Leonardo DiCaprio – Romantic Hero

Not too many actors start their careers in TV commercials but Leonardo DiCaprio did. He spent ten years of his TV career doing various commercials. It was not until the 1990s that he started to take acting roles in films. He started in the TV film Parenthood and then in 1993, he appeared in A Boys Life.

He is known for his role as a defender of women in danger, or so he seems to favor roles portraying this line of personalities. After appearing in the 1997 film, Titanic, he tried to change that image and appear in other roles. However, the fans were not yet convinced.

Big Screen Days

He was born in Los Angeles, California on November 11, 1974.  When he turned nineteen, he met his first international acclaim by appearing in the film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993).  He won his first Academy Award and his first Golden Globe nomination.

Leonardo DiCaprio would soar to international stardom in his next two films, both of which set world records. Even though in this article we will only focus on the latter to be mentioned.  In 1996, he played the romantic in Romeo + Juliet. The film was met with applause and he became dubbed as the romantic hero. His next acting role did nothing to squash world fame for him as “lover boy.”

Titanic Sunk Him into a Romantic Hero for Life

He would continue to grow his fame the following year when he appeared in the romantic adventure film Titanic. The movie depicts a young underclass Romeo who is both a painter and an opportunist. He falls in love with the engaged maiden, whom he eventually paints completely naked. The film centers around this forbidden romance that would not find a place in the world in which they lived.

The romantic manages to win the girl, dances with her, and meets the blunt end of a jealous husband-to-be. In the film, the boat begins to sink and the maiden rushes to release her lover from the cells which are about to be drenched with water.

Although he must die in the end, the story leaves an everlasting image on every mind. Thanks to director, James Cameron, Leonardo Dicaprio, and the entire crew, this was the film that became the most seen and the most sold, at the time, with over 2 billion dollars in revenues.

As historic as the film would be, it went on to win 11 Academy Awards, feeding more chatter for the critic’s plate, who now added him to the brand synonymous with the romantic hero.

He is quite a good actor, and during the years that followed he tried to leave the title behind but there is no way to undo your fans and written critics’ applauds. So, even though he may not have wanted the title, which is a great title anyway, the Titanic has securely cemented it on our minds.

I have seen many movies after that with DiCaprio, The Aviator (2004), and received acclaim for his performances in Blood Diamond (2006), the crime drama The Departed (2006), and the romantic drama Revolutionary Road (2008), but in my mind, he is still Mr. romantic hero.