It’s Leonardo Dicaprio’s birthday! The actor, who broke his Oscar drought this with his 2015 film The Revenant, turned 42 today. We’ve seen him grow not just as a person but as an actor too. From that boy, barely in his twenties swept away by the thrill of young love in Titanic, to a grown man battling a bear The Revenant. On screen, we’ve seen multiple shades of this man. Over time, he established himself as a versatile actor and a damn good one at that.
Back in the early 90’s, he had delivered hit performances in films like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Romeo + Juliet. It wasn’t until 1997 when starred in James Cameron’s Titanic that he came into the limelight globally and charmed everyone with his moving portrayal of Jack Dawson. The chemistry he shared with co-star Kate Winslet was heavily appraised.
After Titanic, offers started pouring in for him and in 2002, he delivered yet another breathtaking performance in Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can. Dicaprio quickly turned from an actor to a star.
Dicaprio’s next movies were mostly all super hits like, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond and Body of Lies. After the release of Body of Lies in 2008, Leonardo Dicaprio reappeared with Kate Winslet in Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road the same year. Unlike, Titanic, this film featured the iconic duo in a dysfunctional marriage and isn’t exactly a happy drama film.
Jumping to another genre yet again, he portrayed the role of Edward “Teddy” Daniels in 2010 psychological thriller Shutter Island. The film featured him in an absolutely new light which garnered positive critical reception. The same year, he left audiences bewildered with Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Around this time, he went from superstar to a living legend!
Every single film he did after that has been a global superhit. Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby, The Wolf of Wall Street all left audiences amazed with Dicaprio’s acting. With his 2015 film, The Revenant, finally earned him the much deserved Oscar. Although the film didn’t highlight his best works but, he still did an amazing job.
Sadly though, he still doesn’t have an actual star to his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Regardless, the opinion that Dicaprio is one of the greatest actors today is shared by many.
