Goes To...
Self (archive footage)
Sunday Bloody Sunday Image
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Child Vandal (uncredited)
The Ballad of Jack and Rose Image
The Ballad of Jack and Rose
Jack Slavin
Eversmile New Jersey Image
Eversmile New Jersey
Dr. Fergus O'Connell
Stars & Bars Image
Stars & Bars
Henderson Dores
Abby Singer Image
Abby Singer
Daniel Day-Lewis (uncredited)
Anemone Image
Anemone
A Man's Story Image
A Man's Story
Self (archival)
My Brother Jonathan Image
My Brother Jonathan
Jonathan Dakers
Innocence and Experience: The Making of 'The Age of Innocence' Image
Innocence and Experience: The Making of 'The Age of Innocence'
Self
The Insurance Man Image
The Insurance Man
Kafka
Artemis '81 Image
Artemis '81
Library Student
Forever Ealing Image
Forever Ealing
Narrator (voice)
Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York Image
Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York
Self
Making The Last of the Mohicans Image
Making The Last of the Mohicans
Self
Nanou Image
Nanou
Max
How Many Miles to Babylon? Image
How Many Miles to Babylon?
Alex Moore
Lincoln: An American Journey Image
Lincoln: An American Journey
Self
Dangerous Corner Image
Dangerous Corner
Gordon Whitehouse
Access to the Danger Zone Image
Access to the Danger Zone
Narrator (voice)