Some actors say yes to every project. They appear in commercials, B-movies, indie films, and blockbusters, popping up on every screen and in the unlikeliest of places. Others are more selective, taking only those roles about which they are most passionate. They may go years without saying yes.
Daniel Day-Lewis is renowned for his selectivity, sometimes going years without accepting a role. As a result, he has only a fraction of the titles to his credit that some other actors do. Yet as a result of this selectivity, Day-Lewis turns in phenomenal performances. When he appears onscreen, acting of the highest caliber is guaranteed. These movies show Daniel Day-Lewis at his best.
Updated on May 27, 2022 by Patrick Armstrong:Over the years, Daniel Day-Lewis has brought commanding performances to a variety of characters. From biopics to historical dramas, Day-Lewis has chosen roles across a variety of genres. While the costumes and language may change, what remains consistent is the method actor's absolute commitment to the proper depiction of his characters.
The result is a filmography that, though small compared to that of many of his contemporaries, is almost unrivaled in terms of quality. In addition to his most popular films, those that dominated the box office as well as the attention of critics, the actor has appeared in several lesser-known but no less brilliant films. Here as everywhere else, Daniel Day-Lewis's talent shines.
14 Phantom Thread (2017)
Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis are a match made in cinema heaven, their collaborations ranking amongst Day-Lewis's best, and Phantom Thread is one of the fruits of that match. The other film upon which the two collaborated, There Will Be Blood, is the larger, more bombastic of the two films, but Phantom Thead is no less captivating because of that.
Day-Lewis stars as a '50s fashion designer who seems to have everything he could ever want, living a life of creative passion and opulence. As all of his characters are, Day-Lewis's character in Phantom Thread is wracked with flaws, and seeing how the actor dances around and plays those flaws against one another is part of what makes this film great.
13 The Crucible (1996)
Arthur Miller's The Crucible is one of the most famous and beloved plays this side of Shakespeare, and though plays and films are similar performative arts in some ways, translating a piece from one medium into the other is always a challenge. Given the critical acclaim of the original, the stakes were high when the time came to bring The Crucible to film.
Fortunately, the film has something on its side: Daniel Day-Lewis. The actor plays John Proctor, opposite Winona Ryder's Abigail Williams, and the powerful chemistry of the cast is in itself enough to recommend the film. The black and white aesthetic and Nicholas Hytner's direction give the period piece an appropriately harsh and solemn tone, and the film as a whole feels as cohesive as it is powerful.
12 The Unbearable Lightness Of Being (1988)
Daniel Day-Lewis has received so many astounding roles throughout his career, and many have been accompanied by monologues just as astounding. As Bill the Butcher, Daniel Plainview, and so many others, the actor has been challenged to give spirit and power to a number of lengthy and complex speeches.
In The Unbearable Lightness of Being, the opposite is the case. Daniel Day-Lewis's skills are tested differently in this underappreciated film due to its sparse dialog, forcing the actor to capture his character through looks and mannerisms more than speeches. To the surprise of few, the actor carries out this feat with apparent ease.
11 The Bounty (1984)
Given Daniel-Day Lewis's own talent it's unsurprising to find him starring opposite other legendary talents, but it was still early in his career when joined the cast of The Bounty. Featuring Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson alongside Day-Lewis, The Bounty lacks neither stars nor opportunities for their talents to emerge.
Despite this film being early in the actor's career and despite him having limited screen time within it, The Bounty afforded Daniel Day-Lewis the opportunity to demonstrate his acting chops opposite some of cinema's biggest names. With powerful body language and careful diction, the actor turned what could have been a forgettable role into an unexpected highlight, paving the way for many more brilliant projects to come.
10 The Boxer (1997)
The Boxer is less than two hours long, yet Daniel Day-Lewis spent three years training for his role. The number of well-known actors with that kind of obsessive dedication to the craft can probably be counted on one hand. His years of training paid off. When Day-Lewis boxes, he is a boxer, not merely an actor impersonating one.
This commitment creates a feeling of authenticity and immersion which would otherwise be impossible. Though The Boxer has strengths other than Daniel Day-Lewis, the method actor's contribution arguably outweighs every other, turning a good film into a great one.
9 The Age Of Innocence (1993)
Martin Scorsese and Daniel Day-Lewis have more than one collaboration under their belts, which is unsurprising given just how effective the combination of their talents is. The Age of Innocence is a 19th-century period piece featuring Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder.
Based on the 1920 Edith Wharton novel, the film is precisely the kind of story one would expect, considering the time and setting. Daniel Day-Lewis's performance is more reserved here than in some of his more popular films, but his quieter, more contemplative demeanor in no way detracts from the power of the piece.
8 A Room With A View (1985)
Helena Bonham-Carter, Maggie Smith, Julian Sands, and Daniel Day-Lewis help ground this adaptation of the E.M. Forster novel of the same name. A Room with a View is a classic British drama, carried by artful dialog and even more artful characterizations.
Daniel Day-Lewis's performance as Cecil Vyse is as well-conceived and performed as one would expect, and thanks to the quality of his co-stars, it need not exist in a vacuum. On the whole, Cecil is one of Day-Lewis's simpler roles, but here he proves himself just as capable of spinning gold from straw as he does with more complicated parts.
7 My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
Co-starring a young Daniel Day-Lewis, My Beautiful Laundrette is the story of Omar and Johnny, two men whose former romance rekindles itself despite social pressures that threaten to destroy Omar's business and tear the two men apart again.
It's a low-budget film, with all the problems such a situation entails, and while it may not be a cinematographic extravaganza, the movie triumphs. The emotional and sexual connection between Omar and Johnny is loving rather than exploitative, despite the complicated social storm in which the two are embroiled. It's painful. It's funny. It suffers from obvious flaws. Though not Day-Lewis's best work, My Beautiful Laundrette is worthwhile.
6 In The Name Of The Father (1993)
Daniel Day-Lewis's affection for period pieces and historical dramas of every sort is obvious to anyone familiar with his filmography. In the Name of the Father carries on that tradition, the story of a father and son sharing a British prison cell for the IRA bombing of which they are falsely accused.
Director Jim Sheridan's film isn't as lavish as Day-Lewis films like There Will Be Blood or Gangs of New York, but it makes up for that with visual and emotional intimacy. Daniel Day-Lewis's character is arguably more grounded and conventional here than in other films, but that detracts from the quality of his performance not one bit.
5 Lincoln (2012)
One privilege afforded to the greatest actors is the opportunity to work with the greatest directors. So it was that Daniel Day-Lewis received the opportunity to play America's 16th president in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.
Spielberg's talent is unquestionable, his eye for narrative pacing and dramatic moments all but unmatched, but one's taste for the film will depend in part on one's tolerance of patriotic sentimentality. Whatever liberties are taken with the story, Day-Lewis's portrayal of the titular character is staggeringly effective. His Abraham Lincoln is gaunt and spindly, a man who wears the weight of his decisions in every wrinkle of his face.
4 Gangs Of New York (2002)
Martin Scorsese is one of a handful of auteurs whose directorial signature is so distinct that his films can never be mistaken for those of any other director. The ensemble cast of Gangs of New York includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, and Liam Neeson, alongside other exceptional performers, but it's Daniel Day-Lewis who steals the show.
Bill "The Butcher" Cutting makes the most of the film's almost three-hour runtime, with top-rate dialog and mannerisms. Gangs of New York is elaborate and expensive, and it shows, but performances like Day-Lewis's make every minute of the film worth it.
3 The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)
Numerous adaptations of James Fenimore Cooper's novel exist, but the 1992 version starring Day-Lewis is the strongest. Guided by Michael Mann, the director of such acclaimed films as Heat and Manhunter, Day-Lewis turns in a powerful performance in a powerful film.
Mann is known for imbuing his films with energy and complexity, and Cooper's source material turns out to be an excellent match. The Last of the Mohicans boasts strong cinematography and a score to match it, and the landscapes depicted are as engaging as the characters that move through them.
2 My Left Foot (1989)
Method actors devote themselves totally to their characters, sinking into their roles until character and actor are indistinguishable. For Daniel Day-Lewis, method acting as real-life writer and painter Christy Brown in My Left Foot meant restricting himself to a wheelchair and moving only the toes of his left foot for the duration of the shoot, even when off-camera.
Though this dedication frustrated the rest of the cast and crew, it let Day-Lewis better understand the true challenges of living with severe cerebral palsy as Christy Brown did, and thanks to this insight Day-Lewis turned in one of the greatest performances of his career.
1 There Will Be Blood (2007)
If There Will Be Blood were only a seven-minute film, consisting solely of its final scene, Daniel Day-Lewis's harrowing performance would still make it a masterpiece. Instead, Paul Thomas Anderson's film is over two-and-a-half hours long, and Day-Lewis's merciless performance towers over every second of it.
Daniel Plainview is as demanding a role as any ever written, requiring the perfect blend of charm and vitriol not to spoil. Perhaps there is an actor who could match his performance, but there are none who could surpass it. Day-Lewis even makes milkshakes terrifying.