Editing Leonardo DiCaprio (section)

===1991–1996: Early work and breakthrough===
DiCaprio made his film debut in 1991 as the stepson of an unscrupulous landlord in the low-budget horror sequel ''[[Critters 3]]''—a part he later described as "your average, no-depth, standard kid with blond hair".<ref name="ny1" /> DiCaprio has stated that he prefers not to remember ''Critters 3'', viewing it as "possibly one of the worst films of all time" and the kind of role he wanted to avoid in the future.{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=26}} Later in 1991, he became a recurring cast member on the sitcom ''[[Growing Pains]]'', playing Luke Brower, a homeless boy who is taken in by the show's central family.{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=24}} Co-star [[Joanna Kerns]] recalls DiCaprio being "especially intelligent and disarming for his age" but she noted that he was also mischievous and jocular on set, and often made fun of his co-stars.<ref name="theindependent">{{cite news |last1=Yahr |first1=Emily |title=How Leonardo DiCaprio Went From Being a Dorky Teenage Actor to a Superstar |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/leonardo-dicaprio-how-a-dorky-teenage-actor-became-a-superstar-a6891181.html |access-date=October 9, 2019 |work=The Independent|url-access=limited |date=February 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009133108/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/leonardo-dicaprio-how-a-dorky-teenage-actor-became-a-superstar-a6891181.html |archive-date=October 9, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> DiCaprio was cast by the producers to appeal to young female audience, but his arrival did not improve the show's ratings and he left before the end of its run.{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=24–25}} He was nominated for a [[Young Artist Award]] for Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series.<ref>{{cite web |title=13th Annual Awards |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms13.htm |publisher=Young Artist Awards |access-date=October 9, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000613002256/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms13.htm |archive-date=June 13, 2000}}</ref> DiCaprio also had an uncredited role in 1991 in one episode of ''[[Roseanne]]''.{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=255}}

[[File:Lasse Hallström at 2013 MIFF (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Lasse Hallström]] directed DiCaprio in ''[[What's Eating Gilbert Grape]]'' (1993), for which he earned his first [[Academy Award]] nomination.|alt=Lasse Hallström holding a mic in his left hand and looking away from the camera]]

In 1992, DiCaprio had a brief role in [[Poison Ivy (1992 film)|the first installment]] of the [[Poison Ivy (film series)|''Poison Ivy'' film series]],<ref name="rollingstone">{{cite news |last1=Ebiri |first1=Bilge |title=Leonardo DiCaprio's Movies, Ranked Worst to Best |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-lists/leonardo-dicaprios-movies-ranked-worst-to-best-149574 |access-date=October 9, 2019 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=November 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009174943/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-lists/leonardo-dicaprios-movies-ranked-worst-to-best-149574/ |archive-date=October 9, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> and was handpicked by [[Robert De Niro]] from a shortlist of 400 young actors to co-star with him in ''[[This Boy's Life]].'' Adapted from the memoir by [[Tobias Wolff]], the film focuses on the relationship between a rebellious teenager, Toby  (DiCaprio), and his mother ([[Ellen Barkin]]) and abusive stepfather (De Niro).<ref name="pp1" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |title=''This Boy's Life'' Movie Review & Film Summary (1993) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/this-boys-life-1993 |website=RogerEbert.com |access-date=November 17, 2019 |date=April 23, 1993 |archive-date=November 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117112533/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/this-boys-life-1993 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=38}} Director [[Michael Caton-Jones]] said that DiCaprio did not know how to behave on set; accordingly, Caton-Jones used a strict mentoring style, after which DiCaprio's behavior began to improve.<ref name="theindependent" /> [[Bilge Ebiri]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' found that the powerful bond between Barkin and DiCaprio elevated the film, praising DiCaprio's portrayal of his character's complex growth from a rebellious teen to an independent young man.<ref name="rollingstone" /> ''This Boy's Life'' was the first film that gained him recognition.{{sfn|Pomerance|2012|pp=104–105}}

DiCaprio played the developmentally disabled brother of [[Johnny Depp]]'s character in ''[[What's Eating Gilbert Grape]]'' (1993), a comedy-drama about a dysfunctional [[Iowa]] family. Caton-Jones recommended DiCaprio to director [[Lasse Hallström]] who was initially skeptical, as he considered DiCaprio too good-looking for the part. Hallström cast DiCaprio after he emerged as "the most observant" auditionee.<ref name="ny1">{{cite news |first=Aljean |last=Harmetz |title=The Actor is Boyishly Handsome, and That's a Liability |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/12/movies/up-coming-leonardo-dicaprio-actor-boyishly-handsome-that-s-liability.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 12, 1993 |access-date=August 2, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717080916/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/12/movies/up-coming-leonardo-dicaprio-actor-boyishly-handsome-that-s-liability.html |archive-date=July 17, 2010|url-access=limited}}</ref><ref name="theindependent" /> To ensure authenticity in his portrayal, DiCaprio studied similarly impaired children and their mannerisms, and Hallström allowed him to create the character using his own researched attributes.{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=36}} The film became a critical success.<ref>{{cite web |title=''What's Eating Gilbert Grape'' (1993) |date=December 25, 1993 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/whats_eating_gilbert_grape/ |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=October 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603124756/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/whats_eating_gilbert_grape/ |archive-date=June 3, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> At 19, DiCaprio earned a [[National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor|National Board of Review Award]], as well as nominations for a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Golden Globe Award]] and an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Academy Award]] for Best Supporting Actor, making him the [[List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees#Youngest nominees 4|seventh-youngest Oscar nominee]] in the category.{{sfn|Pomerance|2012|pp=106–107}}<ref>{{Cite web|last=Evry|first=Max|title=The 25 Youngest Oscar Nominees of All Time|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/2802405/youngest-oscar-nominees-winners-of-all-time/|date=February 9, 2011|access-date=April 17, 2021|work=[[MTV News]]|archive-date=April 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420163843/https://www.mtv.com/news/2802405/youngest-oscar-nominees-winners-of-all-time/|url-status=dead}}</ref> "The film's real show-stopping turn comes from Mr. DiCaprio," wrote ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' critic [[Janet Maslin]], "who makes Arnie's many tics so startling and vivid that at first he is difficult to watch. The performance has a sharp, desperate intensity from beginning to end."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/17/movies/review-film-johnny-depp-as-a-soulful-outsider.html |title=Movie Review: ''What's Eating Gilbert Grape'' |last=Maslin |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Maslin |date=December 17, 1993 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 2, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103053450/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F0CE0D61631F934A25751C1A965958260 |archive-date=January 3, 2014|url-access=limited}}</ref> [[Caryn James]], also writing for ''The New York Times'', said of his performances in ''This Boy's Life'' and ''What's Eating Gilbert Grape'': "He made the raw, emotional neediness of those boys completely natural and powerful."<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last1=James |first1=Caryn |author-link=Caryn James |title=The Baby-Faced Kid Has Developed Quite a Stare |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/movies/29jame.html |access-date=October 12, 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=October 29, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012102044/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/movies/29jame.html |archive-date=October 12, 2019}}</ref>

DiCaprio's first role of 1995 was in [[Sam Raimi]]'s Western ''[[The Quick and the Dead (1995 film)|The Quick and the Dead]]''. When [[Sony Pictures]] became dubious over DiCaprio's casting, co-star [[Sharon Stone]] paid his salary herself.{{sfn|Muir|2004|pp=171–179}} The film was released to dismal box office performance and mixed reviews from critics.<ref>{{cite web |title=''The Quick and the Dead'' (1995) |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Quick-and-the-Dead-The |publisher=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=August 2, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140902062037/http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Quick-and-the-Dead-The |archive-date=September 2, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''The Quick and the Dead'' (1995) |date=February 10, 1995 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1059629-quick_and_the_dead |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-date=April 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421170627/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1059629-quick_and_the_dead/ |url-status=live}}</ref> DiCaprio next starred as a teenage [[Jim Carroll]], a drug-addicted high school basketball player and budding writer, in the biopic ''[[The Basketball Diaries (film)|The Basketball Diaries]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Travers |first1=Peter |author-link=Peter Travers|title=''The Basketball Diaries'' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-basketball-diaries-19950101 |access-date=August 26, 2015 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=April 21, 1995 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827135116/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-basketball-diaries-19950101 |archive-date=August 27, 2015}}</ref> He starred in the erotic drama ''[[Total Eclipse (film)|Total Eclipse]]'' (1995), driven by the desire to showcase an exceptional performance, which would focus on his acting talent rather than his much-discussed physical appeal.{{sfn|Pomerance|2012|pp=111, 113}} Directed by [[Agnieszka Holland]], it is a fictionalized account of the same-sex relationship between [[Arthur Rimbaud]] (DiCaprio) and [[Paul Verlaine]] ([[David Thewlis]]). DiCaprio was cast when [[River Phoenix]] died before filming began.<ref name="blood" /> Although the film failed commercially,{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=62}} it has been included in the catalog of the [[Warner Archive Collection]], which releases classic and cult films from [[Warner Bros.]]' library on home video.<ref>{{cite web|title=''Total Eclipse'' (1995)|url=https://www.wbshop.com/products/total-eclipse-1995-mod?_pos=1&_sid=6031a8443&_ss=r|publisher=[[Warner Archive Collection]]|access-date=November 19, 2019|archive-date=November 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119014229/https://www.wbshop.com/products/total-eclipse-1995-mod?_pos=1&_sid=6031a8443&_ss=r}}</ref> A review in the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' called DiCaprio "his generation's great acting promise" but criticized the mismatch between Thewlis's "cultivated" British accent and DiCaprio's "Southern California twang".{{sfn|Pomerance|2012|p=115}}

DiCaprio next starred opposite [[Claire Danes]] in [[Baz Luhrmann]]'s ''[[Romeo + Juliet]]'' (1996), an abridged modernization of [[William Shakespeare]]'s [[Romeo and Juliet|romantic tragedy]], which retained the original Shakespearean dialogue. DiCaprio was initially unsure about another Romeo and Juliet adaptation, but at his father's suggestion, he agreed to examine Luhrmann's work more closely. DiCaprio and Luhrmann then spent a two-week workshop exchanging ideas, which led to the collaboration.{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=67–68}} ''Romeo + Juliet'' established DiCaprio as a leading Hollywood actor; according to film scholar [[Murray Pomerance]], DiCaprio's newfound popularity helped the film become profitable only days after its release.{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=67}}{{sfn|Pomerance|2012|p=117}} Reviewing DiCaprio's early works, [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' called DiCaprio "a revelation" in ''What's Eating Gilbert Grape'', "very moving" in ''This Boy's Life'', "suitably desperate" in ''The Basketball Diaries'' and "a vital spark" in ''Romeo + Juliet''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomson |first1=David |author-link=David Thomson (film critic) |title=David Thomson on Leonardo DiCaprio |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/16/leonardo-dicaprio-profile |access-date=October 26, 2019 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=January 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026175510/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/16/leonardo-dicaprio-profile |archive-date=October 26, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The latter earned DiCaprio a [[Silver Bear for Best Actor]] at the [[47th Berlin International Film Festival|1997 Berlin International Film Festival]].{{sfn|Müller|2001|p=400}} He then portrayed a young man who has been committed to a mental asylum in ''[[Marvin's Room (film)|Marvin's Room]]'' (1996), a family drama about two estranged sisters, played by [[Meryl Streep]] and [[Diane Keaton]], who are reunited through tragedy. He played Hank, the troubled son of Streep's character.{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=65–67}} [[Lisa Schwarzbaum]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' praised "the deeply gifted DiCaprio" for holding his own against veteran actresses Keaton and Streep, describing the three as "full-bodied and so powerfully affecting that you're carried along on the pleasure of being in the presence of their extraordinary talent".<ref name="ew-mr">{{cite magazine |first=Lisa |last=Schwarzbaum |author-link=Lisa Schwarzbaum|url=https://www.ew.com/article/1996/12/20/marvins-room |title=''Marvin's Room'' (1996) |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=December 20, 1996 |access-date=August 2, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716101037/http://www.ew.com/article/1996/12/20/marvins-room |archive-date=July 16, 2015}}</ref>