Is DiCaprio the greatest...

[RickJay]

@TriPolar

The repertoire of roles has nothing to do with it. It’s about the quality of acting, and DiCaprio is nothing but a pretty boy, barely an actor at all.

With due respect, I find this claim preposterous. DiCaprio is a highly skilled actor. Best in the world, no, but he can act you off the stage without even trying, and he’s a cer impressive leading man.

[Sudden_Kestrel]

@TriPolar

O’Toole made himself appear manly enough to play Lawrence, and that’s the difference between him and DiCaprio.

Well, okay, you’ve got a point there. O’Toole could appear manly or unmanly, completely rational or totally insane, pathetic and weak or virile and intimidating, and he’d be entirely believable. I have a hard time believing in DiCaprio as anything other than DiCaprio.

[Yookeroo]

@ExTank

Maybe there’s a difference between British and American approaches to fame, but here’s the thing about the Leos and Matts and Bruces: however good they may be as actors, whenever they’re on-screen, my first thought is, “Oh, it Leo (or Matt, or Bruce, or George, etc), and he’s playing a role.”

Put Gary Oldman or Alan Rickman on-screen, and I watch the performance; the person playing it is completely secondary.

And that’s why the Gary Oldmans and Alan Rickmans are so much better actors than the Leo DiCaprios, Matt Damons, Bruce WIllis’, and George Clooneys.

I’ll give you Gary Oldman. But Alan Rickman is definitely in “Oh, it’s Alan and he’s playing a role” territory.

[the_diego]

^
Disagree. A relatively unknown Rickman playing the head bad guy in the first Die Hard edition hasn’t been surpassed in 3 sequels.

[ExTank]

@the_diego

^
Disagree. A relatively unknown Rickman playing the head bad guy in the first Die Hard edition hasn’t been surpassed in 3 sequels.

Jeremy Irons came closest in DH3, but the story/script wasn’t up to the task.

[salinqmind]

@Biggirl

What in the fuck are you going on about?

I know, I know-- beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But still. . .. What in the fuck are you going on about?

Ok, yes, Beauty is in the eye of…but Leo D. and Johnny D. were both breathtakingly beautiful when younger. After a lifetime of drinking, drugging, and smoking, and with normal aging, I think Johnny Depp isn’t quite as striking looking as he used to be. IMO. (as I freely admit myself, Mr. Sali, and my best friends have suffered the ravages of time). Leo DiCaprio was just gorgeous in the Titanic year, but look at him now! His face has grown huge as he’s no longer a skinny kid any more, and all his features are squished into the center. His looks have changed drastically with aging.

[Lust4Life]

De Caprio is an actor ?
That’ll come as a surprise to many of us.

[madsircool]

@BMax

Because there are actors like Gary Oldman and Benecio del Toro working.

Benecio del Toro??? lol

[Equipoise]

@Lust4Life

De Caprio is an actor ?
That’ll come as a surprise to many of us.

Not a surprise to most people who don’t still hold a grudge that their girlfriends had a crush on him during the Titanic days. He’s a three-time Oscar nominee, once for Best Supporting Actor and twice for Best Actor.

The OP blew it. You don’t come into a place like The Straight Dope, where many pride themselves on being the Tea Partiers of moviegoing, and proclaim someone the BEST. One of, you might have gotten away with.

[Chronos]

DiCaprio could defensibly be “one of the best n actors”, but only for uninterestingly large values of n.

[RickJay]

@the_diego

^
Disagree. A relatively unknown Rickman playing the head bad guy in the first Die Hard edition hasn’t been surpassed in 3 sequels.

While Rickman’s performance in Die Hard was magnificent, you have to admit he played the “deliciously hideous bastard” role again and again. He was another bastard in Robin Hood, another, slimier bastard in Harry Potter, and so on; he’s usually a bastard. He played an archangel as Alan Rickman, Snarky Bastard. He’s a fine actor, but in terms of range, he is not in the same zip code as Gary Oldman, who is a goddamned shapeshifter. In fairness, though, who else is?

[Chronos]

Galaxy Quest. Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy. While “delicious bastard” is certainly a specialty of his, he can still do other roles.

[the_diego]

@RickJay

he is not in the same zip code as Gary Oldman, who is a goddamned shapeshifter. In fairness, though, who else is?

Leering Jack Nicholson of course. Both can change from cuddly cute to stark raving mad within 10 frames of film.

But as far as versatility goes, you have an entire trainload of actors. There was Richard Harris in Camelot wherein he was shifting from pathetic loser to frightening king repeatedly, Kurt Russel in many of his roles (I like Elvis and Wyatt best.) Matt Damon as Ripley, Ed Norton, Willhem Dafoe, Robert Downey Jr, etc.

[panache45]

You’d have to re-define the words “greatest” and “actor.”

[Sahirrnee]

@salinqmind

(I wish you people would put his Titantic performance aside and look at the man as he is today - he is NOT pretty any more, he (like Johnny Depp) has lost his good looks. ) However, this can only work to his advantage as I think he is an excellent actor with years and years of great performances ahead of him.

They can park their boots next to my bed any time.

although I doubt either one would want to

[Gukumatz]

Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman, Jude Law, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ian Holm and Jeremy Irons could act circles around him. Heck, even in the younger generation I’d give the advantage to Brad Pitt, Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman or Michael Fassbender. And in Blood Diamond, Dicaprio became a sideshow to Djimon Hounsou’s fireworks. (Whose agent should be shot for the movies he’s been in the last six years, by the way.)

He’s a good actor on the way to becoming a great actor, but he’s not there yet.

[truthSeeker2]

@Gukumatz

Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman, Jude Law, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ian Holm and Jeremy Irons could act circles around him. Heck, even in the younger generation I’d give the advantage to Brad Pitt, Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman or Michael Fassbender. And in Blood Diamond, Dicaprio became a sideshow to Djimon Hounsou’s fireworks. (Whose agent should be shot for the movies he’s been in the last six years, by the way.)

He’s a good actor on the way to becoming a great actor, but he’s not there yet.

He was great in Blood diamond. That zimbabwean accent was perfect too. The versitility , the choice of roles n the way he has matured over the years makes him a great. Agree?

[cjepson]

@ftg

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is the most baffling. His performance was so awful in that one and yet somehow people talk about his performance there as being good. Every time he was on screen it took me out of the movie: “Ouch, that’s some bad acting there.” Made it hard to stay involved.

Now I’m the baffled one. I thought he did an astonishingly good job with that role.

[well_he_s_back]

cjepson - I’m with you. As I stated earlier, “Gilbert Grape” was the last film I found Leo to be believable in. I really like that film; it’s truly worth watching, and not just for Johnny Depp’s wonderful performance.

[Ephemera]

I think he’s one of the best A List actors of the late nineties to present. I’d also include Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, though I’m sure many will disagree.

@Gukumatz

Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman, Jude Law, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ian Holm and Jeremy Irons could act circles around him. Heck, even in the younger generation I’d give the advantage to Brad Pitt, Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman or Michael Fassbender. And in Blood Diamond, Dicaprio became a sideshow to Djimon Hounsou’s fireworks. (Whose agent should be shot for the movies he’s been in the last six years, by the way.)

Your “younger” actors are 48, 44, 41, and 35, respectively. DiCaprio is 37.