Daniel Day-Lewis

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DanielDayLe Last Updated: 1/17/25
Real Name: Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis
Born: April 29, 1957
Height: 6' 1"

Grade: A+
Actor/Movie Star: 100%-0%
Prime Years: 1985, 1988-89, 1992-93, 1996-97, 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017
Most Famous Film: My Left Foot (1989)
Most Infamous Film: The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)
Masterpiece: A Room with a View (1985), My Left Foot (1989), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), and The Boxer (1997)
Outstanding: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
Honorable: My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), In the Name of the Father (1993), The Crucible (1996), and Phantom Thread (2017)

Opinion: Paul Muni, Robert De Niro, and Daniel Day-Lewis...what do they have in common? They exemplify The Method the best by taking the art of acting to extremes. The result is six Oscars out of twenty-one nominations in total. They command respect because of their dedication to the craft.

Confirmed: Born and raised in London, England. Father was a Poet Laureate of the UK, and mother was an actress. Has Irish, English, and Ashkenazi Jewish (Polish and Latvian) boodlines. Michael Balcon is his grandfather on the mother's side, and he was in charge of Ealing Studios. Often got involved with crime while as a kid which led him being sent away to two different boarding schools, starting in 1968, where he discovered woodworking, acting, and fishing. At age 14, landed his first role in Sunday Bloody Sunday.

During the 70's, acted on stage at the National Youth Theatre and then attended Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for three years. Landed various theater and television roles in the early 80's including a small stint in Gandhi. Had a breakthrough role in My Beautiful Laundrette and started to receive critical acclaim for A Room with a View.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being marked the first time that he stayed in character throughout the production. It wasn't until My Left Foot that got everybody's attention, winning Daniel Day-Lewis his first Oscar by going further with method acting. Claimed to have seen the ghost of his own father while performing Hamlet during one night in 1989 and broke down, causing him to abandon the stage and move to Ireland for good to get away from the publicity.

Lived off the land by camping, hunting, and fishing to prepare for his role in The Last of the Mohicans. Trained like a boxer for three years before filming commenced for The Boxer. Studied Abraham Lincoln by reading more than 100 books on him. Received two more Oscars for There Will Be Blood and Lincoln.

Is currently married to Rebecca Miller, the daughter of Arthur Miller the playwright of Death of a Salesman. Announced his retirement from acting after Phantom Thread in 2017 and then decided to unretire in 2024 for Anemone. Rarely did films throughout his career. Is an agnostic and a very private person with no interest in the celebrity life.

Rumors: None.