Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis

Born in London, England, Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis is the second child of Nicholas Blake, Poet Laureate of the U.K., and his second wife, actress Jill Balcon. His maternal grandfather was Sir Michael Balcon, an important figure in the history of British cinema and head of the famous Ealing Studios. His older sister, Tamasin Day-Lewis, is a documentarian. His father was of Northern Irish and English descent, and his mother was Jewish (from a family from Latvia and Poland). 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). He also appeared on British television that year in Frost in May (1982) and BBC2 Playhouse: How Many Miles to Babylon? (1982). Notable theatrical performances include Another Country (1982-83), Dracula (1984) and The Futurists (1986).

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 1986, he appeared on stage in Richard Eyre's "The Futurists" and on television in Eyre's production of Screen Two: The Insurance Man (1986). He also had a small role in a British/French film, Nanou (1986). 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.

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), based on Edith Wharton's novel. 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. He worked with Scorsese again to star in Gangs of New York (2002), another critically acclaimed performance that earned him another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Day-Lewis's wife, Rebecca Miller, offered him the lead role in her film The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005), in which he played a dying man with regrets over how his wife had evolved and over how he had brought up his teenage daughter. During filming, he arranged to live separate from his wife to achieve the "isolation" needed to focus on his own character's reality. The film received mixed reviews. In 2007, he starred in director Paul Thomas Anderson's loose adaptation of Upton Sinclair's novel "Oil!", titled There Will Be Blood (2007). Day-Lewis received the Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, and a variety of film critics' circle awards for the role. In 2009, Day-Lewis starred in Rob Marshall's musical adaptation Nine (2009) as film director Guido Contini. He was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Pedro Borges

Featured Clips

Now Playing: Gangs Of New York - Notch 45
Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Daniel Day-Lewis

Monk's plea to Bill for peaceful resolution is met with heavy opposition. In this scene: Walter 'Monk' McGinn (Brendan Gleeson), Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz), Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio), Jimmy Spoils (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.), Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis)

Gangs Of New York - Notch 45

Gangs Of New York - Notch 45

Monk's plea to Bill for peaceful resolution is met with heavy opposition. In this scene: Walter 'Monk' McGinn (Brendan Gleeson), Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz), Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio), Jimmy Spoils (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.), Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis)

Gangs Of New York - Official Trailer (HD)

Gangs Of New York - Official Trailer (HD)

As waves of immigrants swell the population of New York, lawlessness and corruption thrive in lower Manhattan's Five Points section. After years of incarceration, young Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon returns seeking revenge against the rival gang leader who killed his father. Before long, Amsterdam's personal vendetta becomes part of an erupting wave of full-blown gang warfare, as he and his fellow Irishmen fight to carve a place for themselves in their newly adopted homeland. Starring, in alphabetical order: Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Leonardo DiCaprio

Gangs Of New York - The Butcher's Apprentice

Gangs Of New York - The Butcher's Apprentice

With Jenny as his apprentice, Bill performs one last knife throwing act before a packed house. In this scene: Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio), Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz), Jimmy Spoils (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.)

Gangs Of New York - This Boy Has No Heart

Gangs Of New York - This Boy Has No Heart

Amsterdam believes he has the upper hand, but little does he know the cards are stacked against him. In this scene: Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio), Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), Jimmy Spoils (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.), Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz), William 'Boss' Tweed (Jim Broadbent)

Gangs of New York - A Turtle Dove

Gangs of New York - A Turtle Dove

Amsterdam refuses to be a victim of Jenny's thievery. In this scene: Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio), Jenny (Cameron Diaz)

Gangs of New York - Chiselers

Gangs of New York - Chiselers

During a visit with the Butcher, Amsterdam finds himself in a war of words. In this scene: The Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio), Johnny (Henry Thomas), Killoran (Eddie Marsan)

Gangs of New York - Fear

Gangs of New York - Fear

The Butcher teaches Amsterdam a lifelong lesson. In this scene: The Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio), Jenny (Cameron Diaz)

Gangs of New York - The Town

Gangs of New York - The Town

Johnny shows Amsterdam around town, pointing out everything from the occupying gangs to a vivacious redhead named Jenny. In this scene: Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio), Johnny (Henry Thomas), Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz)

Gangs of New York - This is a Killl

Gangs of New York - This is a Killl

The Butcher takes Amsterdam under his wing. In this scene: Happy Jack (John C. Reilly), The Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), Amsterdam (Leonardo DeCaprio), Monk (Brendan Gleeson), Mr. Schermerhorn (David Hemmings), Miss Schermerhorn (Lucy Davenport), Mrs. Schermerhorn (Barbara Bouchet), Hoarce Greenly (Michael Byrne)

Gangs of New York - Whose Man Are You?

Gangs of New York - Whose Man Are You?

An evening at the theater takes a bloody turn. In this scene: The Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio), Johnny (Henry Thomas), Killoran (Eddie Marsan), Lincoln (John Sessions), Monk (Brendan Gleeson)

My Left Foot - Accidentally On Purpose

My Left Foot - Accidentally On Purpose

The family gets some bad news from Mr. Brown. In this scene: Mr. Brown (Ray McAnally), Christy (Daniel Day-Lewis), Mrs. Brown (Brenda Fricker), Sheila (Alison Whelan)

My Left Foot - All Souls' Night

My Left Foot - All Souls' Night

Mrs. Brown, adamantly unashamed of her son Christy's cerebral palsy, takes Christy to church. In this scene: Young Christy (Hugh O'Conor), Mrs. Brown (Brenda Fricker)

My Left Foot - Birthday

My Left Foot - Birthday

Following his 17th birthday, Christy manages to start making his own mark on teenage society. In this scene: Christy (Daniel Day-Lewis), Tom (Declan Croghan)

My Left Foot - Dinner Disaster

My Left Foot - Dinner Disaster

Angry and drunk, Christy causes a scene at a restaurant. In this scene: Christy (Daniel Day-Lewis), Dr. Cole (Fiona Shaw), Peter (Adrian Dunbar)

My Left Foot - Father

My Left Foot - Father

Mrs. Brown and Christy come home and discover that something tragic has happened to Mr. Brown. In this scene: Mr. Brown (Ray McAnally), Christy (Daniel Day-Lewis), Mrs. Brown (Brenda Fricker)

My Left Foot - He's a Brown

My Left Foot - He's a Brown

Against all odds, Christy writes his first word using his left foot. In this scene: Mr. Brown (Ray McAnally), Young Christy (Hugh O'Conor), Mrs. Brown (Brenda Fricker)

My Left Foot - The Clinic

My Left Foot - The Clinic

Dr. Cole shows up and Christy agrees to attend her new clinic. In this scene: Christy (Daniel Day-Lewis), Mrs. Brown (Brenda Fricker), Dr. Cole (Fiona Shaw)

My Left Foot - The Stairs

My Left Foot - The Stairs

Mrs. Brown, exhausted from carrying Christy up the stairs, has an accident. In this scene: Young Christy (Hugh O'Conor), Mrs. Brown (Brenda Fricker)

My Left Foot - Therapy

My Left Foot - Therapy

Christy undergoes Dr. Cole's therapy regimen, gradually improving. In this scene: Christy (Daniel Day-Lewis), Mrs. Brown (Brenda Fricker), Dr. Cole (Fiona Shaw)

There Will Be Blood - Official Trailer (HD)

There Will Be Blood - Official Trailer (HD)

A sprawling epic of family, faith, power and oil, THERE WILL BE BLOOD is set on the incendiary frontier of California's turn-of-the-century petroleum boom. The story chronicles the life and times of one Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own into a self-made oil tycoon. When Plainview gets a mysterious tip-off that there's a little town out West where an ocean of oil is oozing out of the ground, he heads with his son, H.W. (Dillon Freasier), to take their chances in dust-worn Little Boston. In this hardscrabble town, where the main excitement centers around the holy roller church of charismatic preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), Plainview and H.W. make their lucky strike. But even as the well raises all of their fortunes, nothing will remain the same as conflicts escalate and every human value - love, hope, community, belief, ambition and even the bond between father and son - is imperiled by corruption, deception and the flow of oil. Starring, in alphabetical order: Daniel Day-Lewis, H.B. Ailman, HW Prescott, Randall Carver