Leonardo DiCaprio biography 2022

Leonardo DiCaprio biography

Leonardo DiCaprio was born November 11, 1974, in Los Angeles.

Although his parents separated shortly after his birth, his mother, Irmelin, and his father, George, remain an essential part of his life and career. Irmelin handles his finances while George screens his son's scripts.

His acting career began on the small screen early, with roles in several commercials and an appearance on Romper Room. He felt discouraged early on in his career when an agent rejected him for having a name that sounded too foreign.

Leonardo DiCaprio could have become Lenny Williams, as the agent suggested changing his name, but he refused. Leonardo chose to stick to the origin of his name; while his mother was standing before a Leonardo DaVinci painting, she felt her unborn son kicking, and his mother named him after this moment.

Not allowing rejections to prevent him from following his passion, DiCaprio found another agent, and he was on his way to becoming an actor.

By the time he landed his short-lived role on the sitcom Growing Pains, he already had more than 20 commercials and parts on the soap opera Santa Barbara, the TV series Parenthood, and The New Lassie as the feature film Critters 3 on his resume.

While on Growing Pains, DiCaprio beat out 400 other budding actors for his role in This Boy's Life in 1992. Co-starring legendary actor Robert De Niro, DiCaprio's portrayal of Tobias Wolff.

His next film outing was in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? as the autistic brother of Johnny Depp's character. To prepare for the role, DiCaprio studied the mannerisms and thought processes of autistic children while visiting homes for the autistic. Even though he was almost refused the role because he was deemed too handsome for the part, the role garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Not bad for a guy who never even studied acting.

After DiCaprio's subsequent film roles, The Quick and the Dead, The Basketball Diaries, and Total Eclipse, were box-office disappointments, he decided to take the more commercial, mainstream route. And that he did with the MTV-ish adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, co-starring Claire Danes. 

When DiCaprio starred in Marvin's Room(1996), no one could have predicted the actor's success.

In 1997, he co-starred with Kate Winslet in the enormous hit Titanic, which has become the most successful movie of all time. After his lead role in the blockbuster, DiCaprio stepped down from the handsome lead to appear in Woody Allen's Celebrity and in a dual role in the disappointing The Man in the Iron Mask.

Water being no unchartered territory for DiCaprio, he was last seen in the film The Beach as a traveler who finds himself after having discovered a secret island. Co-starring Virginie Ledoyen, the film reveals a different side to the actor, probably one closest to his true self.

Active in social awareness causes, DiCaprio starred in two educational films, Micky's Safety Club and How To Deal With A Parent Who Takes Drugs, earlier in his career.

Highly involved in environmental causes. Leonardo DiCaprio has been linked to models Bridget Hall, Amber Valletta, and Gisele Bundchen. 


last updated October 2022