It’s hard to name a more versatile actor in Hollywood than Leonardo DiCaprio, with a filmography that spans all acting horizons. He has been in the industry for a very long time, with a career spanning more than three decades. Over these years, he has taken on some powerful roles—characters most actors could only dream of playing.
From his emotional role as Jack Dawson in Titanic to his complex character as Dom Cobb in Inception, and his cruel portrayal of Calvin Candie in Django Unchained, Leonardo DiCaprio has played some of the most unforgettable characters. Whether he’s a cunning stockbroker in The Wolf of Wall Street or a determined survivor in The Revenant, his commitment to acting is clear.
Over the years, he has built an insane list of movies, and what bugs us even more is how Hollywood failed to recognize his talent at times. There have been multiple instances where viewers were sure he would bag the Oscar, only for him to walk home empty-handed.
But let’s be honest—many actors have been overlooked by the industry, and Leonardo DiCaprio is not someone who needs a shelf full of golden statues to prove his talent. His performances speak for themselves. So let’s take a look at some of his most iconic roles—the ones that made him a legend, whether he got an Oscar for them or not.
10. Danny Archer – Blood Diamond
DiCaprio has played a wide range of roles, but his role in Blood Diamond felt particularly different—mainly because of his accent. He portrayed Danny Archer, a smuggler from Zimbabwe operating in South Africa.
It’s very rare to see him take on non-American roles, but this was one of those rare cases where he stepped out of his comfort zone and adopted a Rhodesian accent, adding a whole new level of authenticity. Beyond the voice, his performance was the perfect blend of action and raw emotion.
It was great to watch a movie where the character is morally flawed and acknowledges it. DiCaprio beautifully pulled off these nuances, keeping the audience invested throughout the film. It wasn’t just his action sequences that had people hooked; even the quieter scenes with Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly were incredibly powerful.
This movie silenced anyone who doubted his ability to balance action with deep emotional moments. Blood Diamond was a solid box office performer, earning $171 million worldwide against a budget of approximately $100 million. While it wasn’t a massive blockbuster, it helped bring attention to the ethical issues surrounding the conflict diamond industry.
9. Billy Costigan – The Departed
You know you’re in for a ride when a great director-actor duo is involved—whether it’s Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan or Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy. One such legendary duo in Hollywood is Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, a pairing that has set the bar high for cinema.
The Departed, which came out in 2006, is a perfect example of their collaboration at its finest. DiCaprio’s role as Billy Costigan is one of his most nerve-wracking performances, as he plays an undercover cop infiltrating a Boston mob. The constant tension in his face, the fear of being discovered—he keeps viewers on edge in every scene.
Unlike some of his more confident or charming characters, Costigan is a man drowning in paranoia, and DiCaprio made every moment of his struggle feel real. What made his performance even stronger was the star-studded cast: Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, and Mark Wahlberg all delivered stellar performances.
The Departed was both a critical and commercial success, grossing $291 million worldwide against a budget of $90 million. While the film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, DiCaprio was surprisingly not nominated for Best Actor for his role as Billy Costigan. Instead, he was nominated that year for Blood Diamond, leaving fans confused.
8. Arnie Grape – What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
It took me a long time to come across this movie. Being introduced to DiCaprio through films like Titanic and The Aviator, I thought those were where he truly flourished. But What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is an underrated gem that showcases his incredible range from a young age.
While the movie mainly focuses on Gilbert, played by Johnny Depp, one cannot talk about this film without mentioning DiCaprio’s standout performance. He plays Arnie Grape, a young boy with a developmental disability, and completely transforms himself for the role, bringing a level of authenticity that made Arnie feel incredibly real.
His mannerisms, speech patterns, and emotional outbursts were so convincing that many audiences believed he wasn’t acting. His chemistry with Johnny Depp, who plays Arnie’s older brother, is also beautiful. DiCaprio’s dedication to the role ensured that Arnie felt like more than just a character.
Unlike many of DiCaprio’s later films, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape was made with a modest budget and did not make a lot of money at the box office. The film grossed approximately $10.03 million worldwide, but it left a significant impact, earning DiCaprio a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.
7. Frank Abagnale Jr. – Catch Me If You Can
One of DiCaprio’s most charismatic performances came in Catch Me If You Can, where his chemistry with Tom Hanks made the movie even better. He played the role of real-life con artist Frank Abagnale Jr., a master of deception who successfully tricked some of the smartest people in the world.
His ability to portray a con artist with such charm and wit was mesmerizing—it even made some viewers consider a career in conning. Even though Abagnale was scamming people out of millions, DiCaprio ensured that he remained likable.
What made the film even more interesting was his dynamic with Tom Hanks, who played the FBI agent chasing him down. One standout scene is when DiCaprio, as Abagnale, convinces an officer that the real criminal just escaped, pretending to be an officer himself—an absolute masterclass in deception.
It was quite surprising to see him pull off such great roles and make himself stand out, even while sharing the screen with legends like Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, and Nancy Lenehan. His acting, combined with a stellar cast, a great director, and an insane story, helped attract viewers worldwide. The film garnered $352 million globally, proving his star power was unstoppable.
6. Howard Hughes – The Aviator
Actors like Leonardo DiCaprio don’t shy away from roles that demand intense dedication, but playing Howard Hughes in The Aviator was one of his most challenging performances—and he absolutely delivered.
Hughes was a brilliant aviation pioneer and a successful filmmaker, but he was also plagued by germophobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The complexity of this role wasn’t just about portraying a genius; it was about capturing the psychological torment that consumed him. Many films have told the story of a visionary who eventually causes their own downfall, but DiCaprio’s portrayal felt uniquely compelling. His transformation—from a confident innovator to a man trapped by his own mind—was mesmerizing to watch.
DiCaprio fully embraced Hughes’ persona, delivering a performance packed with charisma, vulnerability, and emotional depth. It’s hard to imagine the film being as impactful with anyone else in the lead. And as with many of his best performances, The Aviator saw him collaborating with Martin Scorsese—one of cinema’s greatest director-actor duos.
When awards season rolled around, The Aviator was a major contender. The film received 11 Academy Award nominations, winning five, including Best Cinematography and Best Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett. DiCaprio was nominated for Best Actor but lost to Jamie Foxx for Ray, in what many consider one of the tightest Oscar races. However, the film was a box office success, earning over $213 million worldwide.
5. Dom Cobb – Inception
Inception was an absolute mind-bender. In a time when most filmmakers focused on making highly relatable movies, Christopher Nolan was on a mission of his own. He didn’t care about the generic themes that win Oscars or making films just to attract more viewers. He was determined to create what he loved, breaking rules to craft projects that would be talked about for ages.
Apart from making amazing movies like The Batman Trilogy and Memento, nobody expected Nolan to come up with a sci-fi film like Inception—a movie that will leave you questioning your reality. And who did Nolan choose to bring this masterpiece to life? The very actor this article is about—Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Oscar-winning actor played the character of Dom Cobb, a skilled thief who sneaks into people’s dreams using technology to steal secrets. Even though it was a sci-fi movie, they didn’t fill it with unrealistic fights or sequences. Instead, it was a perfect blend of practical effects and mind-bending CGI, and DiCaprio captured the essence of the film perfectly.
The best part is that even though there were a lot of action scenes, the actors kept things grounded with emotional moments as well, especially the ones involving his wife, Marion Cotillard’s Mal, and his kids. Despite his gripping performance, DiCaprio was not nominated for an Oscar. However, the film won four Academy Awards. His lack of an Oscar nomination seemed unfair, but he did make bank with the movie, as it grossed over $837 million worldwide.
4. Teddy Daniels – Shutter Island
We have already looked at a few movies where Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have worked together, and here is another one, just proving how much Leo has flourished under Martin’s guidance, as they create iconic roles together.
His role in the film Shutter Island is easily one of those parts that have pushed DiCaprio to his psychological limits for playing Teddy Daniels. This psychological thriller wasn’t just a mind-bender for viewers–it was a physically and emotionally exhausting role for DiCaprio. In the film, he played a U.S. Marshal investigating a missing patient at an isolated mental institution. And what started as an investigation led to him being trapped in the same place as a patient.
Even though all the actors gave their best to make this film stand out, it was DiCaprio’s performance that carried it. His acting as he is trying to investigate and his own reality start falling in front of him, the actor will take you on a journey with him, and by the time the film is done, the viewers will be left wondering what just hit them.
One of his most impressive moments comes in the gut-wrenching final part, where his expressions alone are enough to leave you in awe. The scene was so powerful despite not a single word being said, one, could add the meme of Martin Scorsese saying ‘Absolute Cinema’ after watching it.
Shutter Island was both a critical and commercial success, earning around $299 million worldwide. However, despite its gripping storyline and strong performances, the film was completely snubbed at the Oscars. It didn’t receive a single nomination, making it one of the Academy’s most shocking oversights. DiCaprio, who had delivered one of his most intense performances, was left empty-handed once again.
3. Hugh Glass – The Revenant
This is the movie that finally won Leonardo DiCaprio his long-awaited Oscar. After years of delivering unforgettable performances, he had to go through unthinkable conditions, eat a bison liver, and, of course, fight a bear to get Academy recognition. While we’re all happy he finally took home the gold, many would question if this was even his best performance.
Despite the fact that this movie was not his best film, it does not mean it was bad in any way. There’s no denying that The Revenant was an acting showcase like no other, and like always, DiCaprio gave it everything he had. Leo played the role of Hugh Glass, a man who is living in the region of a frontier.
In the film, he does not have a lot of dialogue, and the film mostly relies on his acting skills to convey his pain, determination, and, of course, his vengeance. Apart from his acting, he had to fully dive into the shooting demands of director Alejandro González Iñárritu, as he insisted on using only natural light, forcing the cast and crew to endure long, tiring shoots.
DiCaprio himself has agreed that this was one of the hardest films he had done, and the scene in the film where he eats a bison liver—well, it’s a real liver that he agreed to eat to add to the authenticity of the film. After years of grinding and delivering amazing performances, his hard work finally paid off when he got the Golden Statue in 2016. The Revenant was also a massive success at the box office, grossing $533 million worldwide.
2. Jordan Belfort – The Wolf of Wall Street
Another great film by Martin Scorsese. By now, you must be wondering if this is a “best Scorsese and DiCaprio” list, but what can we do when they keep giving the viewers some of the best projects to hit the big screen? At this point, it’s safe to say the director made Leo who he is today, and if it wasn’t for each other, then so many movies would have gone bland.
So what did they create this time? DiCaprio stepped into the shoes of the notorious Jordan Belfort, a real-life dishonest stockbroker who lived a life of luxury by making a lot of money through cheating and corruption. The film starts out with Belfort trying to tap into the whole scene of stock and gradually climbing the ladder of deceiving and selling shares like nobody else.
Just watching him act in the movie feels like watching art. From the wild parties to the jaw-dropping speeches, he effortlessly embodied a character who thought he was untouchable. The fast-paced dialogue between him and his group of friends, the drug-fueled adventure at the club, and his constant banter with his wife all fit perfectly in the high-octane movie.
It was baffling to see the same person who played Jack in Titanic play the role of a man whose moral compass is completely erased by greed, making his acting really gripping for the viewers. The movie was nominated for five Oscar Awards but did not win any. It felt like a huge snub, especially for DiCaprio. Despite it being one of his finest performances, one would even call it better than his role in The Revenant.
1. Calvin Candie – Django Unchained
Coming to the final role on the list, let’s look at one of the most iconic roles of not just Leonardo DiCaprio but one of the most iconic characters to ever exist in the world of cinema. DiCaprio has played villains before, but nothing quite like Calvin Candie, a character that was put together by the legendary director Quentin Tarantino.
In Django Unchained, he fully embraced the role of a sadistic and ruthless plantation owner, making Candie one of the most chilling antagonists in Quentin Tarantino’s filmography (I said one of them because how can we forget Christoph Waltz playing Hans Landa?). Even though he became one of the key characters of the film, he is not even in the major parts of it.
His screen time is way less, but whenever he comes on screen, he leaves an impact. It was one of those rare occurrences where he did not play the hero or even the antihero; he played someone who was pure evil, and the best part? He made it disturbingly entertaining to watch.
What made him stand out was that as long as things were going his way—or at least he thought they were—DiCaprio was the most charming person in the room. But the moment things started to go south, he transformed into a man capable of extreme cruelty. One of the most iconic scenes in cinema history hails from the infamous dinner scene in the film.
When DiCaprio gets mad, he slams his hands on the table, which leads him to cut his hand. Despite the injury, he stays in character and continues to act, which adds a whole different level of intensity—even the crew and Tarantino were shocked at this sight.
Despite his phenomenal performance, DiCaprio wasn’t nominated for an Oscar, a snub that fans still debate today. However, the film was a major success, grossing $426 million worldwide, proving once again that DiCaprio could steal the spotlight even if he is the villain, and he doesn’t necessarily need these awards to speak for his performance.
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