Leonardo DiCaprio must be wondering what he has to do to finally make it to the stage of the Academy Awards and get his hands on that little golden statuette.
The tireless actor has been nominated for an Oscar four times, and each time he has undoubtedly given it his all, most recently in 'The Wolf of Wall Street', which debuts on Sky Movies this evening.
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In this epic ode to 1980s greed of the orgiastic kind we like to think we've grown out of, Leonardo pulls all his weapons together for a three-hour assault on the senses, with his interpretation of ambitious, charismatic, crooked broker Jordan Belfort inspired, he has revealed, by thoughts of how a Roman Emperor would behave, faced with the loss of his empire.
Once again working to the megaphone of his frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese, he screams, whispers, inspires, seduces and even wobbles (at one point, paralysed by a drug intake that could have felled a horse) his way through every scene. No actor should have to work this hard for no plaudits.
Leo gives it his all once again as 'The Wolf of Wall Street'
Leonardo DiCaprio has much to celebrate, just not an Oscar yet... and it's not for want of trying
His tour-de-force isn't the first time, though, that Leo has left it all on the pitch and still not made it to the trophy table, at least when it comes to the Academy.
The first time was back in 1993, when as a mere stripling, he looked set to steal Best Supporting Actor for 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape'. That time, he was pipped by Tommy Lee Jones for 'The Fugitive', with Academy voters presumably assuming the prodigious actor had plenty of roles, time and future success left in him.
The second occasion in 2004, his veritable tour de force as Howard Hughes in 'The Aviator' got him a Lead Actor nod. But while his co-star Cate Blanchett scooped a gong, Leo was beaten to the post by Jamie Foxx for 'Ray'.
Undeterred, he threw his efforts into 'Blood Diamond', and was rewarded with another nomination in this category. This time, it was his co-star Djimon Hounsou who collected the accolades (National Board of Review, Las Vegas Film Critics Society awards), while Leo had to perfect his Oscar-smiley-loser face in favour of Forest Whitaker for his compelling turn as Idi Amin in 'Last King of Scotland'.
Leo in fine form as Howard Hughes in 'The Aviator'
In addition, at 38 years of age, DiCaprio has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award an impressive nine times in all… and only ever taken home one, for his role in 'The Aviator'.
This, despite being taken under the wing of Martin Scorsese, as a replacement muse of sorts for the much-celebrated Robert De Niro - who won an Oscar, under Marty's steerage, for 'Raging Bull'.
Perhaps Leo needs a rethink… a small, foreign film? Subtitles? Black and white? Or a completely unrecognisable disguise of his good looks and scene-stealing monologues?
Or, perhaps, just perhaps, with a fortune estimated at $200m, the most revered directors in Hollywood on his speed dial, and a long list of Victoria's Secret girlfriends on his arm, a few gaps on the mantelpiece where there might have been a bit of salutary goldenware might not seem so important in the scheme of things. Saves dusting!
'The Wolf of Wall Street' debuts on Sky Movies tonight, also available through Virgin Media, which provides access to up to 260+ channels including Freeview channels, Virgin Movies, Sky Movies and Netflix. provides