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Personal info | Biography | Trivia | Filmography | Pictures |
| Name | Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio | Date of birth | 11 November 1974 |
| Marital status | Birthplace | Hollywood, USA | |
| Personal links | Official site | ||
1974: Leonardo was born in Hollywood, California on November 11, 1974. He attended Seeds University Elementary School at UCLA where he also took summer courses in performance art before moving on to the Center for Enriched Studies in Los Angeles. After CES, the next step was to enroll at John Marshall High School in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. Having been exposed to the world of underground art from an early age, Leonardo was instilled with a sense that creativity was a hugely important thing. Early on, he thought of becoming an actor.
1988: Always drawn towards performing, Leonardo started auditioning for parts in 1988, at the age of fourteen and appeared in a series of commercials and educational films. From that point he navigated a gradual hill up the acting chain. From bit parts on soap operas, to bubble gum commercials, the first "regular" gig was on the series "Parenthood," (which lasted all of three episodes).
1991: Realizing any actor needs a film credit under his belt for future big screen work, Leonardo was cast in the B-grade feature, "Critters III." Before the year was out, he was invited to join the cast of the hit ABC sitcom, "Growing Pains" playing the role of Luke, a troubled homeless boy taken in by the Seavers.
1992: By this time, our young actor had run the gamut of T.V and commercial acting and wanted to pursue film acting. The break came in 1992 when Michael Caton-Jones cast Leonardo in the much sought after role of Tobias Wolff in his big-screen adaptation of Wolff's best selling novel "This Boy's Life." Co-staring alongside Robert DeNiro and Ellen Barkin, "This Boy's Life," continues to be one of Leo's favorite acting experiences.
1993: Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom cast Leonardo in the role of Arnie for the critically acclaimed film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" His performance was extraordinary and earned him an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1994 at the age of nineteen.
1994: 1995 found Leonardo playing opposite Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman in "The Quick and the Dead", Sam Raimi's deliriously stylish meditation on the Old West. Later that same year, he starred in the adaptation of Jim Carroll's gritty autobiographical memoir, "The Basketball Diaries." He then went on to portray the doomed and deeply troubled pansexual poet, Arthur Rimbaud in Agnieszka Holland's film version of Christopher Hampton's play "Total Eclipse."
As one half of the star struck lovers in Australian director Baz Luhrmann's screen-adaptation of William Shakespeare's ultimate love story "Romeo and Juliet," Leonardo was paired with rising star Claire Danes in this strangely anachronistic, contemporary updating of the story, set in a neo-modern Verona Beach. He was also featured that same year as Meryl Streep's delinquent-to-the-point-of- criminal son in "Marvin's Room," another adaptation of a play. Sandwiched between the brilliant performances of Streep and Diane Keaton, Leonardo also had the opportunity to work again with Robert DeNiro, whose TriBeca Films produced the movie.
1996: In late 1996, Leonardo signed on to star in James Cameron's "Titanic." He was hesitant at first. This wasn't the kind of film he had told himself he wanted to make. These initial misgivings ultimately gave way to Cameron's relentlessness and the story's thematic elements.
1998: Leonardo starred in "The Man in the Iron Mask" which shot in France with Gerard Depardieu, Gabriel Byrne, Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich. Owning the #1 position on the top ten box office list for the better part of the first half of 1998 with "Titanic," he virtually knocked himself out of the top spot with "The Man in the Iron Mask."
Legendary director Woody Allen cast Leonardo in his typically untitled "Fall Project," ultimately titled "Celebrity," in which he received highly favorable reviews for his satirical work as a young, out of control movie star.
Growing up on the eastside of Los Angeles, Leonardo wanted to give back to his community, and he donated a room full of computers and equipment to the new Los Feliz Library, built on the site of his childhood home. There are commemorative placards and curious fans are welcome at the library.
1999: In 1999, Leonardo filmed Danny Boyle's screen adaptation of the best selling novel "The Beach" by Alex Garland. The film was shot entirely on location in Thailand and marked Leonardo's first starring role since Titanic. Once he got back to the States, he started mulling for a new project and joined with one of his most admired directors, Martin Scorsese.
2000: Aside from film acting, Leo's lifelong passion for environmental awareness began to play a big role in his life. Finally in an influential position to make a difference in the name of the planet, he was invited to chair Earth Day 2000. In a special on the deterioration of the ozone level, he also interviewed President Bill Clinton. LeonardoDiCaprio.org is now devoted to helping the environment on a worldwide level.
2002: Leonardo had leading roles in "Gangs Of New York", directed by Martin Scorsese, and "Catch Me If You Can", directed by Steven Spielberg. Both films were released concurrently towards the end of the year. For his performance as con-man Frank Abagnale, Jr., he received his third Golden Globe nomination from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. His Foundation received the Martin Litton Environmental Warrior Award from Environment Now. In August, he joined Global Green USA, in urging our leaders to attend the Earth Summit in South Africa.
2003: Leonardo completed principal photography on "The Aviator", a biopic about Howard Hughes, directed by Martin Scorsese, scheduled to open Christmas 2004. The Russian International Film Festival honored Leonardo with the Tower Award for Contributions to International Cinema. Leonardo's environmental work continued with a spoken word piece entitled "Global Warning". He received the Environmental Leadership Award from Global Green USA. The Natural Resources Defense Council opened a new green building, featuring the Leonardo DiCaprio e-Activism Computer Zone.
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Biography from Official site |
Nickname: Leo
While filming Beach, The (2000) off the coast of Thailand, Leonardo and others were swept off a camera boat by strong winds and waves. No one was injured. [16 April 1999]
His first publicity spot was about MILK.
Sues Playgirl over plans to publish pictures, including full frontal nudity, of himself. [March 1998]
Ranked #75 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. [1997]
Was considering starring in a movie about actor 'James Dean' but turned down the role because he felt he wasn't experienced enough to do the film. [1996]
Turned down the part of Robin in Batman Forever (1995).
When Leo was 3 years old he was in an educational program, called "Romper Room" and was nearly kicked off for uncontrollable behavior.
Chosen by People Magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. [1998]
Father was a comicbook dealer and he has a stepbrother, Adam Farrar.
Attended John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, CA.
DiCaprio and his family funded a state-of-the-art computer center at the Los Feliz branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, which was rebuilt after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
A Manhattan appeals court decided to go ahead with a $45 million lawsuit against DiCaprio by actor and screenwriter Roger Wilson for allegedly encouraging his friends in a street fight with Wilson over advances DiCaprio's friends made toward Wilson's girlfriend Elizabeth Berkley. [2000]
At age 10, his agent advised him to change his name to a more American- friendly Lenny Williams. Needless to say he did not follow that advice.
Was initially set to star as Alan Jensen in Harvard Man (2001), but the film's low budget could not afford to pay his salary, so he dropped out and Adrian Grenier took the lead.
Was set to star in American Psycho (2000) but had to drop it due to scheduling conflicts. Christian Bale took the part instead.
In January 1999, his lawyers filed an application to allow DiCaprio to 'copyright' his own name.
Leo attended Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies before attending Marshall High
Leo's mom was standing in front of a da Vinci painting in Italy when Leo kicked her. That sign prompted her to name him after the painter.
His father is an Italian-American and his mother is German-American
Attended Seeds Elementary School at UCLA where he took summer courses in performance art
Ranked #42 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #74 in 2002 and #60 in 2001.
Ranked #6 in Star TV's Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s (2003)
Childhood friends with Tobey Maguire and the late Christopher Pettiet.
November 2003: When his camera went missing he offered a substantial reward of many thousands of pounds for its return.
Personal quotes:
"People want you to be a crazy, out-of-control teen brat. They want you miserable, just like them. They don't want heroes; what they want is to see you fall."
"He's a perfectionist, obsessed with detail. That's why he went over budget and over schedule" - Leonardo DiCaprio on working with Martin Scorsese on "Gangs of New York."
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| Year | Title | Character |
| 2005 | Untitled Alexander the Great Project | Alexander, the Great |
| 2004 | The Good Shepherd | James Wilson |
| 2004 | The aviator | Howard Hughes |
| 2003 | 'Catch Me If You Can': Behind the Camera | Himself |
| 2003 | The 100 Greatest Movie Stars | Himself |
| 2002 | Catch Me If You Can | Frank Abagnale Jr. |
| 2002 | Gangs of New York | Amsterdam Vallon |
| 2002 | Shirtless: Hollywood's Sexiest Men | Himself |
| 2002 | Inside the Playboy Mansion | Himself |
| 2001 | Concert for New York City | Himself |
| 2001 | Growing Pains: The E! True Hollywood Story | Himself |
| 2001 | Don's Plum | Derek |
| 2000 | The Beach | Richard |
| 1999 | Biography of the Millenium: 100 People - 1000 Years | Himself |
| 1998 | Celebrity | Brandon Darrow |
| 1998 | Beyond Titanic | Himself |
| 1998 | Leo Mania | Himself |
| 1998 | The man in the iron mask | King Louis XIV/Philippe |
| 1998 | Titanic: Breaking New Ground | Himself/Jack Dawson |
| 1997 | Directors: James Cameron | Himself |
| 1997 | Titanic | Jack Dawson |
| 1996 | David Blaine: Street Magic | Himself |
| 1996 | Marvin's Room | Hank |
| 1996 | Romeo + Juliet | Romeo |
| 1995 | Total Eclipse | Arthur Rimbaud |
| 1995 | The Basketball Diaries | Jim Carroll |
| 1995 | The Quick and the Dead | The kid |
| 1995 | Les Cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma | Un acteur muet ŕ Hollywood |
| 1994 | The Foot Shooting Party | |
| 1993 | What's Eating Gilbert Grape | Arnie Grape |
| 1993 | This boys life | Toby/Tobias |
| 1992 | Poison Ivy | Guy |
| 1985 | Growing Pains | Luke Brower |
| 1991 | Critters 3 | Josh |
| 1990 | Parenthood | Garry Buckman |
| 1984 | Santa Barbara | Young Mason Capwell |
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