Leonardo DiCarprio's Biography

Irmalin DiCaprio was admiring a Leonardo DaVinci painting in the Uffizi when a swift kick from her unborn child inspired the name of who would later become one of the best actors of his generation. Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio was born in Los Angeles, CA on November 11th, 1974. Leo held and still holds a close relationship with his German mother (Irmalin DiCaprio) and his Italian father (George DiCaprio). His parents divorced each other within a year after Leo's birth. His father is into Comic Arts and his mother was a Legal Secretary (before she began managing Leo's affairs). Leo describes his family--- "We're not the hippie family who only eats organic and the children meditate and go to school of the arts. But we're not apple-pie and republican either."----- "Whatever I did would be something they'd already done. I mean, my Dad would welcome it if I got a nose ring."

        Leo's upbringing was one that he remembers pretty vividly looking back on some of his childhood "We were in the poorhouse," says DiCaprio. "I would walk to my playground and see, like, a guy open up his trench coat with a thousand syringes. I saw some major homosexual activity outside my friend's balcony when I was five. To this day it's an imprint on my mind."

       Growing up in Syringe-alley Hollywood and climbing out of it into his stardom is something he prides himself in. Leo grew up in Echo Park "the heart of scumbag L.A." with his mom, until he was ten. At first Leo wanted to be an oceanographer. Then " I got attention by being funny at school, pretending to be retarded, and jumping around with a deformed hand."

        "My love of performing goes way back. My Mom got me on Romper Room when I was five--It was my favorite show. But they couldn't control me. I would run up and smack the camera , and I'd jump around and do my little flips and routines."

        One day his stepbrother Adam got a Golden Grahams commercial. "I asked my dad how much Adam made from it," recalls DiCaprio. "He said, about $50,000. Fifty thousand dollars! It just kept going through my head. My brother had $50,000 dollars! And that kept on being my driving force. I just remember for, like five years thinking my brother was better than me because he had that." "There was this one casting call when I was about ten. They brought five kids in just to see their look and if they'd be right for acting. I had this sorta punk haircut, because I was into break-dancing at the time. The lady looked at me and at the other kids sayin 'Not Him, not him, not him, you two stay.' I was one of the 'not hims'. On the way home in the car, I cried and I said, 'Dad, I really want to be an actor, but if this what it is about, I don't want to do it.' He put his arm around me and said, 'Someday, Leonardo, it will happen for you. Remember these words. Just Relax.' And then I stopped crying and I said 'O.K.'"

        Soon after, Leo would get in several commercial roles.He appeared in educational films such as How to Deal With a Parent Who Takes Drugs and Mickey's Safety Club. He also appeared in T.V. shows as Lassie, The Outsiders, Roseanne and Parenthood. His first movie role was landed in the 1991 release of Critters III. Finally, at age sixteen, he landed the role of Luke on the '80's comedy series Growing Pains where he would play a homeless-streetsmart kid taken in by Kirk Cameron(co-star).But his real break was his leading role as Tobias Wolff in This Boy's Life.(Also starring DeNiro and Barkin) It wasn't a big box office hit, but he gained instant recognition as a talented rising actor. He was Runner-up for Best Supporting Actor from the New York Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics for This Boy's Life. As well as Most Promising Actor from the Chicago film Critics for this role and for his next performance as a mentally handicapped teen in What's Eating Gilbert Grape?. Most impressing is that What's Eating Gilbert Grape? also got him his first Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations!

    After his award nominations for What's Eating Gilbert Grape? he went on to star in The Basketball Diaries.  In this movie he plays as Jim Carroll, an out of control teen dealing with drugs and recovery.  This was a role that he played with a lot of intensity, but unfortunately the movie was mostly unseen.  Then in 1995 he played his first Homosexual role in Total Eclipse, reviews were not to hot, but mainly because the movie was not understood by most.  He played the role of the poet Rimbaud and his affair with poet Verlaine.  Next he would play in the western with Sharon Stone The Quick and the Dead.  At any rate all of his movies are must see flicks!! (Well, maybe not Critters III!)

        Then at the end of 1997 leo hit it big with Titanic playing the witty and charming Jack. Titanic has become the number one grossing film of all time, and has put Leo in leading man status.