Leonardo DiCaprio (Photo: Mike Windle / Staff / Getty Images)

The 88th Annual Academy Awards were held last night (February 28) and the best news from the 2016 Oscars is that Leonardo DiCaprio has finally earned his much-awaited golden statue. After a decade of bringing some of the best movies to worldwide audiences, Hollywood superstar and actor Leonardo DiCaprio has just won his first Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Hugh Glass in the survival drama The Revenant. The movie had earned several nominations and awards in prestigious ceremonies like the Golden Globe Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the BAFTA Awards, and has wonderfully ended its award-winning run with Oscar wins.

The best part of Alejandro Inarritu’s The Revnenant is that it not only won the acclaimed director another Oscar, but most importantly, it got DiCaprio his well-deserved trophy, too. The 41-year-old is an acting phenomenon who needs no statues to prove it, but he surely deserves a lot. In a single sweep this year, Leonardo has grabbed a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Screen Actors Guild award, and eventually an Academy Award in the Best Actor category. As an actor, here’s a look at some of Leonardo DiCaprio’s acclaimed work in his ten best movies that had a shot at an Oscar win.

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What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

A young 19-year-old Leo gained his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor for playing the developmentally disabled younger brother, Arnie, to the movie’s titular character, Gilbert Grape, played by Johnny Depp. DiCaprio acted out the role so well that he stole the light from the movie’s leading stars, Depp and Juliette Lewis. Leonardo struck gold with an Oscar nomination at such an early age, and never looked back.

Titanic (1997)

This the essential DiCaprio movie of all time, and you can’t miss this title when listing the best of Leo’s career. The actor played young sketch artist Jack Dawson, who gambles his win for a ticket on the luxurious Titanic ship for its maiden voyage. DiCaprio played one of the most sought-after lover roles in this James Cameron directorial; Dawson stays by his love, Rose (Kate Winslet), even as the ship hits the iceberg that ultimately leads to the death of almost everyone on board.

The Beach (2000)

Leonardo DiCaprio played the geeky guy, Richard, in this adventure drama, which is based on a 1996 novel by the same name. The Danny Boyle-directed movie allowed DiCaprio to enact pure emotions and reactions of a person who travels across seas to reach a mystically beautiful island, which leaves audiences with the urge to head out for a beautiful vacation to an unknown island of glazing beaches.

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Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Here’s one of the most engaging and hilariously scripted DiCaprio movies, with Steven Spielberg donning the director’s hat. Starring opposite Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, Leonardo brilliantly played a young Frank Abignale, Jr., who cons airlines, hospitals, and even the FBI to make millions for compensating the government-led bankruptcy of his honest father, played by another Academy Award veteran, actor Christopher Walken.

Gangs of New York (2002)

Leonardo DiCaprio joined the cast and became good friends with one of the world’s most successful directors, Martin Scorsese, in this mob mafia drama. DiCaprio played Amsterdam Vallon opposite acting legends Daniel Day-Lewis and Liam Neeson in this dramatically twisted take of the New York City draft riots. This turned out to be a great DiCaprio-Scorsese venture, which led to the duo working together on many future blockbusters.

The Aviator (2004)

In the next Martin Scorsese film, Leonardo DiCaprio played aviation legend Howard Hughes in this biographical drama. This movie earned Leo a Golden Globe for Best Actor, as well as his second Oscar nomination. The film managed to reap great box office collections as well.

The Departed (2006)

The third DiCaprio-Scorsese venture is one of the most iconic crime drama movies ever made. Leonardo played an undercover cop who goes so deep into a gang that it eventually ends in a bloody shootout. This is that one film that showcased Leonardo’s versatile knack in acting, and the movie is also credited as one of the best Martin Scorsese movies.

Also Read: Why Did It Take So Long For Leonardo DiCaprio To Win The Best Actor Oscar?

Blood Diamond (2006)

Leonardo DiCaprio’s third Best Actor nomination made him hopeful of a definite Oscar, as this fast-paced war thriller guaranteed an unforgettable cinema experience. And Leonardo’s character of diamond smuggler Danny Archer had a major part in the movie’s plot, which was based on the Sierra Leone civil war in 1996.

Inception (2010)

Leonardo DiCaprio starred as the lead professional con thief Dom Cobb in this Christopher Nolan masterpiece. This is one of those movies that will leave you puzzled and unsatisfied, yet curious for more. And DiCaprio’s acting is one of the key elements that prove he is much more superior than many of his other acting competitors.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2014)

Leonardo DiCaprio joined forces with Scorsese one more time, and this bagged him two Oscar nominations, one for Best Actor and the other as a producer for Best Picture. Even though Leonardo lost these Oscars, the movie is one hell of ride to hop on and you’ll undoubtedly enjoy how money and power can be bizarrely brought together in a black comedy format.