Titanic, then and now

Everyone remembers when they first viewed one of cinema’s most epoch-making scenes, where Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack and Kate Winslet’s Rose pretend to fly at the boat’s bow during sunset. Just like Jack was “King of the World,” James Cameron’s quasi-historical romantic tragedy took the world by storm on Dec. 19, 1997, and went on to win 11 Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Director) and earn more than $1 billion at the global box office. Ahead, take a look at the Titanic cast since they boarded the namesake ship of dreams.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack Dawson)

After earning credits for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Marvin’s Room (1996), Leonardo DiCaprio stepped into the shoes of Titanic’s Jack Dawson — the young artist who scores two third-class tickets for the White Star Line vessel.

The now-classic film shot DiCaprio to stardom and he’s become a box-office draw ever since, leading films such as Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Shutter Island (2010), The Great Gatsby (2013), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). In 2016, DiCaprio won his first Oscar for his role in The Revenant and shared the spotlight with his Titanic costar, who was also nominated that year for Steve Jobs. “We’re very fortunate to have the chemistry that we have and the history that we have and the trust that we have,” Winslet said of DiCaprio.

Following his Oscar win, the actor appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up (2021), and reteamed with director Martin Scorsese for an adaptation of David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).

Kate Winslet (Rose DeWitt Bukater)

Before playing the wealthy 17-year-old Rose in Titanic, Kate Winslet costarred alongside Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibility (1995), and appeared in the 1996 films Jude and Hamlet.

Post-Titanic, the British actress drew film roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), All the King’s Men (2006), and The Holiday (2006), among other titles, before winning her first Oscar for The Reader (2008). Winslet continued to build her résumé with credits for Mildred Pierce, Contagion (2011), two films of The Divergent franchise (2014, 2015), The Mountain Between Us (2017), Wonder Wheel (2017), Ammonite (2020), and Mare of Easttown. She also collaborated with Cameron again for Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022.

Billy Zane (Caledon Hockley)

Prior to his Titanic role as the villainous Cal Hockley, ’90s favorite Billy Zane already had a handful of onscreen credits to his name — playing Match in the first two Back to the Future films (1985, 1989), and appearing in movies like Poetic Justice (1993), Only You (1994), and The Phantom (1996).

The actor has remained busy in the years since, starring in his directorial debut Big Kiss (2004); appearing in Zoolander (2001) and its 2016 sequel, Love N’ Dancing (2009), The Roommate (2011), Holmes & Watson (2018), and a myriad of independent films; and popping up in episodes of Charmed, Samantha Who?, Mad Dogs, MacGruber, and The Boys.

Frances Fisher (Ruth DeWitt Bukater)

After playing Deborah Saxon on The Edge of Night from 1976 to 1981, and earning further credits for The Equalizer, Roseanne, Unforgiven (1992), Law & Order, and Female Perversions (1996), Frances Fisher played Winslet’s onscreen mother in Titanic.

The actress kept extremely busy in the years following the film’s release, guest starring on a number of popular shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Sons of Anarchy, Criminal Minds, Fargo, Watchmen, The Rookie, and The Sinner.

Suzy Amis Cameron (Lizzy Calvert)

Launching her acting career with a guest role on Miami Vice, succeeded by performances in the films Twister (1989), Where the Heart Is (1990), The Ballad of Little Jo (1993), and The Usual Suspects (1995), Suzy Amis scored the part of Rose’s granddaughter Lizzy in Titanic — where she met her future husband, James Cameron.

She retired from acting in 1999 and has been “committed to caring for our wild, living Earth, with a focus on plant-based food to address climate change,” according to her website. She cofounded the solar-powered MUSE Global School in 2006 with her husband, which later became the nation’s first EEC–12 school with a full vegan lunch plan. In 2019, the environmental activist spoke to Oprah about her vegan advocacy book, The OMD Plan: Swap One Meal a Day to Save Your Health and Save the Planet.

David Warner (Spicer Lovejoy)

David Warner had been working in Hollywood since the early-’60s, performing in The Omen (1976), Tron (1982), two Star Trek films (1989, 1991), and In the Mouth of Madness (1994) before taking on the role of Cal’s bodyguard Spicer in the 1997 film.

Post-Titanic, the acting legend played Lord Aziok on Doctor Who; guest-starred on Penny Dreadful as Abraham Van Helsing; and recreated Admiral Boom in Disney’s Mary Poppins sequel, Mary Poppins Return (2018). Sadly, Warner died from cancer at age 80 in 2022.

Victor Garber (Thomas Andrews)

Victor Garber appeared in Light Sleeper (1992), Life With Mikey (1993), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and The First Wives Club (1996) prior to playing the historical figure of Thomas Andrews, the ship’s builder, in Titanic.

After the film, Garber became a household fixture on ABC’s Alias, where he played Jennifer Garner’s onscreen dad. Additional roles followed in movies like Legally Blonde (2000), Milk (2008), You Again (2010), Argo (2012), and Rebel in the Rye (2017), as well as on the series Eli Stone, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Orville, Family Law, and The Last Thing He Told Me.

Bernard Hill (Captian Edward John Smith)

Before playing Captain Smith in Titanic, Bernard Hill built his résumé with a heap of film credits and recurring roles on Crown Court, Boys From the Blackstuff, and Between the Lines.

Since then, the English actor has become best known for playing Theoden in the last two films of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy (2002–2003). He’s also earned gigs on The Grid, Five Days, Wolf Hall, and Unforgotten, and in Wimbledon (2004), Valkyrie (2008), ParaNorman (2012), Golden Years (2016), and Interlude City (2016).

Bill Paxton (Brock Lovett)

Bill Paxton already had plenty of experience working in blockbuster films — acting in The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), Apollo 13 (1995), and Twister (1996) — once he took on the role of treasure hunter Brock Lovett in the 1997 box-office sensation.

In the years after Titanic, Paxton starred on the television series Big Love, Hatfields & McCoys, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Training Day. The beloved actor died at 61 in February 2017, after suffering a stroke following surgery.

James Cameron

Being the director of The Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss (1989), James Cameron garnered even more success by helming, writing, and producing the groundbreaking Titanic.

The visionary went on to direct Avatar (2009) and its 2022 sequel — which both sit alongside Titanic in the top four highest-grossing films in box office history — and is in the midst of making three additional follow-ups.