Ever since Leonardo DiCaprio hit the big screen in the early 90s, he has taken the world by storm. Â With his breakout role as Jack Dawson in Titanic, he instantly stole every young woman’s heart. He is an incredibly talented actor, as well as an environmental activist and philanthropist.
Leo has had so many roles that have given him the incredible career that he has today. Here are ten roles, some well-known and some not, that lead Leo to be known as one of the greatest actors of all time.
1. Jack Dawson – TitanicJack Dawson…need I say more? The boy next door who falls in love with the girl who is way out of his league, steals her from her rich fiancĂ©, gets her to go with him when they get off the boat, and then [the worst ending in movie history], he dies [spoiler alert]. Many of us, myself included will never get over Jack’s tragic death and the fact that Rose didn’t make room for him on the door. Let’s face it; there was totally enough room for both of them. Jack didn’t have to die.
2. Jay Gatsby – The Great GatsbyLeo’s role as Jay Gatsby was one that we will never forget. The classic F. Scott Fitzgerald story about Gatsby and Daisy’s love spoke to girls everywhere. We were all rooting for Gatsby to get his woman back and once he did, we were all cheering for them to end up together. As we all know, Tom’s mistress’s husband killed Gatsby since he thought that Gatsby killed his wife; another tragic ending to a love story [another spoiler alert].
3. Arnie Grape – What’s Eating Gilbert GrapeJohnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio in one movie? What could possibly be better than that? The answer is nothing. This was an incredibly heartwarming movie about a family with a special needs son who’s constantly getting himself into trouble. Arnie, played by Leo, is always being saved by his older brother Gilbert, played by Johnny Depp. Leo as Arnie is a moving thing to watch and it seems as though this could have been one of Leo’s toughest roles. And if I do say so myself, it is also one of his best.
4. Romeo Montague – Romeo and JulietYet another classic novel turned into film. Leo’s version of Romeo and Juliet is a modern twist on Shakespeare’s original play. As usual, Leo portrayed Romeo in an excellent way. His heartfelt performance and chemistry with Claire Danes was spectacular. Another reason why we love him, the chemistry he has with his costars. Leo as Romeo is a role that we will remember forever.
5. Frank Abagnale, Jr. – Catch Me If You CanCatch Me If You Can is the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., who conned millions of dollars from multiple companies. This incredible and somewhat twisted story has since been made into a musical since the 2002 film adaptation. Leo portrayed Frank Abagnale Jr. and did an excellent job, as usual. Leo played the perfect scammer. He was twisted, angry, sultry and quite the schemer.Â
6. Dom Cobb – InceptionInception is possibly one of my favorite Leo movies. The concept is incredible and it can be difficult to understand if you don’t pay attention. Dom Cobb is stuck in an alternate universe and in order to get home to his children, he comes up with a plan to go inside multiple levels of people’s dreams to go back to his kids. Leo is a mastermind in this movie. The complexity of his character and this film make us love him even more.
7. Calvin J. Candie – Django UnchainedDjango Unchained is another pretty twisted film that Leo stars in. Calvin Candie owns a large plantation in Mississippi called Candyland. He’s completely rich because he forces his male slaves to fight in deadly fights. He’s also a pimp. This is definitely not my favorite Leo role, however it is probably one of his best. It is for sure his darkest role that I’ve seen.
8. Jordan Belfort – The Wolf of Wall StreetOh Jordan Belfort. There really aren’t any good things to say about this guy. The Wolf of Wall Street is a memoir written by the real Jordan Belfort. Jordan was a stockbroker in New York City who was incredibly guilty of all sorts of fraud and manipulation in the stock market. Jordan was addicted to drugs, cheated on his wife, and was aggressive and mean. Leo portraying Jordan was a role that will be recognized for for a long time. Another twisted character based on a true story, it seems like one of Leo’s specialties to me.
9. Frank Wheeler – Revolutionary RoadLeonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet back together again! This story tells the tale of a couple with a troubled relationship. The film was based on the novel written in 1961 by Richard Yates. The main character, Frank Wheeler, hates his job and his wife can’t break into her acting career. This isn’t one of Leo’s well known roles but I think it still deserves to be on this list. It was great to see Leo and Kate starring side by side again. They also won Golden Globes for this film.
10. Hank Lacker – Marvin’s RoomAnother one of Leo’s 90’s films was based on a play. Hank is a troubled kid who got sent to a mental institution because he set his mom’s house on fire. This tale about an estranged family is moving and Leo’s portrayal as Hank was one that really set the stage for his career that has spanned over 20 years.Â
If you haven’t seen any of these films, I highly recommend that you go and watch them. Many of them are on Netflix so get your laptop, get some popcorn, sit down, and enjoy some Leo.