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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000031

Most Academy Awards (Oscars) for Best Actor Won by a Jewish Actor

Record holder

Daniel Day-LewisPerson

Record value

3 Academy Awards for Best Actor

Country represented: United KingdomAchievement location: Los Angeles, CaliforniaAchievement date: 24 February 2013Current record

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Daniel Day-Lewis at the 1990 Academy Awards

Daniel Day-Lewis at the 1990 Academy Awards.Photo by Alan Light / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY 2.0

Official record definition

The greatest number of competitive Academy Awards for Actor in a Leading Role / Best Actor personally won by a male actor who satisfies the JWR Jewish Eligibility Standard. Supporting-actor awards, nominations and honorary awards are excluded.

Measurement methodology

Official Academy winner chronology for Actor in a Leading Role, totaled by individual and cross-checked against eligible Jewish actors.

Measurement point: competitive Academy Awards for Actor in a Leading Role / Best Actor

Record story

Daniel Day-Lewis holds the record for the most Academy Awards for Best Actor won by a Jewish actor, with a total of "3 Academy Awards for Best Actor". The record was established on 24 February 2013, in Los Angeles, California, when he received his third Oscar in the Actor in a Leading Role category for his performance in the film 'Lincoln'. His previous wins were for 'My Left Foot' and 'There Will Be Blood'.

According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this achievement made Day-Lewis the first actor in history to win three times in the Best Actor category. The record measurement is based on the official Academy winner chronology, with a review confirming no other eligible Jewish male actor has exceeded this total. Reporting from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency at the time of his third win identified Day-Lewis as the son of Jewish actress Jill Balcon.

Media

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
26 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

The Academy records Daniel Day-Lewis as the 2013 Actor in a Leading Role winner for Lincoln, his third Best Actor Oscar after My Left Foot and There Will Be Blood.

Superiority evidence

Daniel Day-Lewis became the first actor to win three Academy Awards for Best Actor; no eligible Jewish male actor exceeds that total in the reviewed Academy chronology.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Israeli films fall short again at Oscars — Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • The 85th Academy Awards Memorable Moments — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • 2013 Academy Awards — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • 1990 Academy Awards — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • 2008 Academy Awards — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

  • The 85th Academy Awards Memorable Moments

    Official recordAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences· 24 February 2013

    What this proves: States Day-Lewis became the first three-time Best Actor winner and names his previous wins.

  • 2013 Academy Awards

    Official recordAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences· 24 February 2013

    What this proves: Confirms Daniel Day-Lewis's third Best Actor win for Lincoln.

  • 1990 Academy Awards

    Official recordAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences· 26 March 1990

    What this proves: Confirms Day-Lewis's Best Actor win for My Left Foot.

  • Israeli films fall short again at Oscars

    Independent publicationJewish Telegraphic Agency· 25 February 2013

    What this proves: Identifies Day-Lewis as son of Jewish actress Jill Balcon and reports his third Best Actor Oscar.

  • 2008 Academy Awards

    Official recordAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences· 24 February 2008

    What this proves: Confirms Day-Lewis's Best Actor win for There Will Be Blood.

  • Daniel Day-Lewis filmography and biography

    Reference databaseWikimedia Commons

    What this proves: Provides identity and biographical cross-reference for Daniel Day-Lewis.

  • Daniel Day-Lewis portrait

    Reference databaseWikimedia Commons

    What this proves: Confirms the selected CC BY 2.0 image and attribution source.

History

  1. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

  2. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

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