Name: Leonardo DiCaprio

Birth Name: Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio

Birthdate: Nov. 11, 1974

Birthplace: Los Angeles

Leonardo DiCaprio got his start as a child actor in commercials and sitcoms, gaining a reputation for being precocious beyond his years and garnering the attention of established actors like Meryl Streep, who dubbed him "the real thing" when he was still a teenager. Although his first movie role of note was 1992's This Boy's Life, DiCaprio earned his first Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Johnny Deep's disabled younger brother in 1993's What's Eating Gilbert Grape? From there, he went on to star in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet before acting with Kate Winslet in blockbuster 1997 hit Titanic, which became the highest-grossing film of all time and catapulted DiCaprio's career into the stratosphere, making him a . a Hollywood heartthrob — a title he seemed to both disdain and relish. In 2002, he appeared to make a conscious decision to more seriously commit himself to both politics and his craft, becoming active in numerous environmental causes and starring in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York and Stephen Spielberg's Catch Me if You Can. In 2004, DiCaprio worked with Martin Scorsese again, executive-producing and starring in The Aviator, which was ultimately nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and in 2007 he was nominated for Best Actor for his work in Blood Diamond.


1. He befriended Tobey Maguire when the two acted together as children.
2. DiCaprio is vocal about environmental and liberal political causes.
3. He turned down high-profile roles like Robin in Batman Forever and Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights.
4. After playing Howard Hughes in The Aviator, DiCaprio admitted that he had suffered from mild obsessive-compulsive disorder as a child.
5. He's half-German, half-Italian


On what he'd do if he weren't an actor: "I'd probably be some weird antiques collector or an environmentalist."
— E! Online, December 2004

2007: Academy Award nomination: Best Actor, Blood Diamond; Golden Globe nominations: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), The Departed and Blood Diamond

2005: Academy Award nomination: Best Actor, The Aviator; Golden Globe: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), The Aviator

2003: Golden Globe nomination: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), Catch Me if You Can

1998: Golden Globe nomination: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), Titanic

1994: Academy Award nomination: Best Supporting Actor, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?; Golden Globe nomination: Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

 

FILMS

The 11th Hour - (2007) - Narrator, Screenwriter, Producer
Blood Diamond - (2006) - Actor
The Departed - (2006) - Actor
The Aviator - (2004) - Actor, Executive Producer
The Assassination of Richard Nixon - (2004) - Actor
Gangs of New York - (2002) - Actor
Catch Me if You Can - (2002) - Actor
The Beach - (2000) - Actor
The Man in the Iron Mask - (1998) - Actor
Celebrity - (1998) - Actor
Titanic - (1997) - Actor
Marvin's Room - (1996) - Actor
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet - (1996) - Actor
The Basketball Diaries - (1995) - Actor
Total Eclipse - (1995) - Actor
The Quick and the Dead - (1994) - Actor
This Boy's Life - (1993) - Actor
What's Eating Gilbert Grape? - (1993) - Actor
Critters 3 - (1991) - Actor