Daniel Day-Lewis’ Career: From ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ to ‘Phantom Thread’

Daniel Day-Lewis is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation. He is famous for his intense and immersive approach to acting, often staying in character for the entire duration of a film’s production. This dedication to his craft has resulted in some of the most compelling and transformative performances in modern cinema.

Unlike many of his peers, Day-Lewis has been incredibly selective about his roles, starring in only a handful of films over a career that spanned several decades. This careful selection meant that each performance was a significant event, earning him numerous accolades, including a record number of major acting awards for a leading male actor. His filmography, though small, is packed with iconic and powerful work.

Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

In his film debut, a young Daniel Day-Lewis had an uncredited role as a child vandal. He is seen in a brief scene scratching a car with a broken bottle. This minor part was his first experience on a professional film set.

The film itself is a complex British drama about a love triangle involving a middle-aged doctor, a female consultant, and a younger male artist. While Day-Lewis’s appearance was fleeting, it marked the very beginning of a legendary acting career.

Gandhi (1982)

Day-Lewis played Colin, a young and racist South African man who bullies the young Mahatma Gandhi. His character confronts Gandhi for traveling in a first-class train compartment, an event that helps shape Gandhi’s future activism. It was a small but significant role in a major film.

‘Gandhi’ is an epic biographical film that chronicles the life of the leader of the Indian independence movement. Day-Lewis’s brief performance was an early showcase of his ability to portray confrontational and unpleasant characters convincingly.

The Bounty (1984)

In this historical drama, Day-Lewis played John Fryer, the sailing master of the HMS Bounty. His character is a loyal officer who finds himself caught between the tyrannical Captain Bligh and the mutinous Fletcher Christian.

The film tells the famous true story of the mutiny on the Bounty. Day-Lewis’s role was a supporting one in a star-studded cast, but he brought a sense of steadfast duty and conflict to his character.

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

Day-Lewis gave a breakthrough performance as Johnny, a former street punk in London. He enters into a romantic relationship with a young Pakistani man and helps him renovate a laundrette. The role launched him to international stardom.

This groundbreaking film tackled complex themes of race, class, and sexuality in Thatcher-era Britain. Day-Lewis’s portrayal of a character who is both tough and tender was highly praised and demonstrated his remarkable range.

A Room with a View (1985)

In a completely different role the same year, Day-Lewis played Cecil Vyse, the snobbish and intellectually arrogant fiancé of the film’s protagonist. His character is a figure of polite society, representing the emotional repression that the main character must overcome.

This romantic period drama is a celebrated adaptation of a classic novel. Day-Lewis’s performance was a perfect, and often humorous, portrayal of a pompous and passionless man, further showcasing his versatility as an actor.

Nanou (1986)

Day-Lewis played Max, an enigmatic and politically radical young man living in France. He becomes the lover of the film’s main character, a young English woman who travels to France and gets involved in his world of activism.

‘Nanou’ is a lesser-known drama that explores themes of love and political idealism. Day-Lewis’s role was that of a charismatic but ultimately distant figure who challenges the protagonist’s worldview.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

In his first leading role in a major international film, Day-Lewis played Tomas, a promiscuous and brilliant Czech surgeon. The story follows his romantic entanglements and his life before and during the Soviet invasion of Prague.

Based on a celebrated novel, the film is a sweeping romantic drama set against a backdrop of political turmoil. Day-Lewis’s performance captured the character’s charm, intelligence, and internal conflict.

Stars & Bars (1988)

Day-Lewis starred as Henderson Dores, a mild-mannered and uptight British art expert. He is sent to the American South to acquire a rare painting and finds himself in a series of chaotic and bizarre situations with the eccentric locals.

This comedy was a departure from the more dramatic roles he was becoming known for. It gave Day-Lewis a chance to showcase his comedic timing as a classic “fish out of water” character.

My Left Foot (1989)

For his powerful portrayal of Christy Brown, an Irish man with cerebral palsy who could only control his left foot, Day-Lewis won his first major acting award. He famously stayed in a wheelchair during production and learned to paint and write with his foot.

The film is an inspiring biographical drama based on Brown’s own memoir. Day-Lewis’s transformative and deeply moving performance was a stunning display of his commitment to method acting and established him as a leading actor of his generation.

Eversmile New Jersey (1989)

Day-Lewis played Fergus O’Connell, an itinerant Irish dentist who travels through rural Argentina on a motorcycle. He offers free dental care as part of a mission for a dental hygiene foundation, but his idealism is tested along the way.

This quirky and charming comedy-drama is one of the more obscure films in his career. The role allowed Day-Lewis to play a lighthearted and optimistic character on a journey of self-discovery.

The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Day-Lewis starred as Nathaniel “Hawkeye” Poe, the adopted son of a Mohican chief who is raised among Native Americans. He is a skilled frontiersman who gets caught up in the French and Indian War and falls in love with a British colonel’s daughter.

This epic historical romance was a major critical and commercial success. Day-Lewis underwent rigorous physical training for the role, learning to track, hunt, and fight, transforming himself into a convincing action hero.

The Age of Innocence (1993)

In this period drama, Day-Lewis played Newland Archer, a wealthy and proper lawyer in 1870s New York high society. He is engaged to a suitable young woman but finds himself falling for her unconventional and scandalous cousin.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film is a visually stunning adaptation of a classic novel. Day-Lewis delivered a subtle and restrained performance, perfectly capturing the quiet anguish of a man torn between passion and duty.

In the Name of the Father (1993)

Day-Lewis portrayed Gerry Conlon, a young Belfast man who was wrongfully convicted of being an IRA bomber. The film chronicles his fight for justice over many years, as well as his difficult relationship with his father, who was also unjustly imprisoned.

This powerful biographical drama is based on a true story of a major miscarriage of justice. Day-Lewis’s intense and emotionally charged performance earned him another award nomination and was praised for its raw power.

The Crucible (1996)

In this adaptation of the classic play, Day-Lewis played John Proctor, a respected farmer in colonial Massachusetts. He finds his life and reputation destroyed during the Salem witch trials after he has an affair with a young woman who then accuses his wife of witchcraft.

The film is a tense historical drama that serves as an allegory for political paranoia. Day-Lewis’s performance captured the integrity and torment of a flawed man fighting for truth in a world consumed by lies.

The Boxer (1997)

Day-Lewis played Danny Flynn, a former IRA member and talented boxer who is released from prison after 14 years. He returns to his old Belfast neighborhood and tries to live a peaceful life, opening a non-sectarian boxing gym, but his past continues to haunt him.

The film was his third collaboration with director Jim Sheridan. For the role, Day-Lewis trained as a professional boxer for over a year, achieving a remarkable level of skill and physical conditioning.

Gangs of New York (2002)

After a five-year hiatus, Day-Lewis returned with a stunning performance as Bill “the Butcher” Cutting, the menacing and charismatic leader of a nativist gang in 1860s New York. He is a powerful and patriotic villain who rules the city’s underworld with an iron fist.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, this epic historical drama is known for its incredible scale and detail. Day-Lewis’s terrifying and magnetic performance, for which he learned to be a butcher, earned him another award nomination and is considered one of the greatest screen villains of all time.

The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)

Day-Lewis played Jack Slavin, a dying environmentalist who lives in isolation on a remote island with his teenage daughter. Their secluded world is disrupted when he invites his girlfriend and her two sons to live with them.

The film was a small-scale, independent drama written and directed by his wife, Rebecca Miller. Day-Lewis gave a quiet and introspective performance as a man confronting his own mortality and the changing relationship with his daughter.

There Will Be Blood (2007)

In what is often cited as one of the greatest performances of the 21st century, Day-Lewis played Daniel Plainview, a ruthless and ambitious oil prospector in the early 1900s. The film follows his descent into madness as his greed and misanthropy consume him.

For his towering and terrifying performance, Day-Lewis won his second major acting award. His iconic line, “I drink your milkshake,” has become a part of pop culture, and his portrayal of a man consumed by ambition is unforgettable.

Nine (2009)

In this musical, Day-Lewis played Guido Contini, a famous Italian film director in the 1960s. He is struggling with a creative and personal crisis, trying to start his new film while juggling the many women in his life, including his wife, mistress, and muse.

Based on a Broadway show, the film was a major ensemble piece with an all-star cast. The role required Day-Lewis to sing and dance, showcasing yet another side of his incredible talent.

Lincoln (2012)

Day-Lewis delivered a masterful and transformative performance as Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. The film focuses on the final months of his life as he fights to pass the Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery.

For his immersive and deeply human portrayal, Day-Lewis won his third major acting award, setting a new record. He famously maintained Lincoln’s voice and persona throughout the production, creating a definitive and widely acclaimed depiction of the iconic leader.

Phantom Thread (2017)

In what he has stated will be his final film role, Day-Lewis played Reynolds Woodcock, a renowned and obsessive dressmaker in 1950s London. His carefully controlled life is disrupted when he falls for a strong-willed young waitress who becomes his muse and lover.

This elegant and psychologically complex drama was his second collaboration with director Paul Thomas Anderson. Day-Lewis’s performance as the demanding and brilliant artist was a subtle, funny, and deeply compelling farewell to his legendary career.

Which Daniel Day-Lewis role do you consider to be his ultimate masterwork? Let everyone know in the comments.