The 5 Oscars Leonardo DiCaprio Should Have Won By Now

One of many Internet memes

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of this generation's most respectable actors. Having worked in Hollywood since he was a teenager, he made himself a household name after playing Jack Dawson in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic.

However, after nearly 25 years in the industry where he has played everybody from King Louis XIV to Jay Gatsby, from the mentally ill to a teen heartthrob, from a drug addict to President Hoover... DiCaprio is yet to get his hands on a prestigious Oscar.

As the unofficial eighth wonder of the world, DiCaprio's struggle for his talent to be acknowledged by the Academy has become somewhat of a novelty over time, with many a hilarious meme being made to document his strife.

With the 86th Academy Awards looming, I take a look back at the five Oscars Leonardo DiCaprio should have won by now.

(Warning: Some of the clips may contain spoilers!)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: as Arnie Grape in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
Yes, DiCaprio's Oscar's Award Cabinet should have received it's first addition in 1994. That is twenty years ago! Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as Gilbert Grape's mentally handicapped brother was astounding, with many originally believing that the young actor genuinely had a mental disability. Although DiCaprio was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, forming the film's sole nomination at the Oscars, he lost out to Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive - thus beginning a long and unjust relationship between Leonardo DiCaprio and the Academy.


                                       

BEST ACTOR: as Jim Carroll in The Basketball Diaries (1995)Fast-forward a mere two years and once again DiCaprio has given another Oscar-worthy performance. This time in The Basketball Diaries, a true life story of Jim Carroll, an unbeatable High School basketball star who falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction. Aged just nineteen, DiCaprio gives a powerful and hard-hitting performance in his first major lead. Unbelievably, the brilliant film was snubbed by the Oscars in it's entirety and didn't receive a single nomination. Nicolas Cage won the Best Actor award for his role in Leaving Las Vegas but I maintain that DiCaprio's performance in The Basketball Diaries was better than that of Cage and all the other nominee's performances put together. (Too much?)

 BEST ACTOR: as Howard Hughes in The Aviator (2004)

I am being ruthless here because if I were in charge of dishing out the Oscars I would have given old Leo one for every film he has ever made, however, it is undeniable that he should have won Best Actor for his portrayal of Howard Hughes in the Martin Scorsese biopic The Aviator. Howard Hughes suffered terribly with OCD and DiCaprio gives a sensitive albeit brutally realistic performance displaying these signs - initially starting with minor things, such as the size of his peas, and ultimately leading to the above scene. The film itself won five Oscars, but sadly none of them went to Leo, who was at the very least nominated for the coveted Oscar but lost out to Jamie Foxx for his performance in Ray Charles. Booooo!

BEST ACTOR: as Danny Archer in Blood Diamond (2006)

Ah, in this alternate reality DiCaprio's awards cabinet would be straining under the weight of all those Oscars by now! Two years after The Aviator he took on the role of a corrupt diamond smuggler Danny Archer, but most importantly he took on the notoriously difficult South African accent and won! The accent was the only thing he won though as yet again Leo's efforts got him nominated in the 79th Academy Awards but.... Well, you know how it goes by now. Forest Whitaker took home the golden statuette for his role in The Last King of Scotland, which is a good film but come on, poor Leo just can't catch a break!

 BEST ACTOR: as Frank Wheeler in Revolutionary Road (2008)
Last but certainly not least on the list is the outstanding reunion of Leo & Kate in this emotional, high-tension drama Revolutionary Road. The two actors carry the film with ease in this fairly simple story of a young couple who are coming to terms with their personal problems whilst raising two children. The beauty of this film is that nothing spectacular happens in the actual story - there are no explosions or fancy effects, there aren't massive twists and turns - it is just the very organic and raw story of a couple who have fallen out of love with each other and Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio's performances, as demonstrated above, are stronger than ever. Revolutionary Road was nominated for three Oscars in total, but surprise surprise Leo was snubbed and didn't even receive a Best Actor nomination (the award for which went to Sean Penn in Milk). Winslet was also snubbed and was equally deserving for Academy recognition for her role as April Wheeler, but as she actually won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in The Reader this same year, I guess we can't be too picky!


So there we have it: five great films.
Five great performances.
One great actor
and zero Oscars.

And now, with Leonardo Dicaprio's newest film The Wolf of Wall Street due for release later this month, there are whispers that perhaps 2014 will be his year; could his 35th film be ~the one~?

Well... It is nice to hope but let's be frank, with his track record and all of the phenomenal performances that have already been snubbed it looks like our Leo  might not ever get his hands on one of those prestigious gold statues, but don't worry Leo - you will always be an Oscar winner to me </3

Love,