Leonardo DiCaprio is a 21st-century actor who is considered to be one of the most versatile actors of his generation. He is also a dedicated environmentalist, receiving accolades for his contribution. Here’s more on this multifaceted personality.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Birth Date: 11 November 1974
Nickname: Leo, The Noodle
Nationality: American
Occupation: Actor, Film Producer
The saga of humble beginnings that pave the way to success continues with the actor who was considered to be a major rage among the teens in the 1990s. From the naughty child to the teenage heartthrob to the handsome actor that he is, DiCaprio’s tryst of being the spirited boy continues.
DiCaprio was born in Los Angeles and is the only child of George DiCaprio and Irmelin DiCaprio. His parents divorced when he was barely a year old; however, despite the separation, his parents played an important role in his upbringing. Though he was mostly raised by his mother, Leo stayed in touch with his father who played an important role in boosting his innate talent.
DiCaprio loves having Pasta and among his favorite are Lemonade, Diet Coke and Fruitopia.
One of his first stage ventures include being a tap dancer. At an early age, he had faced dejection by being thrown out of the sets of Romper Stomper, one of DiCaprio’s favorite show, for unruly behavior.
He attended Seeds University Elementary School but confessed that he never really enjoyed studying as much as he enjoyed performing on stage. He graduated from John Marshall High School and later attended the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies.
DiCaprio spent most of his holidays taking courses in performing arts; he followed his stepbrother Adam Farrar’s footsteps. DiCaprio, who had the support of his parents, went to several auditions but was only rejected for his rather ethnic-sounding name. He was requested to change his name to ‘Lenny Williams’ but stubborn as he was, Leonardo refused to budge.
DiCaprio enjoys writing poems and short stories in his spare time.
DiCaprio made cameo appearances in ads for milk, Matchbox cars and some educational films like, ‘Mickey’s Safety Club‘ and ‘How to Deal With a Parent Who Takes Drugs‘. Apart from that, he also bagged roles of making guest appearances in ‘The New Lassie’, ‘Parenthood’, and ‘Roseanne’. His first movie ‘Critters 3′ literally gave him jitters with him wanting to forget all about his role in the horror flick of 1991. DiCaprio proved his mettle in the sitcom ‘Growing Pains‘ and overshadowed the rest of the cast with his performance. He got his first big break as the stepson of Robert De Niro in ‘This Boy’s Life‘ and eventually garnered the critics’ attention.
Meryl Streep, Meg Ryan, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson are among DiCaprio’s favorite actors.
His next role as the mentally retarded Arnie in ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Gape?’ won him a nomination for an Academy Award as well as a Golden Globe, while he took home the National Board of Review Award. ‘The king of the world’, DiCaprio in Titanic set ablaze the ‘Leo-mania’. The portrayal of romantic Jack cemented his reputation as a heartthrob. DiCaprio, known for playing diverse roles, post his fame in Titanic, chose to perform in ‘The Man in the Iron Mask’ and ‘The Beach’. His performance in ‘Catch Me if You Can’ was termed as the most charming and mature performance.
He worked in ‘The Aviator‘ which won him an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award. After that, he essayed noteworthy performances in ‘The Departed‘ and ‘Blood Diamond‘ for which he earned his third Oscar nomination. He reunited with Kate Winslet in ‘Revolutionary Road‘ where they played the role of a couple in a troubled marriage, which won him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award.
DiCaprio is an environmental conservationist and often supports natural causes.
His work apart, DiCaprio has earned himself the tag of being an environmentalist. He launched the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998, now known as ‘The Leonardo DiCaprio Fund at CCF’, to foster awareness of the environment. DiCaprio, being a true environmentalist, has his house installed with solar panels and owns cars that are eco-friendly. DiCaprio donated $1,000,000 towards Haiti Earthquake relief funds in 2010. DiCaprio also donated towards Russia’s Tiger Summit; he joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s campaign in 2011.
“I don’t have the guts that Romeo did.”
~ Leonardo DiCaprio on marriage
DiCaprio has been good friends with Kate Winslet, Tobey Maguire and the late Christopher Pettiet. DiCaprio’s personal life has been in the limelight for a long time, for apparent reasons. Leonardo has dated a string of famous models including Kristen Zang, Emma Miller, Gisele Bundchen and Bar Refaeli. Currently dating supermodel Erin Heatherton, Dicaprio has been previously associated with model and actress Blake Lively with whom he split in October 2011.
Meet Leo – The Producer
2004 – Executive Producer for The Assassination of Richard Nixon
2004 – Executive Producer for The Aviator
2007 – Producer for The 11th Hour
2007 – Producer for Gardener of Eden
2008-2010 – Producer for Greensburg
2009 – Producer for Orphan
2011 – Producer for Red Riding Hood
2011 – Executive Producer for The Ides of March
Leo – The Actor on the Silver Screen
1991 – Critters 3
1992 – Poison Ivy
1993 – This Boy’s Life
1993 – What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
1994 – The Foot Shooting Party
1995 – The Quick and the Dead
1995 – The Basketball Diaries
1995 – Total Eclipse
1996 – Romeo + Juliet
1996 – Marvin’s Room
1997 – Titanic
1998 – The Man in the Iron Mask
1998 – Celebrity
2000 – The Beach
2001 – Don’s Plum
2002 – Catch Me If You Can
2002 – Gangs of New York
2004 – The Aviator
2006 – The Departed
2006 – Blood Diamond
2007 – The 11th Hour
2008 – Body of Lies
2008 – Revolutionary Road
2010 – Shutter Island
2010 – Hubble 3D
2010 – Inception
2011 – J. Edgar
2012 – The Great Gatsby
2012 – Django Unchained
Leo – On the Small Screen
1990 – The Outsiders
1990 – Parenthood
1990 – The New Lassie
1990 – Santa Barbara
1991 – Roseanne
1991-1992 – Growing Pains
“You can either be a vain movie star, or you can try to shed some light on different aspects of the human condition.”
~ Leonardo DiCaprio
“Don’t think for a moment that I’m really like any of the characters I play. That’s why it’s called acting.”
~ Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio is an established star, rising to critical acclaim with all due credit to his acting prowess. With immense respect for his innate talent, I end quoting Leonardo, “If you can do what you do best and be happy, you’re further along in life than most people.”