Meryl Streep presents the Best Actor Oscar to "Lincoln" star Daniel Day-Lewis at the 85th annual Academy Awards.

Credit: AP Photo

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Daniel Day-Lewis has broken an Oscar record this evening. The "Lincoln" star picked up the Best Actor trophy for his performance in the Steven Spielberg film, making him the first actor to win three lead actor prizes.

"Since we were married 16 years ago my wife has lived with some very strange men," Day-Lewis said from the stage of the Dolby Theatre, Oscar in hand. "But luckily she's the versatile one in the family… There are three men to whom I owe this and a great deal more: Tony Kushner, our skipper Steven Spielberg and the mind, body and spirit of Abraham Lincoln. For my mother. Thank you so much."

The Actor was an overwhelming favorite coming into tonight's race. He previously won for 1989's "My Left Foot" and 2007's "There Will Be Blood." In addition he was nominated in 1993 for Jim Sheridan's "In the Name of the Father" and 2002 for Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York." All of Day-Lewis's Oscar recognition to date has come in the leading category.

This was the second prize Spielberg's film, nominated for 12 Oscars, won this evening. It also picked up the Best Production Design trophy.

Kristopher Tapley
Editor-at-Large

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Kristopher Tapley has covered the film awards landscape for over a decade. He founded In Contention in 2005. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Times of London and Variety. He begs you not to take any of this too seriously.