Film Leonardo DiCaprio - Greatest Actor of All Time?

Wouldn't say best actor but he's incredibly consistent in his performances. He doesn't seem to take roles/films that aren't good or he can't make good. Same with Hanks.

What makes Leo the biggest name is that almost every film he's been in the last decade has been a bit I think. It's tough to say if he jumped on the back of a winning horse and tagged on or if he elevated it to another level/no other actor could play his role. For example I could imagine his role in Inception being done by others but not Wolf of Wall Street
 
Pfft. It's like you've never heard of the RSC.
 
I'm going to put 20 here, not going to order them for now that I would rate higher. Only qualifier is I've seen movies of theirs.

Marlon Brando
Orson Welles
Steve McQueen
Paul Newman
Robert Redford
Gary Cooper
Tim Robbins
Morgan Freeman
Sidney Poitier
Jack Nicholson
Clint Eastwood
Anthony Hopkins
Al Pacino
Robert De Niro
Robert Duvall
Tom Hanks
Jack Nicholson
Samuel L Jackson
Kevin Spacey
Daniel Day Lewis

At this point Di Caprio would be coming under consideration and I've missed out Dustin Hoffman I've just realised.
 
The Cat said:
I'm going to put 20 here, not going to order them for now that I would rate higher. Only qualifier is I've seen movies of theirs.

Marlon Brando
Orson Welles
Steve McQueen
Paul Newman
Robert Redford
Gary Cooper
Tim Robbins
Morgan Freeman
Sidney Poitier
Jack Nicholson
Clint Eastwood
Anthony Hopkins
Al Pacino
Robert De Niro
Robert Duvall
Tom Hanks
Jack Nicholson
Samuel L Jackson
Kevin Spacey
Daniel Day Lewis

At this point Di Caprio would be coming under consideration and I've missed out Dustin Hoffman I've just realised.
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Maybe swap him in for one of the Jack Nicholsons?
 
in no way is Tom Hanks a better actor than Leonardo DiCaprio. he played pretty much the same character / good guy in about 90% of his films. awesome guy though.
 
stepic said:
in no way is Tom Hanks a better actor than Leonardo DiCaprio. he played pretty much the same character / good guy in about 90% of his films. awesome guy though.
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Look he caught him in the film so he is obviously superior.
 
Seriously? At the top of my head, I would have Humphrey Bogard, James Steward, Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, Laurence Olivier, Kirk Douglas, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Daniel D Lewis, Kevin Spacey (among others) quite a bit ahead of him. I think that he might be the best actor of his generation though I think that Christian Bale is better.
 
Another two better actors:
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Heath Ledger
 
In my opinion I think he's the best. Should have won more Oscar's like wolf of wall street, was clearly a better movie then the one Matthew McConaughey was in. And django was probably the best acting I've seen from him. The table scene, absolute scene stealer. 2nd to him I'd say would be Daniel day Lewis.
 
ivaldo said:
American men by the looks of it. Criminal no one has mentioned Ian McKellen yet.
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McKellen, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall, Gary Oldman, Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Peter Sellars, Ben Kingsley, Richard Burton are/ were better actors than Di Caprio. And that's just British men.

So no, he's not the best actor ever.
 
Nowhere close.

Scorsese, Nolan, Tarantino movies are always big hits and he is in those movies 4/5 times.

A very good actor in great movies but not an all-time great actor.

Matt Damon level for me. Except Matt Damon isn't that picky what movies he participates in.
 
Cait Sith said:
Nowhere close.

Scorsese, Nolan, Tarantino movies are always big hits and he is in those movies 4/5 times.

A very good actor in great movies but not an all-time great actor.

Matt Damon level for me. Except Matt Damon isn't that picky what movies he participates in.
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But guys, what about Will Smith? He’s pretty good too...

stepic said:
in no way is Tom Hanks a better actor than Leonardo DiCaprio. he played pretty much the same character / good guy in about 90% of his films. awesome guy though.
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Leonardo Di Caprio is always recognisably Leonardo Di Caprio in every role. He never disappears into one. He rarely if ever convincingly conveys an accent. He’s always shouting with a little bit of spit coming out, and then crying a bit with a wobbly lip, but he’s still very obviously Leonado DiCaprio, trying very hard, doing the big loud obvious emotions, but always, uncontrovertably Leonardo DiCaprio...

He’s one of the best quote unquote “movie stars” around, sure, but the idea that he’s the greatest actor alive, let alone ever is farcical. It’s like someone whose read 4 books saying Harry Potter is the greatest work of fiction of all time. WATCH MORE FILMS YOU PEASANTS!!
 
Mockney said:
Leonardo Di Caprio is always recognisably Leonardo Di Caprio in every role. He never disappears into one. He rarely if ever convincingly conveys an accent. He’s always shouting with a little bit of spit coming out, and then crying a bit with a wobbly lip, but he’s still very obviously Leonado DiCaprio, trying very hard, doing the big loud obvious emotions, but always, uncontrovertably Leonardo DiCaprio...

He’s one of the best quote unquote “movie stars” around, sure, but the idea that he’s the greatest actor alive, let alone ever is farcical. It’s like someone whose read 4 books saying Harry Potter is the greatest work of fiction of all time. WATCH MORE FILMS!!!
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Disagree. Watch less films and more clips of people giving their stepdads papers allowing them to adopt them. Why are there no Oscars for that?
 
somehow he's gone from overrated to underrated in one thread. seriously, he isn't a better actor than Heath Ledger? why, because of the Joker? Timothy Spall? wtf
 
AaronRedDevil said:
In my opinion I think he's the best. Should have won more Oscar's like wolf of wall street, was clearly a better movie then the one Matthew McConaughey was in. And django was probably the best acting I've seen from him. The table scene, absolute scene stealer. 2nd to him I'd say would be Daniel day Lewis.
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This must be a piss take.
 
Mockney said:
Leonardo Di Caprio is always recognisably Leonardo Di Caprio in every role. He never disappears into one. He rarely if ever convincingly conveys an accent. He’s always shouting with a little bit of spit coming out, and then crying a bit with a wobbly lip, but he’s still very obviously Leonado DiCaprio, trying very hard, doing the big loud obvious emotions, but always, uncontrovertably Leonardo DiCaprio...

He’s one of the best quote unquote “movie stars” around, sure, but the idea that he’s the greatest actor alive, let alone ever is farcical. It’s like someone whose read 4 books saying Harry Potter is the greatest work of fiction of all time. WATCH MORE FILMS!!!
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i think the first paragraph is a little harsh on Leo, although i can see your point. Although, aren't most actors like this? De Niro, Jack Nicholsen, Pacino can all fall victim of that also. that's why impressionists love them so much.

second paragraph: i completely agree he's not the best ever.
 
No. He's neither the greatest actor or movie star any way which you choose to slice it (awards, box office gross).

Of course this is entirely subjective but I'm so obviously correct it might as well be classified as objective truth.

NB: He was a better actor before he became a bona-fide movie star (which tbh is true for everyone).
 
In all seriousness I can't believe this is even a debate.

Does De Niro, Pacino etc complete OP?

:lol:
 
No
 
He's very good at what he does. His choices of role help a lot.
 
stepic said:
i think the first paragraph is a little harsh on Leo, although i can see your point. Although, aren't most actors like this? De Niro, Jack Nicholsen, Pacino can all fall victim of that also. that's why impressionists love them so much.

second paragraph: i completely agree he's not the best ever.
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I suppose,... but remember that you’re referencing actors here who are all now old enough to be parodies of themselves. None of them have done any particularly great acting work in decades, and most impressions of them (particularly Pacino) stem from the later stuff where they’re just kinda walking through it, or being exaggerated versions of themselves - No one does impressions of Pacino in Dog Day, for example (which they should, as its a better performance than Godfather IMO - and Cazale’s is the better performance in II for my money anyway!)

And again, we’re talking movie stars here, which these conversations are always inevitably skewed towards, when the best actual acting is often done by the character players... Only really Day Lewis and Streep are bona fide examples of genuine award bait headliners who are still reliably the best actual actors in their work.... IMO, at least.

This applies to DiCaprio too, who has never really topped his early character work in Gilbert Grape and Basketball Diaries since he became an A List “star”... he’s just kinda sort of the same in everything, even when he’s not... if that makes any sense. Also he’s always shouting. Shouting is proper acting.
 
Wouldn't call him the best of his generation either. Not sure there's anyone better that was born after him though (Bale is slightly older).
 
stepic said:
somehow he's gone from overrated to underrated in one thread. seriously, he isn't a better actor than Heath Ledger? why, because of the Joker? Timothy Spall? wtf
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Is better in all of the films he's done with Mike Leigh than anything I've ever seen from Di Caprio. It's not even close.
 
The best acting I've seen in recent years was Naomi Watts' audition scene in Mulholland Dr.
 
SteveJ said:
The best acting I've seen in recent years was Naomi Watts' audition scene in Mulholland Dr.
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I think there are a lot more great actresses working now than there are great actors.... (I wouldn’t put Watts among them though, but it’s yet another thing his thread blythly overlooks.)
 
Mockney said:
I think there are a lot more great actresses working now than there are great actors.... (I wouldn’t put Watts among them though, but it’s yet another thing his thread blythly overlooks.)
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My movie opinions are generally pretty rubbish, mate. :D
 
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