Leonardo DiCaprio Biography

Leonardo DiCaprio, who at one time appeared on the children's series Romper Room, went on to become a worldwide sex symbol. Named by E! Online as the most gorgeous celebrity in the world, the flurry of attention surrounding him in the 1990s became known as Leo Mania. His strong portrayals in diverse roles, however, have also earned DiCaprio critical acclaim for his genuine talent.Leonardo DiCaprio was born on November 11, 1974, in Los Angeles, California. His parents divorced only a year after his birth, and he grew up in Echo Park, a rough neighborhood plagued by drugs and poverty. Before his movie debut, Leonardo appeared on several television series including Parenthood, Santa Barbara, and Growing Pains. He also appeared in commercials and educational videos.After his first big screen film, the mildly successful Critters 3, DiCaprio gained recognition for his role in the 1993 This Boy's Life, a film based on the memoir
of Tobias Wolff. The film, which starred DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, was named runner-up for Best Supporting Actor by both the New York Film Critics and the National Society of Film Critics.The same year, DiCaprio delivered a convincing performance as a mentally challenged boy in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. The film, which also starred Johnny Depp, garnered Leo an Academy Award nomination. After playing the ill-fated Romeo in a Shakespeare remake, Leo would achieve worldwide super-stardom through his performance the wildly successful Titanic.His role as the poor, artistic Jack Dawson who falls in love with a higher class passenger played by Kate Winslet, is probably his best-known. Titanic was the highest grossing film ever. It won eleven Academy Awards and proclaimed Leo a star across the globe.This was the peak of his popularity, and his face could be seen on the covers of scores of magazines, including Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. Since DiCaprio's role as Jack Dawson, Leo has starred in several successful films, including The Beach, Catch Me if You Can, Gangs of New York, and The Aviator, in which he played the eccentric Howard Hughes. The films featured A-list actors Tom Hanks and Daniel Day Lewis, and boasted big name directors Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. Leo recently released two more films; he had a starring role in The Departed, directed by Scorsese and also starring Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg; and a starring role in The Blood Diamond.In his personal life, Leo is a staunch supporter of environmental causes. He traveled with John Kerry on the campaign trail delivering speeches condemning the Bush Administration and the environmental harm their policies have inflicted.DiCaprio's real life friends include Tobey Maguire, star of the Superman films, as well as the now-deceased Christopher Pettiet. As one of Hollywood's biggest heartthrobs, it is not surprising that this real life Romeo has been linked to an astounding number of women. He has allegedly had brief affairs with ill-tempered supermodel Naomi Campbell, porn star Kendra Jade, actress Juliette Lewis, model Kate Moss, actress Alicia Silverstone, Romeo and Juliet co-star Claire Danes, Demi Moore, Titanic co-star Kate Winslet, as well as many others.In 2000, it appeared that Leo might be ready to change his ways and settle down with Brazilian fashion model Gisele Bundchen. They dated for five years before splitting in 2005. Since then, DiCaprio has been dating Israeli model Bar Refaeli, but it remains to be seen whether she will be the one to finally tame the wild and gorgeous DiCaprio.