Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesDaniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for Best Actor tonight, for his role in Lincoln.
In an unsurprising victory, the accomplished actor took home his third Oscar in the Lead Actor category.
"I really don't know how any of this happened; I do know that I've received far more than my fair of share of good fortune in my life and I'm so grateful for the Academy for this beautiful honor," he graciously said.
"It's a strange thing because three years ago before we decided to do a straight swap, I had actually been committed to play Margaret Thatcher and Meryl was Steven's first choice for Lincoln," he quipped as Streep smiled on stage. "I'd like to see that version."
"Steven didn't have to persuade me to play Lincoln, but I had to persuade him that perhaps if I was going to do it, maybe Lincoln shouldn't be a musical," he joked while clutching the gold statue. "My fellow nominees, my equals, my betters, I'm so proud to have been included as one amongst you."
Lewis went on to thank his wife, Rebecca Miller, who smiled as she watched her husband in the audience, "Since we got married 16 years ago, my wife Rebecca has lived with some very strange men…luckily, she's the versatile one in the family and she's been the perfect companion to all of them."
And finally, he paid respects to three important people who influenced the film, "I'd like to thank Kathy Kennedy, our producer, through you our mighty team of co-conspriters, at the apex of that human pyramid, there are three men to whom I owe this and a great deal more. Tony Kushner, our beloved skipper, Steven Spielberg, and the mysterious beautiful mind, body and spirit of Abraham Lincoln. For my mother, thank you so much."