Daniel Day-Lewis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is a British-born actor with dual British and Irish citizenship. Day-Lewis studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Actor for portraying Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood and Christy Brown for My Left Foot. He is known as one of the most selective actors in the film industry, having starred in only four movies in the last ten years.[1] He is a method actor, known for his constant devotion to and research of his roles. Often, he will remain completely in character for the duration of the shooting schedule of his films.[1]
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[edit] Early life
Day-Lewis was born in London, the son of actress Jill Balcon and the Irish-born, British Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis. Day-Lewis has dual British-Irish citizenship.[2][3] His mother is of Baltic Jewish descent, the daughter of Sir Michael Balcon, who was the former head of Ealing Studios.[4][5] Two years after his birth in London, the Day-Lewis family moved to Croom's Hill, Greenwich, where Daniel grew up along with his older sister, Tamasin Day-Lewis, who later became a documentary filmmaker and television chef. Cecil Day-Lewis was already 53 years old at the time of his son's birth, and seemed to take little interest in his children.[6] Following frequent health problems, he died when Daniel was 15. Daniel felt unsettled about his lack of emotion, and regretted not having been closer to his father.
Living in Greenwich, Day-Lewis found himself among tough South London kids and being Jewish and "posh", he was often bullied.[7] Very quickly, therefore, he mastered the local accent and mannerisms — which he believes to have been the first convincing performances he gave. Later in life, he was known to speak of himself as very much a disorderly character in his younger years, often in trouble for shoplifting and other petty crimes.[8][9]
In 1968, Day-Lewis's parents, finding him to be "too wild", sent him to Sevenoaks School in Kent, as a boarder.[9] Though he detested the school, he was introduced to his two most prominent interests, woodworking and acting. While his disdain for the school grew, he made his film debut at the age of 14 in Sunday Bloody Sunday in which he played a vandal in an uncredited role. He described the experience as "heaven", for getting paid £2 to vandalize expensive cars parked outside his local church.[6] After two years at Sevenoaks, Daniel was transferred to the Bedales School in Petersfield.[9]
Leaving Bedales in 1975, his unruly attitude had faded and he now had to make a career choice. Although he had excelled onstage at the National Youth Theatre, he decided to become a cabinet-maker, applying for a five-year apprenticeship. However, because of a lack of experience, he was not accepted.[9] He then applied (and was accepted) at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which he attended for three years, eventually performing at the Bristol Old Vic itself.[9] (At one point he played understudy to Pete Postlethwaite, whom he would later play opposite in In the Name of the Father, and with whom he shares a brief scene in Last of the Mohicans where Postlethwaite is a British officer)
[edit] Career
[edit] 1980s
Eleven years after his film debut, Day-Lewis continued his film career with a small part in Gandhi (1982) as Colin, a street thug who bullies the title character, only to be immediately chastised by his high-strung mother. In 1984, he had a supporting role as the conflicted, but ultimately loyal first mate in The Bounty, after which he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. (He later grew to detest the character, however, and often described him as a "wanker").[citation needed]
The actor was next featured on stage as "The Count" in the stage-play of Dracula where he appeared with his hair dyed blond in a throwback to Nosferatu. He later let his hair grow out to give a frosted "punk look" when he played half of a gay bi-racial couple in My Beautiful Laundrette. Day-Lewis gained further public notice when the film was released simultaneously with A Room with a View (1986), in which he played an entirely different character: the effete upper-class fiancé of the main character (played by Helena Bonham Carter).
In 1987, Day-Lewis assumed leading man status by starring in Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, co-starring Lena Olin and Juliette Binoche, as a Czech doctor whose hyperactive and purely physical sex life is thrown into disarray when he allows himself to become emotionally involved with a woman. During the eight-month shoot he learned Czech and first began to refuse to break character on or off the set for the entire shooting schedule.[9]
Day-Lewis put his personal version of "method acting" into full use in 1989 with his performance as Christy Brown in Jim Sheridan's My Left Foot which won him numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor. During filming, his eccentricities came to the fore, due to his refusal to break character. Playing a severely paralyzed character on screen, off screen Day-Lewis had to be wheeled around the set in his wheelchair, and crew members would curse at having to lift him over camera and lighting wires, all so that he might gain insight into all aspects of Christy Brown's life, including the embarrassments.[8] He broke two ribs during filming from assuming a hunched-over position in his wheelchair for so many weeks.[10]
Daniel Day-Lewis returned to the stage to work with Richard Eyre, as Hamlet at the National Theatre, but collapsed in the middle of a scene where the ghost of Hamlet's father first appears to his son. He began sobbing uncontrollably and refused to go back on stage; his understudy (a then unknown Jeremy Northam) finished what little was left of the production's run. One rumour following the incident was that Day-Lewis had seen the ghost of his own father,[9] although the incident was officially attributed to exhaustion. He confirmed on the top British celebrity chat show 'Parkinson' on ITV that this rumour was true. He has not appeared on stage since.
[edit] 1990s
In 1992, three years after his Oscar win, The Last of the Mohicans was released. Day-Lewis' character research for this film was well-publicized; he reportedly underwent rigorous weight training and learned to live off the land and forest where his character lived, camping, hunting and fishing. He even carried a Kentucky rifle at all times during filming in order to remain in character and learned how to skin animals.
He returned to work with Jim Sheridan on In the Name of the Father, in which he played Gerry Conlon, one of the Guildford Four who were wrongfully convicted of a bombing carried out by the Provisional IRA. He lost a substantial amount of weight for the part, kept his Northern Irish accent on and off the set for the entire shooting schedule, and spent stretches of time in a prison cell. He also insisted that crew members throw cold water at him and verbally abuse him. The film earned him his second Academy Award nomination, his third BAFTA nomination, and his second Golden Globe nomination.
In 1996, Day-Lewis starred in a film version of The Crucible based on the play by Arthur Miller and co-starring Winona Ryder. He followed that with Jim Sheridan's The Boxer as a former boxer and IRA member recently released from prison. His preparation included training for two years with former boxing world champion Barry McGuigan.
Following The Boxer, Daniel Day-Lewis took a leave of absence from acting by putting himself into "semi-retirement" and returning to his old passion of woodworking. He moved to Florence, Italy, where he became intrigued by the craft of shoemaking, eventually apprenticing as a shoemaker for a time while his exact whereabouts and actions were not made publicly known.[11] While, as a consequence, little of these events are known, it has been rumoured that Day-Lewis, in return for room and board, instructed the master cobbler in acting. It has further been suggested that, following Day-Lewis' departure, the shoemaker took up a career as a traveling Commedia dell'Arte performer. Day-Lewis has refused to comment on the subject, simply stating that "Laurencino [the shoemaker] was a man of many gifts".
[edit] 2000s
After a five-year absence from filming, Day-Lewis returned to act in multiple Academy Award nominated films such as, Gangs of New York, a film directed by Martin Scorsese (with whom he had worked on The Age of Innocence) and produced by Harvey Weinstein. In his role as the villain gang leader "Bill the Butcher" (who, ironically, has a pure hatred for Ireland and the Irish people), he starred along with Leonardo DiCaprio, who played Bill's young protegé. He began his lengthy, self-disciplined process by taking lessons as an apprentice butcher, and while filming, he was never out of character between takes (including keeping his character's New York accent). At one point during filming, he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He refused to wear a warmer coat or to take treatment because it was not in keeping with the period. However, he was eventually persuaded to seek medical treatment. His performance in Gangs of New York earned him his third Academy Award nomination and won him the BAFTA Award for Best Actor.
After Gangs of New York, Day-Lewis' wife, director Rebecca Miller (daughter of playwright Arthur Miller), offered him the lead role in her film The Ballad of Jack and Rose, in which he played a dying man with regrets over how his life had evolved and over how he had raised his teenage daughter. During filming he arranged to live separately from his wife in order to achieve the 'isolation' needed to focus on his own character's reality.[6] The film received mixed reviews, while Day-Lewis received almost universal praise for his performance.[citation needed]
In 2007, Day-Lewis appeared in director Paul Thomas Anderson's loose adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel Oil!, titled There Will Be Blood.[12] Day-Lewis received the BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild Award (which he dedicated to the late Heath Ledger), Critic's Choice Award, Golden Globe, and Academy Award for Best Actor (2008) for his performance in the film.
He is currently in talks to star in Rob Marshall's musical adaptation of Nine.
According to broadwayworld.com. He is signed for Nine film, rehearsal starts in July 28 while principal photography starts in September 29. [13]
[edit] Personal life
Day-Lewis rarely talks publicly about his personal life. He had a relationship with French actress Isabelle Adjani. The relationship lasted six years and eventually ended after a split and reconciliation.[9] Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis was born on April 9, 1995 in New York, months after the relationship between the two actors had ended.
In 1996, while working on the film version of the stage-play The Crucible, he visited the home of playwright Arthur Miller where he was introduced to the writer's daughter, Rebecca Miller. The couple have two sons, Ronan Cal Day-Lewis (born June 14, 1998) and Cashel Blake Day-Lewis (born in May 2002) and divide their time between their homes in the U.S. and Ireland.[6] He is a supporter of Millwall Football Club.[14]
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Sunday Bloody Sunday (film) | Child vandal | John Schlesinger | (uncredited) |
| 1982 | Gandhi | Colin - South African Street Tough | Richard Attenborough | |
| 1984 | The Bounty | John Fryer | Roger Donaldson | |
| 1985 | My Beautiful Laundrette | Johnny | Stephen Frears | |
| A Room with a View | Cecil Vyse | James Ivory | ||
| 1986 | Nanou | Max | Conny Templeman | |
| 1988 | The Unbearable Lightness of Being | Tomas | Philip Kaufman | |
| Stars and Bars | Henderson Dores | Pat O'Connor | ||
| 1989 | Eversmile, New Jersey | Dr. Fergus O'Connell | Carlos Sorin | |
| My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown | Christy Brown | Jim Sheridan | ||
| 1992 | The Last of the Mohicans | Hawkeye (Nathaniel Poe) | Michael Mann | |
| 1993 | The Age of Innocence | Newland Archer | Martin Scorsese | |
| In the Name of the Father | Gerry Conlon | Jim Sheridan | ||
| 1996 | The Crucible | John Proctor | Nicholas Hytner | |
| 1997 | The Boxer | Danny Flynn | Jim Sheridan | |
| 2002 | Gangs of New York | Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting | Martin Scorsese | |
| 2005 | The Ballad of Jack and Rose | Jack Slavin | Rebecca Miller | |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | Daniel Plainview | Paul Thomas Anderson | |
| 2009 | Nine | Guido Contini | Rob Marshall |
[edit] Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | NBR Award | Best Supporting Actor | A Room with a View | Won |
| NYFCC Award | Best Supporting Actor | Won | ||
| NBR Award | Best Supporting Actor | My Beautiful Laundrette | Won | |
| NYFCC Award | Best Supporting Actor | Won | ||
| 1989 | Academy Award | Best Actor | My Left Foot | Won |
| BAFTA Award | Best Actor | Won | ||
| Golden Globe Award | Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama | Nominated | ||
| NYFCC Award | Best Actor | Won | ||
| 1992 | BAFTA Award | Best Actor | The Last of the Mohicans | Nominated |
| 1993 | Academy Award | Best Actor | In the Name of the Father | Nominated |
| BAFTA Award | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Award | Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama | Nominated | ||
| 1997 | Golden Globe Award | Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama | The Boxer | Nominated |
| 2002 | Academy Award | Best Actor | Gangs of New York | Nominated |
| BAFTA Award | Best Actor | Won | ||
| Golden Globe Award | Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama | Nominated | ||
| NYFCC Award | Best Actor | Won | ||
| SAG Award | Outstanding Actor - Motion Picture | Won | ||
| 2007 | Academy Award | Best Actor | There Will Be Blood | Won |
| Saturn Award | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| BAFTA Award | Best Actor | Won | ||
| Golden Globe Award | Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama | Won | ||
| IFTA Award | Best International Actor | Won | ||
| NYFCC Award | Best Actor | Won | ||
| SAG Award | Outstanding Actor - Motion Picture | Won |
| Preceded by Walter Murch |
Telluride Film Festival Silver Medallion 2007 |
Succeeded by TBA |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Academy Award | ||
| Preceded by Dustin Hoffman for Rain Man |
Best Actor 1989 for My Left Foot |
Succeeded by Jeremy Irons for Reversal of Fortune |
| Preceded by Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland |
Best Actor 2007 for There Will Be Blood |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| BAFTA Award | ||
| Preceded by John Cleese for A Fish Called Wanda |
Best Actor in a Leading Role 1989 for My Left Foot |
Succeeded by Philippe Noiret for Cinema Paradiso |
| Preceded by Russell Crowe for A Beautiful Mind |
Best Actor in a Leading Role 2002 for Gangs of New York |
Succeeded by Bill Murray for Lost in Translation |
| Preceded by Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland |
Best Actor in a Leading Role 2007 for There Will Be Blood |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | ||
| Preceded by Klaus Maria Brandauer for Out of Africa |
Best Supporting Actor 1986 for My Beautiful Laundrette ; A Room with a View |
Succeeded by Morgan Freeman for Street Smart |
| Preceded by Jeremy Irons for Dead Ringers |
Best Actor 1989 for My Left Foot |
Succeeded by Robert De Niro for Awakenings ; GoodFellas |
| Preceded by Tom Wilkinson for In the Bedroom |
Best Actor 2002 for Gangs of New York |
Succeeded by Bill Murray for Lost in Translation |
| Preceded by Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland |
Best Actor 2007 for There Will Be Blood |
Succeeded by TBA |
| National Board of Review Award | ||
| Preceded by Klaus Maria Brandauer for Out of Africa |
Best Supporting Actor 1986 for My Beautiful Laundrette; A Room with a View |
Succeeded by Sean Connery for The Untouchables |
| Screen Actors Guild Award | ||
| Preceded by Russell Crowe for A Beautiful Mind |
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture 2002 for Gangs of New York |
Succeeded by Johnny Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl |
| Preceded by Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland |
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture 2007 for There Will Be Blood |
Succeeded by TBD |
| Golden Globe Award | ||
| Preceded by Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland |
Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama 2007 for There Will Be Blood |
Succeeded by TBA |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Herschberg, Lynn. The New Frontier's Man. New York Times Magazine. 11 November 2007.
- ^ Daniel, old chap, sure you're one of our own - Martina Devlin, Columnists - Independent.ie
- ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Day-Lewis heads UK Oscars charge
- ^ "Day-Lewis gets Oscar nod for new film", Kent News, 2007-12-17. Retrieved on 2008-01-09.
- ^ Pearlman, Cindy. "Day-Lewis isn't suffering: 'It's a joy'", Chicago Sun-Times, 2007-12-30. Retrieved on 2008-01-09.
- ^ a b c d Segal, David. Daniel Day-Lewis, Behaving Totally In Character. The Washington Post, 31 March 2005.
- ^ Corliss, Richard. Daniel Gets His Day. reprint of Time, European Edition article, 21 March 1994.
- ^ a b Jenkins, Garry. Daniel Day-Lewis: The Fires Within. St. Martin's Press, 1994. ASIN B000R9II4O.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wills, Dominic. Extensive Biography of Daniel Day-Lewis. Tiscali UK. Retrieved 25 February 2006.
- ^ An Inspirational Journey: The Making of My Left Foot. DVD. Miramax Films, 2005.
- ^ New York Times Biography. New York Times. Retrieved 27 February 2006.
- ^ Fleming, Michael and Mohr, Ian. There Will Be Blood announcement. Variety. Retrieved 25 February 2006.
- ^ http://broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=28505, broadwayworld.com 1 june 2008
- ^ Daniel Day-Lewis Q&A. Time Out London. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
[edit] External links
- Daniel Day-Lewis at the Internet Movie Database
- LA Weekly interview with Lewis, December 19, 2007
- Extensive Biography at Tiscali UK
- Extensive NYT Interview with Daniel Day-Lewis.
- Peter Stanford, The enigma of Day-Lewis, The Observer, 13 January 2008
- Early encounters with Daniel Day-Lewis and his intensive acting method (Satirical)
- "Sojourner in Other Men's Souls" by Emily Parker. Wall Street Journal (January 23, 2008), page D8
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Day-Lewis, Daniel |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | British actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 22, 1957 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
