Leonardo DiCaprio - From Cute TV Kid to Movie Man



From TV cutie-pie to critically acclaimed actor, Leonardo DiCaprio has done his growing up in public. Starting out as the teen-heartthrob du jour on Growing Pains, he easily filled Kirk Cameron’s shoes and then transitioned to the big screen, where his success has been astronomical and consistent. Along the way, he’s notched three Oscar nominations, starred in the second biggest movie of all time, and played the lead in a remarkable four movies nominated for Best Picture. And did we mention he’s done all this by age 35? Can’t believe the orphan from Growing Pains has grown up that much? We’ve got the photos to prove it.

Blood Diamond, Leonardo DiCaprio, 2006


This Boy’s Life (1993)

A successful child actor with extensive TV credits and small roles in the Gremlins knockoff Critters 3 and Poison Ivy on his résumé, DiCaprio got his big-screen break playing an abused adolescent in this adaptation of Tobias Wolff’s bittersweet memoir. In his first major feature, the baby-faced 19-year-old held his own in a series of intense scenes with Robert De Niro, who played Wolff’s vicious stepfather. Talk about not acting your age.

This Boy's Life, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, 1993.


What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

DiCaprio’s performance as Johnny Depp’s developmentally disabled brother made critics sit up and take notice: reviews of this quirky comedy-drama were studded with adjectives like “vivid,” “intense,” and “showstopping.” Gilbert Grape earned Leo his first Oscar nomination and landed him in elite company (Ralph Fiennes, John Malkovich, and Tommy Lee Jones were among the other nominees) at a precociously young age. After Gilbert Grape, Leo was known as a great actor and never looked back.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio, 1993.


The Basketball Diaries (1995)

After auditioning for the role of Robin in Batman Forever -- and losing out, to Chris O’Donnell -- DiCaprio opted for this gritty, low-budget adaptation of poet Jim Carroll’s account of growing up on New York’s Lower East Side. Even an actor this talented needs a lucky break or two. DiCaprio’s fresh-faced look presented a dramatic contrast with Carroll’s sordid story of poverty and heroine addiction and petty crime, but his performance was moving and authentic: the handful of people who actually saw the movie were suitably impressed.

The Basketball Diaries, Leonardo DiCaprio, 1995.


Titanic (1997)

DiCaprio turned down the role of Dirk Diggler, in Boogie Nights, which went to his Basketball Diaries co-star Mark Wahlberg, for the lead in James Cameron’s over-the-top mix of disaster movie and swoony romance. Critics sneered, but they couldn’t fault DiCaprio and Kate Winslet’s onscreen chemistry. It drove Titanic to record-breaking box office all over the world and officially made him the Next Big Thing. DiCaprio was no longer the kid with some eclectic roles; he was arguably the world’s biggest movie star.

Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio, 1997.


The Beach (2000)

When rumors that DiCaprio was interested in playing a serial killer reached the producers of American Psycho, they fired their star (Christian Bale) and announced that the white-hot Titanic star was onboard for the controversial flick. They should have checked first: DiCaprio was actually committed to Danny Boyle’s thriller The Beach. Despite being one of the rare occasions that DiCaprio didn’t completely hit it out of the park, The Beach proved just how big a star Leo had become. Swooning teenage girls followed him everywhere, and, despite tepid reviews, he was nominated for two Teen Choice Awards.

The Beach, Leonardo DiCaprio, 2000.


Gangs of New York (2002)

While it never got the attention of Goodfellas or Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York is actually one of Martin Scorsese’s greatest flicks, thanks mostly to DiCaprio and his chemistry with co-star Daniel Day-Lewis. Gangs also marked the beginning of frequent collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio. Their next joint effort, The Aviator, earned DiCaprio his second Oscar nomination -- his first as best actor.

Gangs of New York, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, 2002.


Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Steven Spielberg elicited an uncharacteristically light performance from DiCaprio in this breezy, globe-trotting romp, based on the life of con man Frank Abagnale. Between the Cary Grant patter and the Pan Am pilot’s uniform (is there anyone who doesn’t look great in one?), DiCaprio looked every bit the golden-age movie star. Anyone who doubted DiCaprio had become a real man onscreen and an actor with serious range only had to see his genuinely funny turn as Abagnale to be convinced.

Catch Me If You Can, Leonardo DiCaprio, 2002.


Blood Diamond (2006)

After Catch Me If You Can, DiCaprio headed right back to the heavy stuff -- nabbing his third Oscar nomination for Edward Zwick’s earnest exposé of the connection between diamond mining and gunrunning. Much like Gangs of New York, Blood Diamond effectively mixed serious drama, action, and accents – right in DiCaprio’s wheelhouse. Academy voters love hearing American actors master foreign accents, and they really love a heavy theme.

Blood Diamond, Leonardo DiCaprio, 2006.


The Departed (2006)

In what is probably DiCaprio’s crowning achievement to date, he once and for all grabbed the mantle of American’s greatest actor from Tom Hanks and George Clooney by absolutely nailing his role as a mole in Boston’s Irish Mafia and completely overshadowing Matt Damon’s best performance since Good Will Hunting and another classic turn by Jack Nicholson. So why the Oscar nom for Blood Diamond and not The Departed? It all comes back to the foreign accent.

The Departed, Leonardo DiCaprio, 2006.


Shutter Island (2010)

Scorsese and DiCaprio’s fourth team up opened to mixed reviews, but fans loved it – the movie had a better opening weekend than any of his flicks, besides Titanic. Throughout the movie, DiCaprio is obviously having a blast playing a hard-boiled cop whose deep dark secrets come screaming out of the closet while he tries to investigate the disappearance of an inmate from an isolated asylum. Cue the howling storm and psychos.

Shutter Island, Leonardo DiCaprio, 2010.

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