Is Daniel Day-Lewis the best triple Oscar winner?
Thursday, March 12, 2020 at 10:00AM 
In the past 92 years, only a handful of performers have managed to win more than one Oscar. More than two is even rarer and more than three is a feat only ever achieved by Katharine Hepburn. In the relatively exclusive club of three-time Oscar-winning actors, we can find five names, three men and two women. Despite their golden prizes, perusing their winning performances can be a sad affair with most of them having at least one terrible victory in their collection. For Meryl Streep it's The Iron Lady, for Ingrid Bergman Anastasia and Murder on the Orient Express. Jack Nicholso's win for As Good As It Gets isn't very well-regarded and Walter Brennan's first two victories are rather dire.
Only one rises above the others as a perfect case of the Academy honoring an actor for the right performances. It's Daniel Day-Lewis, of course…
His first victory was as much a feat of great acting as of great campaigning. The much-hated Harvey Weinstein backed 1989's My Left Foot, making it the focus of one of his first and most aggressive Oscar campaigns. He even took the picture to Capitol Hill where Daniel Day-Lewis spoke in favor of the American Disabilities Act. As much as we despise the former head of Miramax and The Weinstein Company, his efforts were crucial for Day-Lewis to triumph over frontrunner Tom Cruise, who'd won the Globe for Born on the 4th of July. It also helped that, to play the lauded Irish painter with cerebral palsy Christy Brown, Daniel Day-Lewis spent months in research and lived in-character for the six weeks of shooting, breaking two ribs along the way. Such efforts were noted by critics, who showered the actor with many prizes.
None of that means the performance is devoid of merit. No matter the impact of campaigning in Daniel Day-Lewis' first Oscar victory, the actor's work is unimpeachable and deserving of Hollywood's most coveted honor. The role itself is insanely showy, but Day-Lewis never lets the spectacular physicality smother the psychology of his character. Every gesture and coughed up word, every spasm and frantic look, each inch of tense musculature is a brushstroke that lets us understand the man at the center of the story, painting a vivid picture of his frustration and joy, off-beat humor, wants, and heartbreaks. Watching Brown be rejected, first by a teenage crush then by an adult paramour, is a thing of lacerating beauty, symphonies of feeling playing in the actor's shining eyes.
18 years and three nominations later, Daniel Day-Lewis returned to the Oscar stage to collect his second prize. This time around, it wasn't for a sentimental biopic, but an austere art film directed by one of our greatest modern auteurs. Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 grand opus There Will Be Blood is the American Dream twisted into something vile and rabid, hunger for money and power, oil and gold, corrupting the souls of all. Amid this misery, Daniel Day-Lewis anchors the film and gives it the shape of a portentous character study. He plays Daniel Plainview, an oilman, and a huckster through-and-through, always trying to sell something, be it ore or the illusion of family values drained of love.
Daniel Day-Lewis' work is a performance within a performance for Plainview is an actor of the sales pitch, always manipulating those he considers lesser. He rarely speaks his lines, preferring to intone them with a John Huston-like roar that sounds like honey laced with arsenic. Similarly, his face is a mask even more unchangeable in its fakeness. He only lets it slip once or twice and when it does, his expression sours into something ugly and dangerous. Just the fury during his baptismal humiliation would be enough to earn him the Oscar, but Day-Lewis manages to top himself with an astounding coda. In his final moments, Plainview lets any hint of fatherly love fall into a pit of resentment and his hatred for a fellow huckster, one that peddles God instead of oil, becomes full-on madness.
After the strangled speech of Brown and the demonic sound of Plainview, 2012's Lincoln plays with a shock of soft-spoken authority. Instead of taking the route of easy drama, the Irish actor underplays the American President to great effect. This version of Abraham Lincoln is a melancholic figure, a charismatic man who loves to tell stories at every opportunity, using them to cajole stubborn adversaries and to distract his audiences. Despite the notes of weary sadness hiding beneath the amiable facade, Day-Lewis never allows his character to turn into some sort of idealized saint. There's cunning in his behavior and a deliberate quality to the pauses he peppers throughout Tony Kushner's dialogue. He may be a good man, but he's also a master politician. It's a performance deserving of the Oscar, there's no doubt about that.
There Will be Blood is newly available on Netflix and you can find My Left Foot on HBO Now. Don't miss those Oscar-winning wonders.
Reader Comments (69)
LINCOLN is awful. Shinning example of a mediocre performance winning due to biopic + pedigree + campsign.
His performance as Bill the Butcher really helped his momentum.
There is something about that Lincoln performance where I felt he did a great job becoming Lincoln, but he was not interacting in a believable way with the other actors. It's almost as if he was in one man show.
I do think he's a great actor but the only one I would recommend is There Will be Blood.
Maybe he will come out of a retirement and do a movie with Streep. That would be very interesting to have the two leading titans in a great film.
I thought TLJ wiped the floor with DDL's Performance in Lincoln tbh.
Everyone knows how I fell with Meryl's third win. I celebrate it for so many reasons (some are silly, some are serious), but I can understand why people are dissapointed.
It still doesn't change the fact she wasn't awarded sooner, though.
Even in 2009.... we all knew it wasn't happening, even though I prayed for a miracle. *sigh*
I completely forgot Blanchett was in The Aviator. That's how much she made an impression to me.
I don't think Bergman did anything Special in Orient Express that deserved a nom, let alone a win.
Just my opinion though.
We can praise one actor (and he deserves it, certainly!) without putting down others especially with words like "terrible" to describe their victory. A lot of the more level-headed people here have been complaining about how toxic and negative the comments have become, but we shouldn't be surprised, because the write-up themselves are so toxic and negative. Historically, they have been for a long time, since those days when Renee Zellweger, Hillary Swank, and even Cate Blanchett were being routinely bashed. There are ways to highlight the difference between certain performers without being so rudely blatant and so obviously prejudiced.
I just don't look at it this way at all. Oscars are awarded in such an arbitrary way that I look at the over all career and ask - is this person worthy of 3 ?
Hepburn - she had such an amazing career, with shining moments. Worth 3 - absolutely.
Brennan - character actor with narrow range, but in several good films. 3 ? - no.
Nicholson - great actor, did many iconic roles, worth 3 - Definitely.
Streep - great actress, lengthy varied career, frequently brilliant. Worth 3? - Hell yes.
DDL - great actor, not great at comedy, but can do intense really well. Worth 3 ? - definitely.
But is DDL greater than others, No Way. He can't do what Nicholson, Streep, and Hepburn do.
LadyEdith - thanks. I share your sentiment.Saying an Oscar win is more deserving than another is something hatched by fans and critics alike.
Ron - yes, I remember the days when Cate Blanxhett was bashed on this site only to be worshipped only after Blue Jasmine and Carol.
Ron -- I'm sorry that this piece came out too negative or toxic. However, I'm not going to say Ingrid Bergman's work in Anastasia or Walter Brennan's ethnic comedy in Come and Get It, for example, are good performances, I genuinely think they're mediocre efforts with many problems. Every actor who worked as much as these five Oscar champions did will have a couple of lesser works in their repertoire, it's only natural.
My words weren't meant as an attack on those other actors, however. If anything, I'm trying to criticize the Academy for failing to award them for their greatest performances, which often aren't even nominated.
If, as you say, my piece was rude and prejudiced, I apologize. This was supposed to be a celebration of DDL's talent and his luck in having some of his greatest work rewarded by the Academy. He wouldn't be a lesser performer if one of his statuettes was for Nine, but I wouldn't consider him the best example of three deserved wins either. Again, saying an Oscar win was bad or undeserved doesn't mean I'm saying the actors who got those prizes are themselves bad. Maybe I wasn't clear in my writing for this piece, I admit and, again, apologize.
LadyEdith -- Sorry for the repetitions, but, again, I wasn't talking about these Oscar champions' overall career, just their winning performances. In the same manner, I'm not saying DDL is better than Streep, Brennan, Nicholson or Bergman. Just that, overall, he has the best collection of three winning performances.
In my opinion, of course - as in everything tangentially related to art criticism, it's a subjective matter. If others loved Nicholson's work in As Good As It Gets I'm happy for them and wish I felt the same, to be honest.
everyone -- Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it and hope to become a better writer by paying attention to your input.
Yes!!! DDL fully earned all three Oscars. I'm hopeful that he returns to acting someday before he dies and wins a fourth Oscar in lead actor.
Cate shld've won for Elizabeth back in 1998 and joined the list above!!! She wld've matched DDL in 3 deserving wins!!
In respect to Bergman, yes Anastasia is a "Welcome Back, Ingrid" win, but it is def betta than tt dreadful Gaslight (Stanwych is totally robbed!! Bergman shld've been nom and win for Notorious, a much betta thriller!); and her serviceable performance in Murder on Orient Express, which is a surprise, sentimental win.
K Hepburn solid win is w/o a doubt The Lion in Winter, she shld've won for Little Women, not Morning Glory!! Her wins for Guess Who's and On Golden Pond r def sentimental wins! She shld've won for The Philadelphia Story, or Summertime, or Long Day's Journey into Night, or even Suddenly, Last Summer!!
Its true like she famously said, u alws win for the wrong role!! lol
The Academy has a habit of awarding the wrong performances, it alws has been n sadly it seems like it will alws be...That's Life!!
Completely disagree.
Lincoln is by far Day-Lewis weakest win.
Bergman in Anastasia and Nicholson in As Goid As It Gets are brilliant. Both delivered extraordinary performances.
Hepburn is marvelous in three - and damn good in the other, obviously Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Streep is ridiculous in The Iron Lady.
And this is, by far, one of worst articles I've ever seen here.
Firstly Meryl Streep was brilliant in The Iron Lady. She totally deserved the Oscar.
As for There Will Be Blood - what a rotten movie that was and Day Lewis did NOT deserve the Oscar for that.
I find DDL...vastly overrated. I would have voted for him in 07...but honestly, Mortenson isn't too far from him and if Affleck had been placed in his proper category he should have won in a walk.
In 89...it should have gone to Freeman of the nominees...Bridges if he had been rightfully nominated.
And his Lincoln, while fine, is just that. Phoenix should have walked away with that Oscar. I also would have rather seen Cooper or Jackman win over DDL honestly.
I'll say three Oscars for acting seems overwhelming excessive. However, in the cases of Bergman, Nicholson, and Streep they're warranted just because of who they are.
Brennan was a horrible and unapologetic racist.
Hepburn doesn't have the range. And it's shocking to me how gleeful people are in attacking Audrey Hepburn's ability when she was twice the actress of Katharine.
Day-Lewis being a reluctant stage actor similar to Streep is cause for concern whenever anyone wants to declare someone the greatest actor.
Excuse you, Ingrid Bergman’s Anastasia was great.
I still maintain that Joaquin Phoenix should have won the Oscar for The Master over Lincoln.
If Phoenix had won for "The Master" like he was supposed to, he would have never won for that abomination that is "Joker." Totally fine with Daniel Day-Lewis having three Oscars, but "Lincoln" is the weakest one. "GONY" or even "Phantom Thread" were better choices.
Never seen Brennan's work to know his worth. I just know that he was a racist piece of shit in real-life, so no need to ever pay to see his films.
Bergman winning for "Orient" was pretty awful. Even she knew that Oscar belonged to Valentina Cortese.
Nicholson's worst was "As Good as It Gets." Streep's worst was "The Iron Lady." Don't be so quick to rubber-stamp already winning legends, Academy!
Next in line are Denzel Washington and Cate Blanchett.
I think he's great. My favorite of the wins is TWBB. I'd love to see him act more, but I don't mind that he's a reluctant actor ... it makes it feel like an event whenever he does star in something, and he generally picks interesting projects.
Also, and this is a more superficial comment--looking at those three photos it's clear that he's aging incredibly well.
I feel Gaslit by these comments because, regardless of if another nominee was preferred, I thought Ingrid Bergman was great in Gaslight. Another brilliant piece by the best writer here.
If we see DDL carrier, we see that he did almoust every single male character variation in this industry. The only two missing? A voice-over / animated performance and playing a woman. This is the reason why caucasian male acting is almost boring 90% of the times: there is no variation besides that.
My three Oscars for DDl where for:
In The Name of the Father or The Crucible
Gangs of NY
Lincoln
About the three / four acting oscars, I have a personal list:
MARLON BRANDO - A Street Car Named Desire, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now
MERYL STREEP - Sophie's Choice, Bridges of Madison County, The Hours / The Devil Wears Prada
THELMA RITTER - Any of her oscar nominations
BETTE DAVIS - All About Eve, Baby Jane, The Little Foxes
DENZEL WASHINGTON - Glory, Hurricane, Training Day
KATE WINSLET - Sense and Sensibility, Little Children, Revol. Road / Steve Jobs
GARY OLDMAN - Sid & Nancy, Dracula, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
GLENN CLOSE - The World according to Gap, Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons
MICHELLE PFEIFFER - Batman Returns, Baker Boys, The Age of Innocence
RALPH FIENNES - Schindler's List, The Grand Budapest Hotel, A Bigger Splash
Dear Cláudio,
Thank you for never failing to be respectful and courteous with your replies, even when the comments are less than. Your unfailing civility is comforting and inspiring in this day and age of toxicity. Please keep writing!