Jared Leto might be best known for his polarizing role as The Joker, but the actor had been involved in several acclaimed projects before that.

Having recently appeared in Marvel's Morbius, Jared Leto is becoming more and more of a draw for mainstream audiences after his turn as The Joker in the DCEU. Although his superhero roles may not have been received too well by audiences, the actor has plenty of previous projects that have been extremely successful.

Leto has delivered plenty of memorable performances over the years, even though a lot of them have been in supporting or background roles. He has a unique screen presence that makes him always interesting to watch, regardless of the project he's in.

10 Prefontaine (1997)

In Prefontaine, Jared Leto stars as Olympic runner Steve Prefontaine, whose life seems to be plagued with suffering and misfortune at every turn. It's not a particularly fun film to watch, but it does a good job of exploring Prefontaine's mind as a result of the suffering in his life.

Leto's performance might not be his most memorable, but he embodies Steve Prefontaine successfully and manages to get the audience engrossed in his story. Playing real-life people is never easy, but Leto manages to navigate the role with enough care and thoughtfulness to make it succeed.

9 Lord Of War (2005)

Lord of War is an intense war thriller that chronicles the life of Yuri Orlov (largely based on real-life international arms dealer Viktor Bout), as he evades a determined Interpol agent with the help of his younger brother Vitaly - played by Jared Leto.

The film is extremely tense and dramatic, with the central relationship between brothers Nicholas Cage and Jared Leto propelling the narrative forward above all else. It's a fairly typical cat-and-mouse chase, but this family dynamic gives the film an extra layer of personality.

8 Panic Room (2002)

Directed by crime auteur David Fincher, Panic Room is a confined thriller unlike any other. It follows mother and daughter Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as they fall victim to a home invasion, forced to hide inside their panic room whilst the intruders attempt to breach their security.

Leto plays the leader of the gang of intruders, and he does a great job of making his character utterly detestable. Everything he does turns the audience against him, which makes Panic Room an extremely tense ride throughout. The film is full of some of David Fincher's best and most memorable movie characters.

7 Suicide Squad (2016)

The Joker was the role that really shot Leto to stardom amongst younger audiences, even though it may not have been for the most positive reasons. His version of the character was met with overwhelmingly mixed responses, despite bringing an indisputably bold personality to the role.

Suicide Squad is often referred to as one of the weaker films within the DCEU, so much so that it was actually rebooted in 2021 with James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which features plenty of new and exciting characters. Although it seems unlikely that audiences will see Leto return to the role of the Joker, there's no denying that he certainly made it his own.

6 Girl, Interrupted (1999)

Directed by James Mangold, Girl, Interrupted is a dramatic adaptation of Susanna Kaysen's 1993 memoir of the same name. It follows the life of Susanna, as she is rushed to a mental institution in the wake of a perceived suicide attempt. The film explores the close bonds that she forms with the other women she meets there.

Jared Leto plays Toby Jacobs, Susanna's ex-boyfriend who plans on fleeing to Canada after he's drafted into the military. It isn't the largest role in the film, but the character has a large influence on Susanna's story and Leto manages to capture Jacobs' personality well.

5 American Psycho (2000)

Leto's role in American Psycho may also only be small, but he features in one of the film's most memorable and haunting sequences. He plays Paul Allen, a colleague of Patrick Bateman who falls victim to his untampered bloodlust.

American Psycho has become somewhat of a cult classic since its release over 20 years ago, and much of this is due to Christian Bale's outrageously eccentric performance in the lead role. He makes every single scene incredibly watchable, and the film does a fantastic job of dissecting and studying his character.

4 Mr. Nobody (2009)

Mr. Nobody imagines a world where humanity has acheived near-immortality, and follows the life of Earth's last mortal, Nemo Nobody. Unlike many other similar sci-fi films, Mr. Nobody takes a non-linear approach to its storytelling, exploring potential timelines that could alter Nemo's life.

Mr. Nobody is a surprisingly underappreciated film, with many casual audiences likely being offput by its unusual premise and storytelling methods. At the heart of the film is an extremely raw and grounded message that Leto conveys through his impressive lead performance.

3 Fight Club (1999)

Often described as one of David Fincher's best films to date, Fight Club follows the complicated life of soap salesman Tyler Durden, whose work is disrupted when he comes into contact with Edward Norton's mysterious character. The film is famous for its iconic third-act plot twist, which puts its entire narrative into a new perspective.

Fincher's script is stuffed full of interesting social commentary and philosophical ideas that it carefully explores through its sharply developed characters - which leads many to label it as one of the defining films of the 20th century.

2 Requiem For A Dream (2000)

Within Requiem for a Dream are several different stories, all connected by the relationship between lonely widow Sara Goldfarb and her son Harry. It's an extremely unconventional and unpredictable film, which uses its complex screenplay to explore plenty of unique and insightful ideas about life, death and the human condition.

The film is full of outstanding performances, including those from Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly. It's a film that revels in its own intelligence, challenging the audience to grasp its own complexity and grapple with its rich themes.

1 Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Dallas Buyers Club follows dejected electrician Ron Woodroof as he learns that he has AIDS. When he's told that he only has 30 days left to live, he seeks out illegal alternative treatments and soon learns that alongside a fellow AIDS patient (Jared Leto), he can find success selling these treatments to other sufferers who have been failed by the system.

Dallas Buyers Club saw both Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto win Oscars for their performances, with McConaughey citing the role as one of his favorites he's ever played. They are both absolutely electric together in the film, and manage to carefully explore the film's important and topical themes.

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