Named after a Leonardo da Vinci painting: Who is Leonardo DiCaprio?

We have compiled for you those who are curious about Leonardo DiCaprio and his life, who succeeded in establishing a throne in the hearts of the audience with his facial expressions, acting skills and adapting to every role he entered.

Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio was born on November 11, 1974 in Los Angeles, California. His mother is legal secretary Irmelin Indenbirken and his father is underground comics writer, publisher and comics distributor George DiCaprio. His father is of Italian and German descent. His maternal grandfather was German and his maternal grandmother was a Russian immigrant living in Germany. 

The pregnant mother felt her baby kick for the first time as she looked at a Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Uffizi museum in Florence, Italy. Thus, DiCaprio's parents named him Leonardo. When DiCaprio was just one year old, his parents divorced and custody was given to his mother. DiCaprio dropped out of high school following his third year and received a general equivalency diploma as a result. DiCaprio spent part of his childhood in Germany with his grandparents and mother. Therefore, he speaks German and Italian fluently.

DiCaprio said his career choice as a kid was to become a marine biologist or actor. However, he preferred the latter as he liked to imitate characters and people and see people's reaction to his acting. DiCaprio struggled to find a manager early in his career. When he found one, he suggested that DiCaprio change his name to "Lenny Williams" to appeal to American audiences, but he refused to do so.

Unemployed for a while, DiCaprio began his career with a role in "Parenthood", a series based on the 1989 comedy film of the same name. His work that year earned him two nominations at the 12th Youth Film Awards. DiCaprio made his film debut later that year in the low budget horror film "Critters 3" (1991), as the stepson of an unscrupulous landlord. He soon appeared as an actress in the TV series "Growing Pains", reprising her role.

DiCaprio made his big screen debut in 1992, when he was carefully selected by Robert De Niro among 400 young male actors for the lead role in the movie "This Boy's Life". In 1993, he played a mentally handicapped boy in the movie "What's Eating Gilbert Grape". The film was a critical success and earned him his first Academy and Golden Globe nominations. He also won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor.

DiCaprio's first effort in 1995 was Sam Raimi's western "The Quick and the Dead". The film debuted with a dismal box office performance and received mixed reviews from critics. DiCaprio's next film in 1995 was "The Basketball Diaries," a biopic in which he portrayed a young Jim Carroll as a drug addicted high school basketball player and writer. Then he played the role of Arthur Rimbaud in the movie "Total Eclipse". The film was a commercial failure.

DiCaprio co-starred with Claire Danes in Baz Luhrmann's film "Romeo + Juliet" (1996), an abbreviated modernization of William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy of the same name. The film earned DiCaprio a Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival.

In 1997, DiCaprio starred in James Cameron's "Titanic". DiCaprio was initially skeptical about this, but was eventually encouraged by Cameron to keep the role. With a production budget of over $200 million, the film was the most expensive at the time. Titanic was the highest grossing film of that time and was a huge worldwide box office hit. The role of Jack Dawson turned DiCaprio into a superstar and sparked intense admiration among teenage girls and young women in general.

The next year, in the movie "The Man in the Iron Mask" XIV. He played Louis and his brother Philippe. Contrary to their success in previous films, this film won the Worst Scene Couple Award at the Golden Raspberry Awards. DiCaprio's next production was "The Beach" (2000). Although the film was successful at the box office, it was the target of critics. DiCaprio was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor the following year.

DiCaprio starred in the movie "Catch Me If You Can" directed by Steven Spielberg in 2002. The film was shot in 147 different locations in 52 days. The film received critical acclaim and DiCaprio earned his third Golden Globe nomination for this film. Also in 2002, DiCaprio starred in Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York," a historical drama set in the mid 19th century in New York City's Five Points neighborhood. The movie received positive reviews.

In 2004, he received his first Golden Globe award and his second Academy nomination for "The Aviator", about the life of Howard Hughes. And the movie was a critical and financial success. In 2006, DiCaprio starred in the crime film "The Departed" and the political war thriller "Blood Diamond". He lived in different places and received a lot of training for his roles in these films. DiCaprio was also a creator and executive producer.

DiCaprio starred in "Body of Lies" (2008), a spy movie based on the novel of the same name. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Later in 2008, DiCaprio co-starred with Kate Winslet for the Sam Mendes directed drama "Revolutionary Road," earning his an award winning Golden Globe nomination.

DiCaprio continued to collaborate with Scorsese on the 2010 psychological thriller "Shutter Island," based on Dennis Lehane's 2003 novel of the same name. The film received mixed reviews and was a commercial success. DiCaprio's second role in 2010 was in Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed ensemble science fiction film "Inception." The film became DiCaprio's second highest grossing film.

DiCaprio, who wanted to take some time for himself after playing a few challenging roles, took a short break from acting. In 2011, he played J. Edgar Hoover in another biopic "J. Edgar". Critics thought the film lacked overall coherence, but praised DiCaprio's performance. In 2012, DiCaprio starred as rancher Calvin Candie in "Django Unchained," directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film was critically acclaimed and earned DiCaprio a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2013, DiCaprio starred in his second collaboration with Baz Luhrmann, "The Great Gatsby", based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel of the same name. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but DiCaprio's performance was praised and earned him an AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In the same year, he acted in the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street", about the life of Jordan Belfort. He won his second Golden Globe award for this film and earned his fourth Academy nomination as an actor.

In 2015, DiCaprio produced and starred as fur hunter Hugh Glass in Alejandro G. Iñárritu's survival drama "The Revenant." DiCaprio found his role in the movie difficult. For the role, he had to eat a piece of uncooked bison liver and sleep with animal carcasses. He also learned to shoot with a rifle, make fire, speak two Native American languages, and practice ancient healing techniques. The film received positive reviews with special praise for DiCaprio's acting. DiCaprio won his third Golden Globe award, as well as his first Academy and BAFTA awards.

He shared the lead roles with Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie in the 2019 movie "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" directed by Quentin Tarantino. A writer from Business Insider described the film as one of the best performances of DiCaprio's career and was nominated for multiple awards. In 2021, DiCaprio co-starred with Jennifer Lawrence in Adam McKay's satirical comedy "Don't Look Up." Although reviews for the film were mixed, most critics praised DiCaprio and Lawrence's performances. The movie broke the record for most views in one week in Netflix history.

DiCaprio will star in Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," based on David Grann's book of the same name.

Private life

DiCaprio's personal life is the subject of wide media attention. He rarely gives interviews and does not want to discuss his private life. However, he has been the focus of several references detailing his relationships with women aged 25 and under, whom he has come under criticism for. In 2000, DiCaprio met Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen, whom he dated until 2005. He was romantically involved with Israeli model Bar Refaeli from 2005-2011. DiCaprio dated German model Toni Garrn from July 2013 to December 2014 and later in 2017.

DiCaprio has a house in Los Angeles and an apartment in Battery Park City. In 2009, he bought an island called Blackadore Caye from the Belize mainland, preparing to open an eco-friendly resort. He has a giant tortoise as a pet. In 2005, DiCaprio's face was seriously injured when model Aretha Wilson hit his head with a broken bottle at a Hollywood party. As a result, he had to have seventeen stitches in his face and neck. DiCaprio and Vladimir Putin get along very well. He also spends a lot of time with DiCaprio, Obama and the Pope.

DiCaprio, who is among the environmentally conscious celebrities, has donated to protect wildlife in the ocean, support renewable energy and protect all other creatures and their lives in nature. DiCaprio and Kate Winslet also helped pay hospice fees for the last survivor of 'Titanic'.