<P> In 1997 , DiCaprio starred in James Cameron 's Titanic ( 1997 ) as twenty - year - old Jack Dawson , a penniless Wisconsin man who wins two tickets for the third - class on the ill - fated RMS Titanic . DiCaprio initially refused to portray the character but was eventually encouraged to pursue the role by Cameron , who strongly believed in his acting ability . Against expectations , the film went on to become the highest - grossing film to date ( it was surpassed in 2010 by Cameron 's film Avatar ) , grossing more than $1.843 billion in box - office receipts worldwide , and transformed DiCaprio into a commercial movie superstar , resulting in fan worship among teenage girls and young women in general that became known as `` Leo - Mania '' . In May 1998 , for example , his face appeared on the covers of at least four teen magazines , and three books about DiCaprio were among the top six paperbacks on The New York Times Best Seller list . More than 200 fans contacted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to protest his not being nominated for the 70th Academy Awards . He was nominated for other high - profile awards , including a second Golden Globe nomination . Upon the success of Titanic , DiCaprio stated in 2000 : `` I have no connection with me during that whole Titanic phenomenon and what my face became around the world ( ... ) I 'll never reach that state of popularity again , and I do n't expect to . It 's not something I 'm going to try to achieve either . '' </P>
<P> In 1997 , DiCaprio starred in James Cameron 's Titanic ( 1997 ) as twenty - year - old Jack Dawson , a penniless Wisconsin man who wins two tickets for the third - class on the ill - fated RMS Titanic . DiCaprio initially refused to portray the character but was eventually encouraged to pursue the role by Cameron , who strongly believed in his acting ability . Against expectations , the film went on to become the highest - grossing film to date ( it was surpassed in 2010 by Cameron 's film Avatar ) , grossing more than $1.843 billion in box - office receipts worldwide , and transformed DiCaprio into a commercial movie superstar , resulting in fan worship among teenage girls and young women in general that became known as `` Leo - Mania '' . In May 1998 , for example , his face appeared on the covers of at least four teen magazines , and three books about DiCaprio were among the top six paperbacks on The New York Times Best Seller list . More than 200 fans contacted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to protest his not being nominated for the 70th Academy Awards . He was nominated for other high - profile awards , including a second Golden Globe nomination . Upon the success of Titanic , DiCaprio stated in 2000 : `` I have no connection with me during that whole Titanic phenomenon and what my face became around the world ( ... ) I 'll never reach that state of popularity again , and I do n't expect to . It 's not something I 'm going to try to achieve either . '' </P>
who did leonardo dicaprio play in the titanic
who did leonardo dicaprio play in the titanic
twenty - year - old Jack Dawson , a penniless Wisconsin man who wins two tickets for the third - class on the ill - fated RMS Titanic
twenty - year - old Jack Dawson , a penniless Wisconsin man who wins two tickets for the third - class on the ill - fated RMS Titanic