1. Daniel Day-Lewis
Considered by some to be the greatest actor of all time, Daniel Day-Lewis is the only actor in history to win the Academy Award for Best Actor three times. One of the all time most devoted method actors, Daniel Day-Lewis completely throws himself into every single one of his roles. His breakout film was 1989's My Left Foot in which he played Christy Brown, a disabled writer. His performance in the film earned him his first Oscar. His next film was the acclaimed Last of the Mohicans, where he spent weeks learning how to hunt, fish, and camp in order to show how to live in the wild. During the 90's he turned in acclaimed roles in the Name of the Father, Age of innocence, the Crucible, and the Boxer. In 2002 he turned in one of his best performances when he played Bill the Butcher in Martin Scorcsese's Gangs of New York. In 2007, he turned in one of the all time great film performances when he played Daniel Plainview in There Will be Blood, a movie that earned him his second Best Actor award and has become one of the iconic roles of the 21st century. In 2012, Daniel Day-Lewis turned in yet another iconic performance when he portrayed Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, winning his record breaking third Best Actor. Arguably the most talented actor of all time, Daniel Day-Lewis is notoriously picky about his roles, sometimes taking years between performances. Daniel Day-Lewis has reached a stage where he can play literally anything and be considered the favorite to win an Oscar and he is clearly the best actor modern movies have to offer.