Leonardo DiCaprio’s Top 10 Performances

Photo Credit AP Images/Invision

From his humble Hollywood beginnings as a child television actor to his current status as one of the most famous film stars in the world, Leonardo DiCaprio has pretty much done it all. I finally got a chance to see him in Quentin Tarantino’s latest, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, on video last night so I thought it would be fun to rank his all-time top 10 performances. Does his latest role make the list? Read on and find out!

Django Unchained (2012) – Yes, DiCaprio’s repugnant plantation owner Calvin Candie is over-the-top camp, but like so many of writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s wilder characters, he’s tons of fun. DiCaprio plays against type here as the racist bad guy against Jamie Foxx’s heroic ex-slave and new bounty hunter, Django Freeman.

Titanic (1997) – Of course this is the role that made DiCaprio a movie star so it had to be on my list somewhere. Young, handsome, and undeniably charismatic, DiCaprio won the heart of Kate Winslet’s Rose and movie-goers everywhere as the charming but ultimately doomed Jack.

Catch Me If You Can (2002) – This light-hearted Spielberg-directed film tells the story of real-life conman Frank Abagnale Jr. and his early life of crime as he’s pursued by FBI agent Carl Hanratty. This role probably wasn’t as challenging as some of the others on this list, but DiCaprio is a joy to watch as he fools people into thinking he’s a teacher, an airline pilot, and a doctor all while cashing forged checks everywhere he goes.

Shutter Island (2010) – Most critics don’t hold this movie in as high a regard as many other Martin Scorsese films, but I really liked it. It’s a puzzle of a story and DiCaprio does a great job of keeping us in the dark as to the true nature of his character as he navigates the mysterious mental hospital where he’s been called to solve a case.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) – If there’s one thing Tarantino does well, it’s creating memorable characters. Leo plays washed up cowboy actor Rick Dalton who is trying to hold onto a sinking career in 1969 unaware that Charlie Manson and his gang are planning to murder his neighbors. For a star who remains on top of the world, DiCaprio does a fantastic job of presenting an actor who reached for the golden ring and never quite attained it.

The Departed (2006) – Scorsese has made several great films with DiCaprio and this is one of the best. DiCaprio plays state trooper Billy Costigan who goes undercover to infiltrate the Boston mob and ferret out a suspected mole on the force. DiCaprio brings just the right mix of bravado and vulnerability to the role and he more than holds his own in a stellar cast.

Inception (2010) – Anyone who reads this blog regularly is probably familiar with my appreciation of director Christopher Nolan’s work and my particular fondness for his sci-fi masterpiece, Inception. DiCaprio is darn near perfect as the brilliant but emotionally damaged lead, Dom Cobb.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) – Still a teenager at the time, this is the movie that helped DiCaprio make the leap from television to film. His performance as mentally-impaired Arnie Grape showed the world he was much more than just a cute kid. He was in fact a star in the making.

The Revenant (2015) – DiCaprio’s only Best Actor Oscar so far was awarded to him for this gritty performance as a frontiersman in the early 1800s on a mission of revenge against the man who killed his son. The cinematography is amazing in this movie, but it’s DiCaprio’s steely-eyed determination that really brings the story to life.

The Aviator (2004) – One of four films to earn DiCaprio an Oscar nomination, he plays the legendary eccentric, millionaire, playboy, businessman, and aviator Howard Hughes. The best actor award wound up going to Jamie Foxx for his excellent turn as Ray Charles in Ray, but to me, this is DiCaprio’s greatest performance to date and his best collaboration with Scorsese. I completely forgot I was watching an actor when I saw this movie the first time. That’s the mark of a great performance.

No The Wolf of Wall Street? No Blood Diamond? Nope! DiCaprio has had such a fantastic career those two Oscar-nominated performances didn’t even make my list. With another four projects on his slate right now, including two more Scorsese films, who knows how many more great roles he’ll rack up before he’s done. If your favorite didn’t make my list, tell me about it in the comments section below.