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Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel-Day-Lewis
Name
Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis
Birthplace
Greenwich, London, England
Birth date
April 29, 1957 (1957-04-29) (age 67)
Occupation
Actor
Active Years
1970–2017


Daniel-Day Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is a retired English actor who is widely regarded as one of the top actors of his generation. He has worked closely with many A-list directors, including Jim Sheridan, Martin Scorsese, P.T. Anderson and Steven Spielberg.

He retired from acting in 2017 after the completion of his final film role in Phantom Thread.

Biography[]

Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis was born in London, England, the second child of Cecil Day-Lewis (aka Nicholas Blake) (Poet Laureate of England) and his second wife, Jill Balcon. His maternal grandfather was Sir Michael Balcon, an important figure in the history of British cinema, head of the famous Ealing Studios. His older sister, Tamasin Day-Lewis, is a documentary filmmaker. Daniel was educated at Sevenoaks School in Kent, which he despised, and the more progressive Bedales in Petersfield, which he adored. He studied acting at the Bristol Old Vic School. Daniel made his film debut in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), but then acted on stage with the Bristol Old Vic and Royal Shakespeare Companies and did not appear on screen again until 1982, when he landed his first adult role, a bit part in Gandhi (1982).

His first major supporting role in a feature film was in The Bounty (1984), quickly followed by My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) and A Room with a View (1985). The latter two films opened in New York on the same day, offering audiences and critics evidence of his remarkable range and establishing him as a major talent. The New York Film Critics named him Best Supporting Actor for those performances. In 1987 he assumed leading-man status in Philip Kaufman's The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), followed by a comedic role in the unsuccessful Stars and Bars (1988). His brilliant performance as "Christy Brown" in Jim Sheridan's My Left Foot (1989), won him numerous awards, including The Academy Award for best actor. (During production he used method acting and remained in a wheel chair).

He returned to the stage to work again with Eyre, as Hamlet at the National Theater, but was forced to leave the production close to the end of its run because of exhaustion, and has not appeared on stage since. He took a hiatus from film as well until 1992, when he starred in The Last of the Mohicans (1992), a film that met with mixed reviews but was a great success at the box office. He worked with American director Martin Scorsese in The Age of Innocence (1993) in 1994. Subsequently, he teamed again with Jim Sheridan to star in In the Name of the Father (1993), a critically acclaimed performance that earned him another Academy Award nomination. His next project was in the role of John Proctor in father-in-law Arthur Miller's play The Crucible (1996), directed by Nicholas Hytner.

Filmography[]

Year Title Role Notes
1971 Sunday Bloody Sunday Child vandal Uncredited
1982 Gandhi Colin (South African street thug)
1984 The Bounty John Fryer
1985 My Beautiful Laundrette Johnny National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor (Also for A Room with a View)
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor (Also for A Room with a View)
1985 A Room with a View Cecil Vyse National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor (Also for My Beautiful Laundrette)
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor (Also for My Beautiful Laundrette)
1986 Nanou Max
1988 The Unbearable Lightness of Being Tomas Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
1988 Stars and Bars Henderson Dores
1989 Eversmile, New Jersey Dr. Fergus O'Connell
1989 My Left Foot Christy Brown Academy Award for Best Actor
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Montreal World Film Festival Award for Best Actor
Montreal World Film Festival – Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Special Mention (Shared with Jim Sheridan)
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated—European Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1992 The Last of the Mohicans Hawkeye (Nathaniel Poe) Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1993 The Age of Innocence Newland Archer Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
1993 In the Name of the Father Gerry Conlon Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1996 The Crucible John Proctor
1997 The Boxer Danny Flynn Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
2002 Gangs of New York Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (Tied with Jack Nicholson for About Schmidt)
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (Tied with Jack Nicholson for About Schmidt)
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Russian Guild of Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Actor
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (Tied with Michael Caine for The Quiet American)
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Seattle Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Empire Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
2005 The Ballad of Jack and Rose Jack Slavin Marrakech International Film Festival Award for Best Actor
2007 There Will Be Blood Daniel Plainview Academy Award for Best Actor
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Actor
Austin Film Critics Award for Best Actor
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Irish Film Award for Best Actor
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Palm Springs International Film Festival – Desert Palm Achievement Award
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Village Voice Film Poll – Best Actor
Nominated—Empire Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
2009 Nine Guido Contini Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
2012 Lincoln Abraham Lincoln post-production
2017 Phantom Thread Charles James Final film role

External Links[]

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