Names and faces
Daniel Day-Lewis, a widely respected actor and a threetime Oscar winner, announced that he’s retiring from acting. The 60-year-old actor said Tuesday that he has shot his last film and performed in his last play. That will make Paul Thomas Anderson’s already filmed Phantom Thread, due out in December, his final film. His representative Leslee Dart said in a statement that Day-Lewis “is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject.” The announcement sent shock waves through Hollywood, where Day-Lewis is revered as among the finest actors of his time for his exceptionally deliberate performances through methodical character development. A five-time Academy Award nominee, Day-Lewis is the only one to ever win best actor three times, earning Oscars for My Left Foot, Lincoln and There Will Be Blood.
Tony Bennett, the beloved and durable interpreter of American standards whose chart-topping career spans seven decades, has been honored with this year’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The Library of Congress announced the award Tuesday. The lifetime achievement award, named for the duo of George and Ira Gershwin, was created by Congress to honor singers and songwriters who entertain, inform and inspire. \Bennett, 90, gained his first pop success in the early 1950s with a string of singles for Columbia Records, including “Because of You” and “Rags to Riches.” His 24 Top 40 hits included his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (1962), which won two Grammy awards. In a statement about the honor, Bennett recalled that one of his earliest recordings was “Fascinating Rhythm,” a song by the Gershwins. “To be receiving an award named in their honor is one of the greatest thrills of my career, and I am deeply appreciative to the Library of Congress to be named this year’s recipient,” Bennett said.