Daniel Day Lewis
Date of birth
29th April, 1957
Occupation
Actor
Sex
Male
Height
1.87
Daniel Day-Lewis (born 29.04.1957)
Daniel Day-Lewis is an English actor who is the only known person to have won an Academy Award for Best Actor three times for his parts in 'My Left Foot', 'There Will Be Blood' and 'Lincoln'.
Childhood: Daniel Day-Lewis was born in London. His parents are former Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis and actress Jill Balcon. His grandfather Sir Michael Balcon was the head of Ealing Studios. He grew up in Croom's Hill, Greenwich, London from the age of two. He was bullied at school for his Jewish ancestry and being 'posh' which resulted in his mimicking the local accent and behaviours and subsequently landed him in trouble often for petty crimes. He attended Sevenoaks School in Kent, a boarding school, which introduced him to his main interests; woodworking, acting and fishing. His first film role was an uncredited part in 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' where he was paid to vandalise some cars at age 14. He attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for three years after leaving Bedales.
Acting career: Daniel Day-Lewis' early roles include parts in BBC programs 'Frost in May' and 'How Many Miles to Babylon?'. In 1982, he had a small part in the biopic 'Gandhi'. His big theatre break came that year with 'Another Country'. In 1983, he had a supporting role in 'The Bounty' and he soon joined the Royal Shakespeare Company with roles such as Romeo in 'Romeo and Juliet' and Flute in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. In 1985, he won his first awards for acting including a National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'My Beautiful Laundrette'. In the same year, he began filming alongside Helena Bonham Carter for 'A Room With A View'. His first leading role was in 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' in 1987 in which he played Czech surgeon who goes against his natural instincts and falls in love. He learned to speak Czech for the role and remained in character even off the set. His first Oscar for Best Actor came with his portrayal of cerebral palsy afflicted artist Christy Brown in Jim Sheridan's 'My Left Foot' in 1989. His propensity for method acting meant he had to be pushed around in a wheelchair with caused great difficult for crew members. In the same year, he played the lead role in 'Hamlet' at the National Theatre, London. However, he collapsed midway through the production at the point where Hamlet sees his father's ghost and refused to return to the stage after he was taken backstage in tears. He later said on 'Parkinson' that he had in fact seen the ghost of his own father and he has not appeared in theatre since. In 1992, he starred in 'The Last of the Mohicans'. To prepare for the role, he took up weight-training and began camping whereby he learned to live off the land. The movie landed him with a BAFTA Award nomination. He earned another BAFTA nomination as well as an Oscar nomination playing a wrongly convicted IRA bomber in 'In the Name of the Father' in 1993. The rest of the nineties saw him star in 1993's Martin Scorsese adapted movie 'The Age of Innocence', 1996's 'The Crucible' and Jim Sheridan's 'The Boxer' in 1997. He then didn't appear in another movie for five years; he move to Florence, Italy and apprenticed as a shoemaker. On his return, he appeared in 'Gangs of New York' and landed another Academy Award nomination and won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor. His third Oscar came with 2007's 'There Will Be Blood'. He also won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role as well as a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the same flick. In 2012, Daniel portrayed the legendary US president Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln'. The movie grossed more than $220 million worldwide and earned him his third Oscar for Best actor.
Personal Life: Daniel Day-Lewis has a son, Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, with French actress Isabelle Adjani who he dated for six years. His birth came several months after the split. He married Rebecca Miller, the daughter of playwright Arthur Miller in 1996, who he met while filming 'The Crucible'. They have two sons Ronan Cal Day-Lewis and Cashel Blake Day-Lewis. He has homes in both New York and Ireland and he became an Irish citizen in 1993. He is a fan of English soccer team Millwall. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bristol in 2010.
Ten Jaw-Dropping Facts About Hollywood Legend Daniel Day-Lewis
By Holly Mosley in Movies / TV / Theatre on 26 December 2017
Who knew he had such a famous family?
Sir Daniel Day-Lewis is one of Hollywood's greatest actors, there's no question. But you might be surprised to learn that there is a lot more to him; from his high-brow upbringing and his famous relatives, to the extent of his devotion to acting, here are ten facts you might not have released about the star.
1. His father was Cecil Day-Lewis - He was actually the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1968, but he died in 1972 when Daniel was just 15-years-old. You might also know Cecil as Nicholas Blake; his pseudonym under which he wrote a series of mystery stories.
Continue reading: Ten Jaw-Dropping Facts About Hollywood Legend Daniel Day-Lewis
Phantom Thread Trailer
Who knew the world of fashion could be so strained and dramatic? But that's exactly what it is for the world renowned dressmaker depicted in 'Phantom Thread'. A romantic period drama with Paul Thomas Anderson at the helm, it's also set to be Daniel Day-Lewis' final film.
It's the 1950s and Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) is one of the leading names in high fashion in London, dressing the likes of the royal family, the biggest filmstars and a variety of famous heiresses and socialites. He's aided at The House of Woodcock by his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville), though the pair could not be more different.
Reynolds is a flighty self-confessed bachelor who sees love as almost a curse on his work. His life has seen too many women flit in and out of it, but when he meets the pretty yet headstrong Alma (Vicky Krieps), a woman several years his junior, he begins to feel as if he's found the perfect relationship.
Continue: Phantom Thread Trailer
Daniel Day-Lewis Opens Up About His Retirement Plans
By Holly Williams in Movies / TV / Theatre on 29 November 2017
He reveals why he's decided to quit acting.
It's not altogether uncommon for an actor to retire early from their profession, but when it's a triple Oscar-winning veteran who looks ten years younger than he actually is, like Sir Daniel Day-Lewis for example, it's a sad turn of events for millions of movie lovers.
The 60-year-old 'Lincoln' star has never exactly been prolific in his acting career, but despite this, he has still managed to two Golden Globes, three Academy Awards, four BAFTAs and over one hundred more accolades with less than 30 film and television credits to his name.
Continue reading: Daniel Day-Lewis Opens Up About His Retirement Plans
Arise Sir Daniel Day-Lewis: Oscar Winning Actor Receives Knighthood At Buckingham Palace
By Stephanie Chase in Movies / TV / Theatre on 15 November 2014
It's Sir Daniel Day-Lewis three time Oscar winner now.
Actor Daniel Day-Lewis has been honoured with knighthood by the Duke of Cambridge, at a ceremony held in Buckingham palace on Friday (November 14th).
Continue reading: Why Daniel Day-Lewis Deserves His Knighthood
Angelina Jolie, Daniel Day Lewis & Dame Maggie Smith Receive Queen's Birthday Honours
By Elinor Cosgrave in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 15 June 2014
Angelina Jolie and Daniel Day Lewis are honoured on the Queen's Birthday Honours List, alongside fellow actor Maggie Smith who has been named a Companion of Honour.
The Queen's Birthday Honours List consists of 1149 people including Angelina Jolie and Daniel Day-Lewis. Day- Lewis has received a knighthood and Jolie has been made an honorary dame. Whilst Maggie Smith has received another honour in addition to being a Dame, namely Companion of Honour.
Day-Lewis has received a knighthood for his services to the performing arts and his long, successful and prolific career. In the statement, released alongside the list on Friday (13th June), Day-Lewis' three Oscars for Best Actor are mentioned in addition to his performances for which he received the awards: My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood and Lincoln. The statement also mentioned his role in My Beautiful Launderette which "began a reputation for fully exploring his characters, engaging himself physically, psychologically and emotionally."
Continue reading: Angelina Jolie, Daniel Day Lewis & Dame Maggie Smith Receive Queen's Birthday Honours
Daniel Day-Lewis' Son Gabriel Releases Rap About Weed, Being Bipolar And His Father's Fame [Video]
By Lauren James in Music / Festivals on 20 November 2013
He doesn't want to be associated with his father but we probably wouldn't have heard Gabe Day's music otherwise.
Daniel Day-Lewis's son, Gabriel, has released a rap under the name Gabe Day, entitled 'Green Auras.' The single is accompanied by a music video in which we see Gabe, who looks a lot like his father, clad in a baseball cap and wooden Africa necklace singing about his experiences amongst a supporting cast of college buddies.
So let's take a quick look at what was said at the press conference in London, where Boyd was launching his new 007 book Solo. Asked by one of the gathered journalists which actor would play 'his' Bond, the author innocuously replied, "I think Daniel Day-Lewis actually resembles the Bond Fleming described," which is fair enough, given Ian Fleming described his creation as "tall" and "rangy."
Continue reading: Daniel Day-Lewis Will Not Play James Bond. And William Boyd Never Said It.
Daniel Day-Lewis - Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis prepares to take part in the 2013 Mille Miglia road race driving a 1953 Jagaur XK 120, starting from Brescia to Rome and back again covering 1000miles in three days - Brescia, Italy - Thursday 16th May 2013
Daniel Day Lewis with his niece Charissa Shearer - The 2013 EE British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA'S) London United Kingdom Sunday 10th February 2013
Daniel Day-Lewis and Grauman's Chinese Theatre - Daniel Day-Lewis, Thursday 8th November 2012 AFI Fest - 'Quartet' - Premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre - Arrivals
Daniel Day Lewis - Daniel Day-Lewis Los Angeles, California - arriving at LAX airport while wearing a Ben Sherman hat Wednesday 18th November 2009
Daniel Day Lewis - Daniel Day-Lewis There Will Be Blood photocall Berlin, Germany - Berlin Film Festival 2008 (Berlinale) Friday 8th February 2008