Born to Nicholas Blake (aka Cecil Day-Lewis) and his second wife Jill Balcon, he lost his father at the age of 15.

Several times offered and turned down the role of Aragorn (Strider) in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Has three sons: Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis (born on 9 April 1995), Ronan Cal Day-Lewis (born on 14 June 1998) and Cashel Blake Day-Lewis (born in May 2002).

His performance as Christy Brown in _My Left Foot (1989)_ is ranked #11 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

Lived together with Isabelle Adjani, who gave birth to their son Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis on 9 April 1995, from 1989 to 1994.

He was Jonathan Demme's first choice for the part of Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia (1993). He turned the part down to work on In the Name of the Father (1993) and Tom Hanks was cast in Philadelphia (1993) instead. Day-Lewis earned an Oscar nomination for best actor in In the Name of the Father (1993), but Hanks won the best actor Oscar for Philadelphia (1993), the part Day-Lewis turned down.

Grandson of Michael Balcon.

Announced that he will star in Rose and the Snake, co-written and directed by his wife, Rebecca Miller. The film was later renamed The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005). (25 February 2003).

According to Gangs of New York (2002) co-star John C. Reilly, he got sick during shooting in Italy, refusing to trade his character's threadbare coat for a warmer coat because the warmer coat did not exist in the 19th century; doctors finally forced him to take antibiotics.

According to Harvey Weinstein, Day-Lewis was taking time off to work as a cobbler in Florence, Italy when Weinstein, director Martin Scorsese and star Leonardo DiCaprio lured him into coming back to New York "on false pretenses" so they could persuade him to accept lead role in Gangs of New York (2002).

While filming The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005) on Prince Edward Island, Canada, Day-Lewis lived alone in a hut on the beach, away from his wife, director Rebecca Miller, and their children.

He listened to Eminem to get into an angry, self-righteous frame of mind as Bill the Butcher while shooting Gangs of New York (2002).

After Michael Madsen was found to be unavailable for the part, Day-Lewis tried to get the role of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction (1994), one of the few times he actively pursued a part. However, by that point in the casting, Quentin Tarantino had John Travolta in mind for the part.

Brother of Tamasin Day-Lewis.

Son-in-law of playwright Arthur Miller.

Dedicated his 2008 Oscar to his grandfather, film studio boss Michael Balcon, his poet father Nicholas Blake (aka Cecil Day-Lewis), and his three sons Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis (born on 9 April 1995), Ronan Cal Day-Lewis (born on 14 June 1998) and Cashel Blake Day-Lewis (born in May 2002).

The first non-American actor to win two Academy Awards for best actor.

Got to know his future wife Rebecca Miller while working on the film version of her father Arthur Miller`s play "The Crucible".

Owns homes in the US and Ireland.

Trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School where colleagues included Miranda Richardson and Greta Scacchi.

Supports Millwall Football Club.

Was director Alex Cox`s second choice for the role of Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986). Gary Oldman got the part.

Holds dual citizenship - British and Irish.

Dedicated his 2008 SAG Award to Heath Ledger who was one of his favorite actors.

During The Last of the Mohicans (1992) he built a canoe, learned to track and skin animals, and perfected the use of a 12-pound flintlock gun, which he took everywhere he went, even to a Christmas dinner.

Late in the run of the 1989 production of Hamlet at the National Theatre in London, he reported that he had a strange sensation that he was talking to his father, who died of pancreatic cancer when Daniel was 15. Unnerved, he walked off the stage and never returned. He still doesn`t like to talk about it.

Turned down leading role of Steven Soderbergh film Solaris (2002). The role instead went to George Clooney.

Appears in the novel "That Must Be Yoshino".

Grandson of Michael Balcon

His performance as Bill "The Butcher" Cutting in Gangs of New York (2002) is ranked #53 on Premiere Magazine`s 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

His performance as Christy Brown in My Left Foot (1989) is ranked #11 on Premiere Magazine`s 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

While filming Gangs of New York (2002) he rarely got out of character and would talk with a New York accent the whole day and would be sharpening his knives at lunch.

Hated being at Sevenoaks School so much that he ran away.

Considered doing an adaptation of "Rose and the Snake" in the early 1990s, but the project fell through. After marrying Rebecca Miller, she convinced him to take the lead role and directed him in the adaptation The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005).

Shares his birthday with Uma Thurman and comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

Frequently called the "English Robert De Niro." Early in his career, Day-Lewis recently referred to De Niro as his champion.

He lived apart from his wife Rebecca Miller while she was directing him in The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005). This is in keeping with his habit of being isolated while in character and shooting a film, which is in part the reason he is hesitant to take more film work.

Was considered for the role of Jesus Christ in The Passion of the Christ (2004), but director Mel Gibson thought he looked "too European" and the part instead went to James Caviezel.

In The Crucible (1996) Joan Allen plays his wife. In The Boxer (1997) Emily Watson plays his wife. Both have played Reba McLain. Allen played the part in Manhunter (1986), Watson played the part in the remake, Red Dragon (2002).

He was the first of three consecutive British actors to win the Oscar for Best Actor in a leading role, Jeremy Irons being next and Anthony Hopkins the third. Each of them coincidentally won at their first nomination in the Academy Awards.

Always quiet and introverted, he said that he was not popular in school and was mocked as an outsider while growing up in England, partially because he was of half-Jewish/half-Irish stock. The upside was that, instead of socializing, he developed a rich fantasy life that later helped him to delve so deeply into his characters.

Not only do he and Michelle Pfeiffer share a birthday, but both were married on the same day, albeit three years apart.

Is a skilled woodworker in addition to being able to make his living as a cobbler.

Chosen by People magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the world (2003).

Describes himself as "a lifelong study of evasion."

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Stars" in film history (#11) (1995).

Moving to County Wicklow, Ireland, he assumed Irish citizenship (1993).

Ranked #25 in Empire (UK) magazine`s "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list (October 1997).

Chosen by People magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the world (1990).