Blimey, America’s favorite film president is a Brit!
The Yanks picked London-born Daniel Day-Lewis’ portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in the Steven Spielberg biopic “Lincoln” as the best on-screen depiction of a US commander-in-chief, according to a new poll.
The bloody surprising survey by the Foundations of Freedom found that 27% of Americans thought the three-time Academy Award winning actor’s Oscar-winning turn as Honest Abe in 2012 was No. 1 — and it wasn’t even close.
The late Robin Williams’ turn as Teddy Roosevelt in 2006’s “Night At The Museum” was a distant second with 14%, while Dennis Quaid’s portrayal of Ronald Reagan in the 2024 film “Reagan” came in third with 11%, according to the poll.
Reagan, an actor himself before he became the 40th president, was the only on-screen commander-in-chief to come in the Republican-dominated Top 10 twice, with Jeff Daniels’ portrayal of the Gipper in the recently released “The Brink of War” coming in fourth place, the poll showed.
“Movies are an important part of telling the story of who we are and there have been some fine portrayals of American presidents over the years,” said Dave Dias, CEO of Foundations of Freedom, a group that promotes freedom values through education, collaboration, and community contributions.
“We hope that in the coming years there will be even more stories about our presidents so that we can keep the memory of what they did for our country alive,” Dias added.
Full list:
- Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln, Republican, in “Lincoln” (2012)
- Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt, Republican, in “Night at the Museum (2006)
- Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan, Republican, in “Reagan” (2024)
- Jeff Daniels as Ronald Reagan, Republican, in “The Brink of War” (2026)
- Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, Republican, in “The Apprentice” (2024)
- Josh Brolin as George W. Bush, Republican, in “W” (2008)
- Park Sawyers as Barack Obama, Democrat, in “Southside With You” (2016)
- Paul Giamatti as John Adams, Federalist, in “John Adams (miniseries)” (2008)
- William Franklyn-Miller as George Washington in “Young Washington” (2026)
- Jon Voight as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Democrat, in “Pearl Harbor” (2001)
The poll, conducted by the Symphony Technology Group for the Foundations of Freedom, interviewed 642 respondents from Aug. 24-25.
In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the biopic “Reagan” will return to theaters nationwide in a special extended cut beginning Sept. 25.
The commemorative re-release features about 10 minutes of newly added footage.
