Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11, 1974) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor well known for roles in blockbuster movies like Titanic (1997) Romeo and Juliet(1996) and The Aviator (2004), and was as famed for his global celebrity influence dubbed as 'Leomania' in the late 1990s. More recently he has worked regularly with director Martin Scorsese.
Biography
Early life
DiCaprio was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of George DiCaprio, a distributor of comic books, and Irmelin Indenbirken, a former legal secretary. His paternal grandfather was of Italian descent, while the remainder of his ancestry is German. DiCaprio's name allegedly came about because his pregnant mother was standing in front of a Leonardo da Vinci painting at a museum in Italy when he kicked, which made her decide to name him after the famous artist. His parents divorced when he was a year old. He grew up in Echo Park, a notorious neighborhood DiCaprio describes as the 'Hollywood slums'. At age five, he appeared on his favorite television series, Romper Room, and was almost fired for misbehaving. He attended John Marshall High School in Los Angeles. He was rejected by an agent early in his career for having a name that sounded too foreign, suggesting that it should be changed to Lenny Williams, but DiCaprio refused.
Personal life
DiCaprio is best friends with actor Tobey Maguire, whom he beat to get roles in Roseanne and This Boy's Life. He is also good friends with Lukas Haas, Kevin Connolly and Kate Winslet. He has been romantically linked to fashion models Kristen Zang, Amber Valletta, Helena Christensen, Eva Herzigova, Naomi Campbell, and Gisele Bündchen. He is currently dating Israeli model Bar Refaeli, since winter of 2005.
DiCaprio sued Playgirl magazine to stop the New York-based monthly magazine from publishing unauthorized nude photos of him in its July 1998 issue. Some reports claim the photos were secretly taken while the actor was lounging in the nude, while others say they came from stills of his nude scenes in, or from outtakes of, the movie Total Eclipse. The case was settled on June 29, 1998 for an undisclosed amount. A registered Democrat in California, DiCaprio has been active in promoting moderately progressive causes, and in 2004 supported Senator John Kerry's unsuccessful presidential campaign.
DiCaprio has received praise from environmental groups for opting to fly on commercial flights instead of chartering private jets (and therefore using more fuel), which many celebrities do. He has also mentioned that his house has solar panels, and that he owns a Honda hybrid car and has bought hybrids for family members.
Leonardo DiCaprio's Photos
Actor - filmography
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (2008) (announced) (attached) .... Theodore Roosevelt
The Chancellor Manuscript (2008) (announced) .... Peter Chancellor
Blink (2007) (announced)
Blood Diamond (2006) .... Danny Archer
The Departed (2006) .... Billy Costigan
The Aviator (2004) .... Howard Hughes
Catch Me If You Can (2002) .... Frank Abagnale Jr.
Gangs of New York (2002) .... Amsterdam Vallon
Don's Plum (2001) .... Derek
The Beach (2000/I) .... Richard
Celebrity (1998) .... Brandon Darrow
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998/I) .... King Louis XIV/Philippe
Titanic (1997) .... Jack Dawson
Marvin's Room (1996) .... Hank
Romeo + Juliet (1996) .... Romeo
... aka Romeo and Juliet
... aka William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (USA: complete title)
Total Eclipse (1995) .... Arthur Rimbaud
... aka Eclipse totale (France: DVD title)
... aka Poeti dall'inferno (Italy)
... aka Rimbaud Verlaine (France)
The Basketball Diaries (1995) .... Jim Carroll
The Quick and the Dead (1995) .... Fee Herod "The Kid"
Cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma, Les (1995) .... Un acteur muet ŕ Hollywood
... aka A Hundred and One Nights
... aka A Hundred and One Nights of Simon Cinema
... aka Cent et une nuits, Les (France: short title)
The Foot Shooting Party (1994)
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) .... Arnie Grape
This Boy's Life (1993) .... Tobias 'Toby' Wolff
Poison Ivy (1992) (as Leonardo Di Caprio) .... Guy
"Growing Pains" .... Luke Brower (23 episodes, 1991-1992)
- The Last Picture Show: Part 1 (1992) TV Episode (credit only) .... Luke Brower
- The Last Picture Show: Part 2 (1992) TV Episode .... Luke Brower
- The Wrath of Con Ed (1992) TV Episode (credit only) .... Luke Brower
- Maggie's Brilliant Career (1992) TV Episode .... Luke Brower
- The Truck Stops Here (1992) TV Episode .... Luke Brower
(18 more)
"Roseanne" .... Darlene's Classmate (1 episode, 1991)
- Home-Ec (1991) TV Episode .... Darlene's Classmate
Critters 3 (1991) .... Josh
... aka Critters 3: You Are What They Eat (USA)
"Santa Barbara" (1984) TV Series .... Young Mason Capwell (unknown episodes, 1990)
"The New Lassie" (1 episode, 1990)
- Livewire (1990) TV Episode
"Parenthood" (1990) TV Series .... Garry Buckman (unknown episodes)
Producer - filmography
The Chancellor Manuscript (2008) (announced) (producer)
In Dark Woods (2008) (announced) (producer)
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (2008) (announced) (producer)
Blink (2007) (announced) (producer)
11th Hour (2006) (post-production) (producer)
Gardener of Eden (2006) (post-production) (producer)
The Aviator (2004) (executive producer) (uncredited)
The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004) (executive producer)
