Leonardo DiCaprio in The Great Gatsby
Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor who has really changed the course of his career going from pinup boy to major Hollywood heavyweight and awards contender.
He is back on the big screen this week as he reunites with Baz Luhrmann for the first time since Romeo & Juliet as the bring F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby to life.
To celebrate the release of the movie we take a look at some of the best performances from DiCaprio throughout his hugely successful career.
- What's Eating Gilbert Grape
DiCaprio may have kicked off his career a few years earlier but the movie that really did put him on the map was What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
The movie was a big screen adaptation of Peter Hedges' novel of the same name and saw Lasse Hallstrom in the director's chair and Johnny Depp leading the cast list.
DiCpario took on the role of Arnie Grape, a boy suffering from a developmental disability, in what was an engaging and endearing performance.
This is a fine movie all around but DiCaprio's turn in particular is one that stands out as it was such a vivid performance as he mixed emotional intensity with desperation and innocence.
DiCaprio when on to be nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscars - while he missed out Tommy Lee Jones he really established himself as a talent to watch out for.
- Titanic
While Titanic is not DiCaprio's most critically lauded performance it is the movie that turned him and Kate Winslet in superstars.
James Cameron was at the helm of Titanic back in 1997 and the role of Jack Dawson will live with DiCaprio forever.
Dawson is the underdog that everyone roots for and it was a great performance from DiCaprio as it was a movie that saw him mix romantic lead hero.
DiCaprio and Winslet shone together as Titanic broke ever box office record to become the biggest grossing movie of all time - and the first to gross in excess of $1 billion at the global box office.
- The Aviator
But being just a Hollywood heartthrob was not enough for DiCaprio and it was to be his partnership with Martin Scorsese that was to change the course of his career.
The Aviator was the second collaboration with the iconic filmmaker as he took on the role of Howard Hughes.
The movie was biopic about aviation pioneer Hughes and it was one of the best and most complex roles of DiCaprio's career to date.
And the actor really did rise to the challenge as he gave a masterful performance that saw him truly get under the skin of this character.
Mix DiCpario's performance with Scorsese's pacing and eye for detail and together they really did deliver a tremendous film.
DiCaprio was nominated for his Best Actor nomination - losing out to Jamie Foxx - while the movie was nominated for Best Picture.
- The Departed
DiCaprio was to reunite with Scorsese once again for The Departed - which was a remake of Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs.
The movie saw DiCaprio take on the role of Billy Costigan, who goes undercover to bring down one of the biggest gangsters.
DiCaprio teamed up with Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg for what was one of the best ensemble casts of the year.
DiCaprio gave a rather tortured performance a man who is struggling with juggling two live as he gets dragged further and further into a world of crime.
DiCaprio was nominated for a Bafta and Golden Globe for his central performance while the movie won Best Picture and Martin Scorsese finally got his hands on the Best Director Oscar.
- Blood Diamond
The same year as DiCaprio was finding success with The Departed he was also receiving praise for his performance in Blood Diamond.
The movie saw him team up with director Edward Zwick while Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou were also on a very exciting cast list.
The movie was set during the Sierra Leone Civil War and depicted a country that was torn apart by war while DiCaprio play gunrunner Danny Archer.
Blood Diamond was a movie that put the issue of conflict diamonds into the public eye as this was a powerful and moving movie.
DiCaprio gave a fantastically intense performance as a man who changes his path in life to do the right thing.
He picked up another Best Actor nod for his turn but lost out to Forest Whitaker.
DiCaprio has become one of the finest actors of his generation as he has also given great performances in Catch Me If You Can, Gangs of New York, Inception and Shutter Island.
And we are going to be seeing more of him later this year as he reunites with Scorsese, their first film since Shutter Island, for The Wolf of Wall Street.
The Great Gatsby is released 16th May.
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