Everyone knows the guy who didn't let go of the door in the middle of the Atlantic. But honestly, if you're asking what movies does leonardo dicaprio play in, you’re probably looking for more than just a Titanic rewatch. Leo has this weird, almost supernatural ability to pick projects that become cultural landmarks. He doesn’t just "play" in movies; he basically colonizes them. From the 1990s heartthrob era to his current status as the guy who only works with legendary directors, his filmography is a massive roadmap of Hollywood's last thirty years.
It’s actually kinda wild when you look at the sheer variety. He’s been a drug-addicted basketball player, a fake pilot, a plantation owner you want to punch in the face, and a guy literally mauled by a bear. He’s not a "one for them, one for me" kind of actor. It feels like every single role is a "one for the history books" attempt.
The Early Days and the Big Break
Before he was the king of the world, Leo was just a kid on Growing Pains. But his film debut? That was Critters 3 in 1991. Yeah, a low-budget horror sequel. We all start somewhere, right? Most people actually start paying attention around 1993. That’s when he did This Boy's Life with Robert De Niro and What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
If you haven't seen Gilbert Grape, go find it. He played Arnie, a teenager with a developmental disability, and he was so convincing that people at the time genuinely thought the producers had hired a non-actor. He got his first Oscar nomination for that at just 19.
Then came the "Leo-mania" years.
💡 You might also like: How to Watch The Wolf and the Lion Without Getting Lost in the Wild
- The Basketball Diaries (1995) – Dark, gritty, and definitely not for kids.
- Romeo + Juliet (1996) – Baz Luhrmann turned a Shakespeare play into a neon-drenched fever dream.
- Titanic (1997) – The one that changed everything. It stayed the highest-grossing movie ever for twelve years.
What Movies Does Leonardo DiCaprio Play In with Martin Scorsese?
You can't talk about Leo without talking about Marty. It’s the most important partnership in modern cinema. Since 2002, they’ve made six feature films together. It’s basically a bromance that results in Academy Awards.
Gangs of New York started it all. Leo played Amsterdam Vallon, seeking revenge in 1860s Manhattan. It wasn't his best work—Daniel Day-Lewis kinda stole the show there—but it cemented the duo. Then they gave us The Aviator (2004), where Leo played Howard Hughes. The "show me the blueprints" scene is still chilling.
After that, the hits just kept coming. The Departed (2006) finally won Scorsese his Oscar, though Leo was arguably the soul of the movie as the undercover cop Billy Costigan. Then there was the psychological trip of Shutter Island (2010) and the absolute madness of The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). In Wolf, Leo proved he could do physical comedy, specifically in that "Lemmon 714" scene where he tries to crawl to his car. Most recently, they teamed up for Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), a heavy, three-and-a-half-hour epic about the Osage Nation murders.
The Blockbusters and the Oscar Win
Between his Scorsese dates, Leo was busy working with every other big name. Christopher Nolan tapped him for Inception in 2010. If you still don't know if the top kept spinning at the end, join the club. He also played the villain Calvin Candie in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012). Fun fact: he actually cut his hand on a glass during a dinner scene and just kept acting. That’s the blood you see on the screen.
📖 Related: Is Lincoln Lawyer Coming Back? Mickey Haller's Next Move Explained
But the big one—the one everyone talked about for years—was The Revenant (2015).
People joked for a decade that the Academy was allergic to giving him a trophy. Then he went to the freezing wilderness, ate raw bison liver, and slept in a horse carcass. The Academy finally folded. He got the Best Actor Oscar.
The Recent Hits and What's Coming in 2026
Lately, he’s been a bit more selective. He played Rick Dalton in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), which was basically a love letter to a fading era of Tinseltown. Then he did the Netflix satire Don’t Look Up in 2021, playing a panicked scientist trying to warn a world that didn't care about a comet.
As of right now in 2026, he’s still the biggest draw in the business. He just starred in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another (released late 2025), which has been cleaning up at the awards circuits this year. He plays Bob Ferguson, a paranoid guy caught in a political conspiracy. It’s being hailed as one of his most "un-Leo" roles yet.
👉 See also: Tim Dillon: I'm Your Mother Explained (Simply)
Rumors are also swirling about his next moves. He's officially attached to Heat 2, playing a younger version of Neil McCauley (the role Robert De Niro originated). Production is slated to start later this year. There’s also What Happens at Night, another collaboration with Scorsese and Jennifer Lawrence, which is currently the talk of every trade publication in town.
The Full List (The Highlights)
If you need a quick checklist for your next movie marathon, here are the essentials:
- Critters 3 (1991) - For the completionists.
- What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) - The breakout.
- The Basketball Diaries (1995) - The gritty indie.
- Titanic (1997) - Obviously.
- Catch Me If You Can (2002) - Peak charisma.
- The Departed (2006) - Peak tension.
- Inception (2010) - The brain-melter.
- The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - The funniest he's ever been.
- The Revenant (2015) - The survivalist epic.
- One Battle After Another (2025) - The newest masterpiece.
When you're figuring out what movies does leonardo dicaprio play in, the best way to handle it is to go by director. If you like high-octane crime, stick to his Scorsese and Tarantino stuff. If you want something more cerebral, go for Nolan or Inarritu. He doesn't really do "bad" movies anymore; he hasn't had a real "flop" in terms of quality in a very long time.
To truly appreciate the range, try a "Double Feature of Extremes." Watch The Great Gatsby for the glitz and the "Old Sport" toast, then immediately pivot to The Revenant. It’s hard to believe it’s the same guy.
Your next step is to head over to a streaming aggregator like JustWatch or Letterboxd. Check which of his "Big Five" (Titanic, Inception, Departed, Wolf of Wall Street, Revenant) are currently on your subscribed platforms. Start with The Departed if you want a thriller, or One Battle After Another if you can find it in a local theater or premium VOD to see his most recent award-winning work.