Anyone who bet against Daniel Day Lewis – you are a bad, bad person. Either that or the guy who hired to fix it didn’t do his job. Anyway, it’s DDL’s night for his turn as Abraham Lincoln. This makes Lewis the first man to win three awards in the Best Actor category.

Collecting the award, Lewis said, “I really don’t know how any of this happened. I do know that I perceived so much more than my fair share of good fortune in my life. And I’m so grateful to the academy for this honor. It’s a strange thing because three years ago, before we decided to do a straight swap, I had actually been committed to play Margaret Thatcher. And Meryl was Steven’s first choice for Lincoln, and I’d like to see that version. Steven didn’t have to persuade me play Lincoln, but had to persuade him that perhaps if I was going to do it, that Lincoln shouldn’t be a musical.” Lincoln is also the favorite to win Best Picture, which will be announced shortly, but that one isn’t as clear-cut as Best Actor. Argo mounted a late surge for the gong, and should it win, no one will begrudge the film’s deserved success.

Daniel Day Lewis at British Academy Film Awards

Daniel Day Lewis picking up yet another award

While this win was predicted months ago, and is about the only award that didn’t swap favorites in the build up to tonight, Lewis was up against some really strong actors. Joaquin Phoenix in The Master was breathtaking, and Bradley Cooper really came into his own as an actor in Silver Linings Playbook. And of course there was David Brent’s favorite actor Denzel Washington and Hugh Jackman.