Leonardo DiCaprio is TIME’s Entertainer of the Year, honouring a career spanning more than 35 years

Leonardo DiCaprio has been named TIME’s Entertainer of the Year, capping off a landmark season driven by the sweeping success of his latest film, One Battle After Another. The film surged to the forefront of Hollywood’s awards circuit on Monday after earning nine Golden Globe nominations, becoming one of the year’s most celebrated contenders.

Over a career spanning more than 35 years, DiCaprio has cemented himself as one of the last true movie stars. His filmography includes countless acclaimed performances, and even though he has had “a few cinematic missteps,” his work continues to shape modern cinema. His long-awaited Academy Award for The Revenant (2015) remains a defining milestone.

‘One Battle After Another’ Marks a Career Peak

The 2025 release is also DiCaprio’s first-ever collaboration with filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, and critics already regard it as his best work to date. The film explores themes of autocracy and fractured parenthood through the story of a stoner ex-revolutionary (DiCaprio) who embarks on a desperate mission to rescue his daughter (Chase Infiniti) from an old nemesis, played by Sean Penn.

IndieWire critic David Ehrlich praised DiCaprio's turn, writing that his “tetchy comic genius finds a new dimension through his character's natural deference.”

Critics Highlight His Finest Roles

As DiCaprio’s latest accolade sparks fresh discussion around his body of work, critics often return to some of his strongest performances:

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

With a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score, the Steven Spielberg biographical drama remains one of his standout early roles. Reviewer Stanley Kauffmann wrote that “DiCaprio has the breeze and aplomb to keep it all bouncing along.”

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

The Martin Scorsese epic holds a 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating. DiCaprio’s portrayal of a morally conflicted husband was widely acclaimed, with critic Chris Bumbray calling it “the most complex character he's ever played.”

The Departed (2006)

At 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, the cult-favourite crime thriller features DiCaprio as undercover cop Billy Costigan — one of his most intense and enduring performances.

Ice on Fire (2019)

The documentary, which DiCaprio narrated, earned a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score. CNN’s Brian Lowry praised it as “A better-than-most film on the topic that gets beyond the dire warnings to contemplating what can actually be done.”

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

One of DiCaprio’s earliest roles remains among his most celebrated, with critics calling his teenage performance “astonishing” and “enormous.” His portrayal was so compelling that many reviewers noted he often overshadowed Johnny Depp, despite Depp being the established star of the film.

Shutter Island (2010)

Leonardo DiCaprio delivered one of his most haunting performances in Shutter Island, anchoring the film with a raw, psychologically intense portrayal of U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels. Critics praised the way he captured the character’s unraveling sanity — shifting seamlessly between toughness, grief and paranoia — and carrying the emotional weight of the film almost entirely on his shoulders.

His performance gave the story its depth and urgency, making the dramatic twist not just shocking but deeply affecting.