10 Amazing Performances That Turned Teen Idols Into Legitimate Actors

9. Leonardo DiCaprio - Gangs Of New York

Leonardo DiCaprio is sort of a funny case, because despite being seen as one of the most talented actors of his generation, he has had to fight to be taken seriously more than once during his career. He started off as a child actor, but didn't quite reach Tiger Beat status until he played Luke, a homeless teenager, on Growing Pains. DiCaprio quickly proved himself as an actor when at eighteen years old he was given his first of many Oscar nominations for his widely acclaimed performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. While he had a few years after that where his work was universally respected, that was all shot to hell with his back-to-back performances in Romeo + Juliet and Titanic. They weren't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but his blond hair and pouty lips set the hearts of the collective population of fourth grade girls aflutter. And its hard for most adults to fairly appraise the talents of a schoolgirl's most recent celebrity crush. Public perception of DiCaprio didn't change until he forged a new identity for himself by collaborating with Martin Scorsese, beginning with Gangs of New York.