Leonardo DiCaprio biography: Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is a versatile American actor & producer known for his performance in critically acclaimed movies like The Aviator , Blood Diamond , The Departed and also Titanic - the biggest blockbusters of all time. He has won the Golden Globe for ‘The Aviator’ & has been nominated thrice for Oscar.
Early Indicators
Born in the town - Los Angeles, that would later make him famous, DiCaprio came into the world on November 11, 1974. He is the only son (He has a step brother, Adam) of Irmalin, a German immigrant mother and George, a comic book artist father who separated shortly after his birth. He allegedly received his first name when he kicked his pregnant mother from the inside while she was admiring a Leonardo Da Vinci painting in the Uffizi.
Initial Career
In 1988, at fourteen, Leonardo began appearing in a series of commercials and educational films. This tall, slender, boyishly handsome young actor proved engaging in TV family sitcoms ("Parenthood", "Growing Pains") and endured a horror sequel ("Critters 3" 1991) before triumphing over 400 others to win the role of Tobias Wolff in "This Boy's Life" (1993) after a four-month casting search. The film also starred Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin. His performance, as the troubled, abused teenager was critically acclaimed and Hollywood soon took notice. Later in 1993, he co-starred as the mentally handicapped brother to Johnny Depp in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. His performance earned him both an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor. Subsequent roles in three 1995 films, Sam Raimi's western -The Quick and the Dead; Total Eclipse, in which he played the bisexual poet Rimbaud; and The Basketball Diaries, in which he starred as a struggling junkie, all put the actor in the limelight, but it wasn't until the following year that he became a bona fide star. This transition was made possible by his portrayal of Romeo in the hugely popular William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet opposite Claire Danes.
Leo-Mania (Titanic hysteria)
After starring with Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, and Robert DeNiro in Marvin's Room (1996), DiCaprio was catapulted into the stratosphere of international fame with his starring role alongside Kate Winslet in James Cameron's epic – Titanic. The movie went on to become the biggest blockbusters of all time and received 11 Oscars. DiCaprio's much discussed exclusion from the nominations did nothing to hurt his popularity, and somewhat ironically, he next chose to parody his own celebrity with an appearance in Woody Allen's Celebrity (1998) as a badly behaved movie star. He became a household name worldwide, synonymous with labels such as "teenage heart-throb" and "sex-symbol”. His popularity at the time was dubbed "Leo-mania", comparing his sudden fame and fan frenzy to that of the Beatles in the 1960s, known as Beatle mania.
Metamorphosis into a versatile & critically acclaimed actor
DiCaprio continued in period fare with the dual role of French King Louis XIV and his doppelganger in the 1998 remake of “The Man in the Iron Mask" and the highly anticipated ‘The Beach’ . Though Leonardo got acclaim for his acting, the movies failed to impress at the box-office. These initial post-Titanic roles, however, could be considered a regrouping before DiCaprio regained his status as one of the rare young actors who could command both commercial and critical success. He began collaborating with another famous Italian-American in the industry, Martin Scorsese, for the epic Gangs of New York (2002), in which DiCaprio was cast as the protagonist in a tale of gangland violence in early America. This was followed by Catch Me If You Can, directed by Steven Spielberg. Both films were very well received by critics. Forging collaboration with Scorsese, the two paired again for a biopic of American aviation pioneer Howard Hughes in The Aviator, a film that scored DiCaprio a second Academy Award nomination, for Best Actor. After years of hard work, DiCaprio had finally shed his teeny-bopper image, and in 2007 the industry acknowledged his versatility with a pair of Golden Globe and SAG nominations for his performances in The Departed and Blood Diamond, the latter of which also netted him a third Oscar nod.
The hybrid-car driving DiCaprio has also been an outspoken proponent of environmentalism.
Leonardo DiCaprio quote: 'I prefer ordinary girls - you know, college students, waitresses, that sort of thing. Most of the girls I go out with are just good friends. Just because I go out to the cinema with a girl, it doesn't mean we are dating.'
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| Non-acting careers: Environmentalist | | Big break:This Boy's Life | | Defining characters:Tobias "Toby" Wolff, This Boy's Life; Jack Dawson, Titanic; Danny Archer, Blood Diamond ; Billy Costigan , The Departed | | Best movies:Catch Me If You Can , The Aviator , Gangs Of New York , The Departed , The Titanic , Blood Diamond | | Best TV:Parenthood, Growing Pains | | Stage credits:Circus Fantasy | | Endorsements:Visa in Japan , Numerous Environmental causes | | Other notable appearances/credits:11th Hour, Parenthhod | | Top awards:Golden Globe for The Aviator , Nominate for 3 Oscars | | Other: Active participation in Environmental Causes |
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