Unpredictable and famously shy about publicity to the point of Garboesque seclusion – sometimes for years – following a film, Daniel Day-Lewis proved time and again his considerable onscreen talents in roles befitting the highly complex actor. Though often compared Sir Laurence Olivier, a fellow Brit to whom he appeared to be a natural descendant of, Day-Lewis instead took his cues from the raw, aggressive loners of 1970s American cinema – Brando, Duvall and especially De Niro. After gaining notice with his performance in “My Beautiful Laundrette” (1985), Day-Lewis developed a reputation for