Bookies favourite Daniel Day-Lewis duly surged to glory at tonight's Academy Awards, picking up the best actor prize for his performance in Lincoln. He is the first man ever to win three best actor Oscars, having previously triumphed for 1989's My Left Foot and 2007's There Will Be Blood.

Spielberg's film casts the British-born performer as the 16th American president, exhausted but still upstanding at the end of the civil war as he seeks to pass an amendment that will lead to the abolition of slavery.

Day-Lewis, 55, is renowned for his careful preparation and exacting nature – often immersing himself in a role to such a degree that he remains in character for the duration of filming. "Maybe it's complete self-delusion," he once admitted. "But it works for me."