What is Daniel Day-Lewis Net Worth and Where is He Since He Quit Acting?

A retired English actor with dual British and Irish citizenship best known for his adherence to the method acting technique, Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the most respected actors in the history of Hollywood. It is little wonder why he has garnered three Academy Awards for Best Actor, making him the only person to have managed that many awards in that category. Some of the more memorable movies the British actor has been a part of include My Left Foot (1989), Gangs of New York (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007), and Lincoln (2012).

In 2017, after an almost five decades-long career, Day-Lewis, who made his humble debut in the British drama film, Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), announced his retirement at the age of fourteen. Here is a look at his career and life after shinning in the spotlight.

He Overcame a Troubled Childhood to Become an Actor

Daniel Day-Lewis was born on the 29th of April 1957, in Kensington, London. His father was the renowned Irish poet, Cecil Day-Lewis, while his mother was English actress Jill Balcon. He has a sister named Tamasin, who is currently a documentary filmmaker and celebrity chef.

Asides from his immediate family, Day-Lewis also boasts of some prominent extended relatives. His maternal grandfather was a celebrated filmmaker named Sir Michael Balcon. Sir Balcon co-founded Ealing studios, the oldest continuously working studio facility for film and TV production in the world. He also served as the chairman of the British Institute’s Experimental Film Fund.

Daniel Day-Lewis grew up in the town of Greenwich and was quite wild as a child. He got into several troubles, both inside and outside school, and was even involved in petty crimes like shoplifting. He was consequently shipped off to several boarding schools to see if that would make him change, but it did not. The first school he attended was Sevenoaks, a highly-selective coeducational independent school in Kent. After his disdain for the school grew, he was transferred to another independent school, Bedales in Petersfield, Hampshire, where his sister was already a student.

At Sevenoaks, Day-Lewis was introduced to several refreshing subjects such as woodworking, acting, and fishing. He fell in love with the first two and upon completion of school, applied for further training in both of them. However, he was only accepted for acting, and he focused on bettering his skills in that regard.

Analysis of Daniel Day-Lewis Net Worth

For someone who became one of the greatest actors of his generation, no one needs to be told that acting is the major source of his wealth currently estimated at a massive $50 million. Since he retired from the profession in 2017, it remains to be seen how he would continue to make a living.

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He Made as Much as $8 Million Per Movie Role.

During the course of his glorious Hollywood career, Daniel Day-Lewis accumulated a net worth of $50 million. The primary source of his wealth was acting, which saw him earn about $6-$8 million per role, and it could have been more if he desired so. This is because the London native received numerous movie offers in the course of his career. He was, however, dedicated to his craft and so, was quite picky about the type of works that he featured in.

This, therefore, resulted in a small but qualitative filmography of just 21 movies over four decades. What Day-Lewis lacked in quantity, he made up for in quality as many of his movies have received critical acclaim from renowned film institutes including the American Film Institute.

Daniel Day-Lewis featured in movies such as Gandhi, The Bounty, A Room with a View, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and My Beautiful Laundrette, in the early 80s. Being a method actor, he learned to immerse himself in the character he was playing completely and thus achieved spectacular results. For his out-of-the-world acting skills, he would win three Oscar awards in the best actor category for his roles in movies like My Left Foot (1989), There Will Be Blood (2007), and Lincoln (2012).

Day-Lewis scored his first Oscar for best actor thanks to his portrayal of a physically-challenged man who overcomes great odds to become an artist in the 1989 biopic, My Left Foot. The London native would wait for 18 years before he won another Oscar, this time for his portrayal of a ruthless silver miner-turned-oilman in the 2007 epic drama film, There Will Be Blood. His record-breaking third Oscar came in the year 2013. This was for his expert resurrection of great American statesman, Abraham Lincoln, in the 2012 historical drama, Lincoln. With this third gong, Day-Lewis made history as the first and only male actor to win that category thrice.

He Also Pulled off Several TV Roles

Daniel Day-Lewis is most known for his big-screen exploits, but he didn’t limit his acting to that. Over the course of his career, he was seen in several television films and shows. To the best of our knowledge, the first was in an episode of the British detective fiction drama series, Shoestring.

After that, he was seen in TV films like Artemis 81, How Many Miles to Babylon?, and Thank You, P.G. Wodehouse. In the years that followed, he appeared in episodes of series like Play of the Month, Frost in May, and Screen Two. His most notable TV role was as Jonathan Dakers in My Brother Jonathan. What he was paid for all of these roles is best known to him, but it surely contributed to his massive fortune.

Daniel Day-Lewis Also Made Money from Stage Acting

Often described as a triple threat actor, Daniel didn’t only explore acting at the big and small screens, he also excelled on stage. He became a popular name in stage acting when he became the lead actor in Another Country; this was in late 1981.

Thereafter, he was seen in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream Romeo and Juliet (1983 – 1984), Half Moon Theatre’s Dracula (1984), and Royal National Theatre’s Futurists (1986) and Hamlet (1989).

Earlier, he was seen in several productions of Little Theatre, Theatre Royal, and Old Vic Theatre. This goes to show that stage acting added to his wealth in no small manner.

A Look at the Major Awards of His Career

• 6 nominations for Academy Awards out of which he won 3
• 4 British Academy Film Awards out of 7 nominations
• 8 nominations for Golden Globe Awards and 2 wins
• 3 Screen Actors Guild Awards out of 5 nominations
• 3 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
• 3 National Society of Film Critics Awards
• 6 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
• 6 nominations for Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and 3 wins
• 5 nominations for Satellite Awards out of which he won 2
• 3 Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards out of 4 nominations
• 2017 Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
• Daniel Day-Lewis is the actor with most Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (3)

Daniel Day-Lewis’ Decision To Retire and What He’s Been Up To Lately

Following his 2013 Oscar win, Daniel Day-Lewis embarked on a five-year hiatus from acting. Such hiatuses had been a regular occurrence throughout his impressive career, and as such, his fans weren’t overly bothered. They rejoiced when he staged a comeback in 2017, portraying an obsessive dressmaker in the 50s fashion drama, Phantom Thread. However, their joy was cut short when his representatives announced that the movie would mark his final work as an actor.

In keeping with his taciturn lifestyle, Day-Lewis refused to elaborate on why he was quitting. The most he said was that he never thought of quitting before Phantom Thread; however, the process of making the film was so overwhelming and depressing that he experienced profound sadness afterwards and as such, had to walk away.

Daniel Day-Lewis is yet to reveal his plans, but he has maintained that he would surely not stay idle. Meanwhile, the rumour mill has been working overtime with some suggesting that he may go into painting, furniture making, fashion designing, or even competitive car racing.

For now, no one can guarantee what the multiple Oscar winner will do in the future, but one thing that is for sure is that no matter what path he decides to take, he will surely excel at it. In the meantime, Day-Lewis is enjoying life away from the spotlight. He now makes his home in New York but takes great care to avoid the city’s high-powered social scene. He rather contents himself with walks and shopping trips with his wife or close friends. For instance, on the 6th of December 2019, the retired actor was spotted taking a walk with two female friends through East Village. The group looked to be in high spirits during their outing.