Imagine being universally regarded as the greatest of your generation. It’s a rare honor for exceptional humans. Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the few people who has a legitimate claim to the title of best actor of his generation. Day-Lewis, or DDL for short, immerses himself in every role, so much so that his method acting tendencies have become legendary Hollywood stories.
The three-time Oscar winner reportedly retired in 2017 after “Phantom Thread.” However, Day-Lewis returns to acting in 2025 with a role in his son Ronan’s film, “Anemone.” With “Anemone” hitting theaters this month, let’s revisit Day-Lewis’s seven best movies.
7. ‘In The Name of the Father’
“In the Name of the Father,” Day-Lewis’s second collaboration with Jim Sheridan, dramatizes the lives of the Guildford Four, a group of young men wrongly accused of a bombing in England that killed five people. One of the Guildford Four is Gerry Conlon (Day-Lewis), who was taking drugs in the park with his friend. Conlon is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Over the next decade, Conlon maintained his innocence and fought for his freedom. To prepare for the role, Day-Lewis lost 50 pounds and spent three days in a jail cell. The result was a powerful depiction of a man’s search for justice.
6. 'Gangs of New York'
To stand across from Day-Lewis, you must bring your A-game. Of all the actors to go toe-to-toe with DDL, Leonardo DiCaprio might be the best. DiCaprio and Day-Lewis faced off in Martin Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York,” an epic historical drama set in 1860s Manhattan. Years after witnessing the death of his father at the hands of William Cutting (Day-Lewis), Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio) returns to the Five Points to exact his revenge.
Amsterdam must navigate gang warfare and corruption to stay alive long enough to take its best shot at Cutting. Day-Lewis gives an invigorating performance that takes the movie to new heights every time he hits the screen.
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5. 'My Left Foot'
![My Left Foot (1989) Original Trailer [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xj7yME23Hes/maxresdefault.jpg)
“My Left Foot” is not Day-Lewis’s first film. However, it is the movie where DDL’s extreme Method acting became part of his lore. “My Left Foot” is based on the true story of Christy Brown (Day-Lewis), an Irish boy with severe cerebral palsy born into a working-class family. Paralyzed and unable to speak, Christy can only control his left foot, which becomes his tool for becoming an author, painter, and poet.
Day-Lewis’s commitment to roles is truly unmatched. The English actor reportedly made the crew feed him and carry him around the set in a wheelchair. Did DDL cross the line with his Method acting? Perhaps, but he did win an Academy Award for his performance, so his madness clearly worked.
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4. 'Phantom Thread'
Had Day-Lewis remained retired, “Phantom Thread” is the ideal last role. It’s one that showcases your best characteristics as an actor — commitment, poise and authenticity — crafted by an elite auteur in Paul Thomas Anderson. Day-Lewis plays Reynolds Woodcock, a renowned dressmaker in 1950s London. (Of course Day-Lewis learned how to make dresses for the film.)
Woodcock, a strong-willed bachelor, finally meets his match in Alma (Vicky Krieps), a foreign waitress who refuses to play second fiddle in their relationship. “Phantom Thread” is a love letter to artists and how their relentless pursuit of excellence can stunt their relationships.
Watch on Netflix
3. 'The Last of the Mohicans'
![The Last of the Mohicans - Official® Trailer [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/yaQeVnN6pUc/maxresdefault.jpg)
In the best way possible, Day-Lewis is psychotic with his preparation and commitment. In true Day-Lewis form, he lived in the wilderness and learned how to hunt before filming. Michael Mann is arguably as psychotic with his directing process. These two maniacs were a match made in heaven on “The Last of the Mohicans.”
Set during the French and Indian War, Nathaniel "Hawkeye" Poe (Day-Lewis), the adopted son of a Mohican father, agrees to escort a British officer (Steve Waddington) and the daughters (Madeleine Stowe and Jodhi May) of a general through enemy territory. Somehow, a movie set during a violent and bloody conflict becomes a vehicle for a vigorous and passionate love affair. “I will find you” is a romantic rallying cry.
2. 'Lincoln'
Did you know Liam Neeson was originally attached to play Abraham Lincoln for Steven Spielberg? It’s hard to fathom anyone but Day-Lewis playing one of the four most important presidents in American history. Day-Lewis won his third Academy Award for Best Actor for playing “Honest Abe” in “Lincoln.”
In arguably his most immersive role, Day-Lewis plays Abraham Lincoln during the last four months of his life. With the Civil War nearly over, Lincoln fights to permanently abolish slavery in a country divided by hate. Day-Lewis brings out the stoicism and quiet confidence in Lincoln in a true one-of-one performance.
1. 'There Will Be Blood'
It’s rare to have the triple masterpiece, but “There Will Be Blood” could be the tour de force for Day-Lewis, Anderson, and the 21st century. After finding silver in 1898, merciless businessman Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis) finds oil in California in the early 1990s. To come off as a family man, Plainview adopts the young boy of a deceased worker (Russell Harvard) and begins his West Coast takeover.
Plainview preys upon oblivious landowners to acquire their land, but a preacher named Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) proves to be his biggest obstacle. Day-Lewis’ performance will leave you speechless in this meditation on capitalist greed and ruthless ambition. The “I’ve Abandoned My Child” scene will be on DDL’s Hall of Fame tape.
Watch free (with library card) on Hoopla
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