Multi-award winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis' spokeswoman Leslee Dart was cited Tuesday by the US trade magazine Variety as saying her client "will no longer be working as an actor."

"He 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," Dart added.

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The 60-year-old gave no reason for his decision, calling it private. But the news immediately sent shockwaves through Hollywood, where the British-Irish star is revered as possibly the finest actor of his time.

Much respected actor

The decision wraps up a three-decade acting career that has seen Day-Lewis win three Oscars, four BAFTAs, three Screen Actors Guild awards and two Golden Globes.

The 60-year-old received the best actor Academy Award for his roles in "My Left Foot," (1989) in which he plays writer and artist Christy Brown who was confined to a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy, "There Will be Blood," (2007) in which he acts the part of a fierce oil man, and "Lincoln," (2013) where he portrays the former US president Abraham Lincoln.

Day-Lewis was also nominated for Oscars for his roles in "Gangs of New York" and "In the Name of the Father."

Other notable films include "The Last of the Mohicans," and ''The Age of Innocence.”

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Born in London, Day-Lewis made his film debut in 1971 in "Sunday Bloody Sunday" before turning to the stage. He returned to the big screen again more than a decade later in 1982.

One last movie

The multiple Oscar winner recently wrapped up filming his last movie, Phantom Thread, about the fashion world in London in the 1950s. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film is due out in December.

Day-Lewis is hailed as a master of method acting known for being extremely selective about his roles. His strong on-screen presence and remarkable range set him apart, earning him praise from critics and audiences alike.

The actor has stepped away from the limelight before. In the late 1990s, he took time off from acting to work as an apprentice shoe-maker in Italy.

After his 2013 Oscar win for "Lincoln," London's Sunday Times reported that he planned to take a sabbatical at his farm in Ireland.

mm/rc (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)