Teen idol Leonardo DiCaprio has successfully played adolescent boys and young men in his acting career. He peaked in popularity with his role in James Cameron's blockbuster Titanic (1997) but lost a great deal by appearing in the dreadful The Beach (2000). He may have recovered past glory with his roles in Catch Me If You Can and Gangs of New York (both 2000), but he will have to learn to play adult males if he is to last in the film industry.
Born in Los Angeles in 1974 to liberal parents, he was more interested in entertaining classmates and break dancing than he was in his classes. Though he made his acting debut at the age of five on the television show Romper Room, he did not land other roles because of his unruly behavior. However, by appearing in educational films and more than 30 commercials, he eventually was cast as a homeless boy in the television series Growing Pains (1991). That same year, he appeared in Critters 3, a film he is not proud of. He took on more challenging roles, portraying Arnie Grape, the mentally challenged little brother of JOHNNY DEPP in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), a performance that earned him an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor.
In the comingof-age film This Boy's Life (1993), he played Tobias Wolff, and he also appeared in The Quick and the Dead (1994). In the cult film The Basketball Diaries (1994), he played Jim Carroll, a drug-addicted high school basketball player, and in Total Eclipse (1995) he was the French poet Arthur Rimbaud. The following year he played rebellious teenagers, first as the son of the MERYL STREEP character in Marvin's Room and then as Romeo in Baz Luhrmann's updated version of Romeo and Juliet. The Germans seemed to enjoy his performance - he won the Berlin Silver Bear Award as Best Actor.
In Cameron's Titanic, he played a young Irishman traveling in steerage, where the good people are, as opposed to the corrupt and indifferent higher classes above decks. He falls in love with a young woman who is engaged to his dastardly rival. Later he sacrifices himself so that she can live to throw away a priceless piece of jewelry. It is the kind of fairy tale that brought adolescent girls back time after time to see the film, and he is the kind of androgynous hero young girls need not fear. The critics at MTV liked his performance, and he received a Golden Globe nomination for his role.
Leonardo DiCaprio then played dual roles as Louis XIV and his nice brother Philippe in the classic bomb The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), and he had a small role in WOODY ALLEN's Celebrity (1998). The Beach (2000), which was a long time in the making, was hardly worth the wait. In it Leonardo DiCaprio plays an American backpacker looking for the ideal island in Thailand.
Much was riding on the success of his 2002 films, which played to large audiences. In Catch Me If You Can he is a 17- year-old who successfully poses as a surgeon, a pilot, and a lawyer. Thanks to an excellent makeup job, he ages well after he is caught, but his posture, walk, and demeanor are still those of a young man. In Gangs of New York he had a tougher assignment, playing a young man and then an older street thug who is capable of taking on the DANIEL DAY-LEWIS character. He doesn't make it, but the film is nevertheless an impressive one.
Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Webworldarticles.com is a free articles resource thus practically any visitor can submit an article. However if you notice any copyrighted material, please contact us and we will remove the article(s) in discussion right away.
This article was sent to us by:
Damon C. Mitchell at
08102010
1. Antiheroes and antiwar Hollywood film productions and their stars
All articles in this directory are property of their respective authors. Additionally, read our Privacy Policy
© 2010 WebWorldarticles.com - All Rights Reserved. Partners: Gunblade Saga