Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio ( / d i ˈ k æ p r i oʊ / ; Italian: [diˈkaːprjo] ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his work in films about real people and historical events. He has received many awards, including an Academy Award, an Actor Award, a British Academy Film Award, an Emmy Award, a Silver Bear, and three Golden Globes. His films as a leading actor have made $7 billion worldwide, and he has been listed eight times in yearly rankings of the world’s highest-paid actors.

DiCaprio was born in Los Angeles. He began his career in the late 1980s by appearing in television commercials. He had a recurring role in the sitcom Parenthood (1990–1991) and his first major film role as author Tobias Wolff in This Boy’s Life (1993). He received critical praise and his first Academy Award nomination for playing a developmentally disabled boy in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993). DiCaprio became internationally famous for his roles in the romantic films Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Titanic (1997). After Titanic became the highest-grossing film in the world at the time, he reduced his work for a few years. To change his image as a romantic hero, DiCaprio took roles in different genres, including the 2002 crime dramas Catch Me If You Can and Gangs of New York. The latter was the first of many successful collaborations with director Martin Scorsese.

DiCaprio continued to earn praise for his performances in the biographical film The Aviator (2004), the political thriller Blood Diamond (2006), the crime drama The Departed (2006), and the romantic drama Revolutionary Road (2008). Later, he made environmental documentaries and starred in projects by well-known directors, including the thrillers Inception and Shutter Island (both 2010); the western Django Unchained (2012); the romantic drama The Great Gatsby (2013); the biographical film The Wolf of Wall Street (2013); the survival drama The Revenant (2015), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor; the comedy-drama Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019); the crime drama Killers of the Flower Moon (2023); and the action film One Battle After Another (2025).

DiCaprio founded Appian Way Productions, a company that produced some of his films and the documentary series Greensburg (2008–2010). He also started the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on raising awareness about environmental issues. As a United Nations Messenger of Peace, he supports charitable causes. In 2005, he was named a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters for his contributions to the arts. In 2016, he appeared in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2022, he was voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time in a readers’ poll by Empire magazine.

Early life and acting background

Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio was born on November 11, 1974, in Los Angeles, California. He is the only child of Irmelin Indenbirken, a legal secretary from Germany, and George DiCaprio, an American underground comix artist and distributor. The couple met while attending college and moved to Los Angeles after graduating. George’s paternal grandparents, Salvatore Di Caprio and Rosina Cassella, were Italian, while his mother, Olga Anne Jacobs, was of German descent. Irmelin’s father, Wilhelm Indenbirken, was German, while her mother, Helene Indenbirken, was a Russian immigrant living in Germany. Some sources have falsely claimed that Helene was born in Odesa, Ukraine; there is no evidence that DiCaprio has any relatives of Ukrainian birth or heritage.

DiCaprio got his name because his pregnant mother first felt him kick while she was looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Uffizi museum in Florence, Italy. When he was one year old, his parents divorced after his father fell in love with another woman and moved out. To raise DiCaprio together, his parents moved into twin cottages with a shared garden in Echo Park, Los Angeles. DiCaprio’s father lived with his girlfriend and her son, Adam Farrar, with whom DiCaprio developed a close bond. DiCaprio and his mother later moved to other neighborhoods, such as Los Feliz. He has described his parents as “bohemian in every sense of the word” and as “the people I trust the most in the world.” DiCaprio has mentioned growing up poor in a neighborhood plagued with prostitution, crime, and violence. He was raised Catholic.

DiCaprio attended the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies for four years and later Seeds Elementary School. He enrolled at John Marshall High School but disliked public school and wanted to audition for acting jobs instead. He decided to drop out of high school and later earned a general equivalency diploma (GED), which is a certificate that shows someone has the same knowledge as a high school graduate.

As a child, DiCaprio wanted to become either an actor or a marine biologist. He chose to pursue acting because he enjoyed imitating people and impersonating characters and liked seeing people’s reactions to his impressions. According to DiCaprio, his interest in performing began at the age of two, when he went onstage at a performance festival and danced spontaneously to a positive response from the crowd. He was also motivated to learn acting when his stepbrother’s appearance in a television commercial earned him $50,000. DiCaprio has said in interviews that his first television appearance was in the children’s series Romper Room, and that he was dismissed from the show for being disruptive. The show’s host has denied that any children were removed from the show in this way. At age 11, DiCaprio almost quit acting to pursue breakdancing after winning second place in a breakdancing competition in his mother’s native Germany. Starting at age 14, he appeared in several commercials for Matchbox cars, which he calls his first role. DiCaprio also appeared in commercials for Kraft Singles, Bubble Yum, and Apple Jacks. In 1989, he played the role of Glen in two episodes of the television show The New Lassie.

At the beginning of his career, DiCaprio had difficulty finding an agent. When he finally found one, the agent suggested that he change his name to Lenny Williams to appeal to American audiences, which he refused to do. DiCaprio remained jobless for a year and a half, even despite 100 auditions. Following this frustrating lack of success, DiCaprio was about to give up acting but his father convinced him to persevere, and he continued to audition. After a talent agent (who knew a friend of his mother’s) recommended him to casting directors, DiCaprio secured roles in about 20 commercials.

By the early 1990s, DiCaprio began acting regularly on television, beginning with a role in the pilot of The Outsiders (1990) and one episode of the soap opera Santa Barbara (1990), in which he played an alcoholic teenager. Following this, DiCaprio was cast in Parenthood, a series based on the 1989 comedy film. To prepare for the role of Garry Buckman, a troubled teen, he analyzed Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in the original film. His work that year earned him two nominations at the 12th Youth in Film Awards—Best Young Actor in a Daytime Series for Santa Barbara and Best Young Actor Starring in a New Television Series for Parenthood. Around this time, he was a contestant on the children’s game show Fun House; on the show, he performed several stunts, including catching the fish inside a small pool using only his teeth.

Career

Leonardo DiCaprio began his acting career in 1991 with a small role in the horror film Critters 3, where he played the stepson of a dishonest landlord. He later said this role was not memorable and described it as "a typical character without much depth." DiCaprio did not enjoy this experience and wanted to avoid similar roles in the future. In the same year, he joined the cast of the television show Growing Pains, where he played a homeless boy named Luke Brower who lived with the main family. His co-star, Joanna Kerns, said DiCaprio was very smart and kind for his age but also playful and sometimes joked with others on set. The producers cast him to attract young female viewers, but his role did not help improve the show’s ratings. He left before the series ended and was later nominated for a Young Artist Award for his performance. In 1991, he also had a small, uncredited role in one episode of Roseanne.

In 1992, DiCaprio appeared briefly in the first movie of the Poison Ivy series. He was chosen by actor Robert De Niro from a list of 400 young actors to co-star with him in This Boy’s Life, based on a true story about a teenager named Toby and his complicated relationship with his mother and abusive stepfather. The director, Michael Caton-Jones, said DiCaprio struggled to behave properly on set at first. After Caton-Jones provided strict guidance, DiCaprio improved his performance. Critics praised DiCaprio’s portrayal of Toby, noting how he showed the character’s growth from a rebellious teen to an independent young man. This film was the first to bring DiCaprio recognition. That same year, he made his first appearance on a talk show, The Looseleaf Report, hosted by Victoria Looseleaf, who later wrote an unauthorized biography about him.

In 1993, DiCaprio played the developmentally disabled brother of Johnny Depp’s character in the film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, a story about a troubled family in Iowa. The director, Lasse Hallström, was initially unsure about casting DiCaprio because he thought DiCaprio looked too good-looking for the role. However, after seeing DiCaprio’s audition, Hallström decided to cast him. To prepare for the role, DiCaprio studied children with similar challenges and learned their behaviors. The film was well-received by critics. At age 19, DiCaprio won a National Board of Review Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This made him the seventh-youngest person ever nominated for that category. Critics praised his performance, saying he brought intensity and emotion to his role.

In 1995, DiCaprio’s first role was in The Quick and the Dead, a Western film directed by Sam Raimi. When Sony Pictures questioned his casting, co-star Sharon Stone paid his salary to ensure he could stay in the film. The movie did not perform well at the box office and received mixed reviews. DiCaprio then played the real-life story of Jim Carroll, a drug-addicted high school basketball player and writer, in The Basketball Diaries. He also starred in Total Eclipse, a film about the relationship between two famous poets, Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine. This role was chosen after the original actor, River Phoenix, died before filming began. Although the film was not successful financially, it was later released as part of a collection of classic and cult films. Some critics praised DiCaprio’s acting ability, while others noted a mismatch between his accent and his co-star’s.

In 1996, DiCaprio starred alongside Claire Danes in Romeo + Juliet, a modern version of Shakespeare’s famous play. He was unsure about taking on another Romeo and Juliet film but agreed to work with director Baz Luhrmann after his father suggested he learn more about the project. DiCaprio and Luhrmann spent two weeks discussing ideas for the film, which helped shape its final version. Romeo + Juliet helped DiCaprio become a leading actor in Hollywood. Critics praised his performances in earlier films, calling him "a revelation" in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and "a vital spark" in Romeo + Juliet. For his role in Romeo + Juliet, he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival. Later that year, he played a troubled young man in Marvin’s Room, a story about two sisters who reunite after a tragedy. Critics said he performed well alongside experienced actresses Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton.

In 1997, DiCaprio turned down a role in Boogie Nights to star in Titanic, a film about two people from different backgrounds who fall in love on the ship RMS Titanic. The film had a budget of over $200 million, making it the most expensive movie at the time. It became the highest-grossing film in history, earning over $2.1 billion worldwide. It won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. DiCaprio did not receive a nomination for his role, which led to protests from over 200 fans. He was nominated for other awards, such as a Golden Globe. Titanic made DiCaprio a global superstar, especially among young fans. However, in 2025, he said he regretted not taking the role in Boogie Nights, calling it "a profound movie of my generation."

In 2015, a writer for Rolling Stone called DiCaprio’s performance in Titanic his best, saying he and his co-star, Kate Winslet, brought genuine emotion to their roles. A Vanity Fair writer in 2008 called them "Hollywood’s most iconic screen couple" since Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. In 2017, a writer for Vox described Titanic as a film that captured the deep love between its characters.

Reception and acting style

Leonardo DiCaprio became well-known for his risky behavior and partying with a group of male celebrities called "the Pussy Posse" in the 1990s. In 1998, a journalist named Nancy Jo Sales wrote an article in New York magazine that described the group as men who focused on chasing girls, starting fights, and not tipping waitresses. During a skydiving trip, DiCaprio's parachute failed to open, but his instructor saved him by opening a backup parachute. DiCaprio later said he enjoys doing things that make him nervous. In 1998, John McCain, who was a United States Senator for Arizona, called DiCaprio "an androgynous wimp." DiCaprio believed people exaggerated his personality and said, "They want you miserable, just like them. They don't want heroes; what they want is to see you fall." Steven Spielberg, the director of Catch Me If You Can, defended DiCaprio's reputation as a "party boy," saying it was common for young people and that DiCaprio was family-oriented during the film's production. The New York Times writer Caryn James noted that DiCaprio used his fame to support social causes. The Guardian writer Carole Cadwalladr described DiCaprio as polite, charming, and engaging, but said his true personality was hard to see.

Acting allows people to experience different lives. When making a movie, actors travel to new places, learn about different cultures, and try to show another person's life as accurately as possible. This experience can be very eye-opening. DiCaprio said he loves acting because it helps people care about issues beyond their own lives.

DiCaprio is considered one of the best actors of his generation. In a 2022 poll by Empire magazine, he was named one of the 50 greatest actors of all time. The magazine praised his willingness to go to extreme lengths to understand his characters. The Seattle Times writer Colin Covert said DiCaprio "redefines film stardom" by taking on difficult roles that few others can perform.

Since his success in Titanic (1997), DiCaprio has felt nervous about starring in big-budget films because of their marketing. He sees film as a form of art that will be remembered for many years. He often plays characters based on real people or stories from specific time periods. Caryn James said DiCaprio is not afraid to work with experienced directors on unusual projects, even if some films, like The Beach (2000), were not successful. His work with director Martin Scorsese has been highly praised. Scorsese said DiCaprio can show strong emotions on screen. Jesse Hassenger of The A.V. Club called their collaborations, which earned them a 2013 award, as important as Scorsese's work with Robert De Niro.

Michael K. Hammond wrote that DiCaprio built his reputation by showing strong acting skills and "disappearing into his roles." Agnieszka Holland, who directed DiCaprio in Total Eclipse (1995), said he is one of the most mature actors she has worked with and is brave in choosing roles. Holland said he does not use method acting but instead uses a technique that helps him fully become his characters. Meryl Streep, his co-star in Marvin's Room, said DiCaprio's unpredictable nature makes his career hard to categorize. Film critic Philip French noted that DiCaprio often plays characters who are still growing into adulthood, which may reflect his own difficult childhood. Caryn James said DiCaprio's roles, which often involve characters pretending to be someone else, look simple but require complex acting. He often plays characters who lose their mental stability or act dishonestly. Derek Thompson of The Atlantic said DiCaprio's best performances are when he plays characters like frauds or liars.

Several magazines, including People, Empire, and Harper's Bazaar, have listed DiCaprio as one of the most attractive actors. In 1998, he sued Playgirl magazine for planning to publish a nude photo of him. He said he does not focus on his appearance because it is temporary and can hurt his career. Instead, he values long-term success. In 2005, he was made a commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for his work in the arts. In 2016, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was listed on Forbes’s highest-paid actors from 2008 to 2016, earning over $77 million in 2011. The Hollywood Reporter said he is rare for having a successful career without starring in comic books, family films, or pre-branded franchises. A writer for the magazine said, "Leo is the franchise." In 2016, New York magazine said DiCaprio had not made a bad film in the previous ten years. DiCaprio said his attitude has stayed the same since he started his career, saying, "I feel very connected to that fifteen-year-old kid who got his first movie."

DiCaprio has said Robert De Niro and James Dean are two of his most important influences. He said, "If I were to pick two actors from different generations, it would be De Niro and James Dean." When asked about a performance that stayed with him, DiCaprio said he was deeply moved by James Dean’s role in East of Eden. He described Dean’s performance as raw and powerful, showing deep emotion and confusion about his identity.

Other ventures

Climate change is real and happening now. It is the biggest challenge facing all people, and we must work together to solve it. We should support leaders who care about the environment and the well-being of all people, including Indigenous communities and those who are most affected by climate change. This includes future generations and people whose voices have been ignored because of greedy politics.

Leonardo DiCaprio, a well-known actor and environmental advocate, believes global warming is the most important environmental issue. He became interested in ecology early in life, watching documentaries about rainforests and the loss of species. In 1998, he created the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, a group that works to protect the environment. The foundation supports projects that help the planet, such as producing documentaries like Water Planet and Global Warning. It also helps fund programs that exchange debt for environmental protection. By 2018, the foundation had supported over 200 projects and given more than $100 million. DiCaprio has worked with groups like the World Wildlife Fund and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

DiCaprio has used electric-hybrid cars but has also faced criticism for using private jets and yachts, which produce a lot of pollution. In 2000, he led Earth Day celebrations and spoke with former President Bill Clinton about climate change. He participated in events like the 2007 Live Earth concert and donated $1 million to help protect tigers at a meeting in Russia. In 2013, he organized an art auction that raised nearly $38.8 million for his foundation. In 2014, the United Nations named him a Messenger of Peace for climate change. He spoke to millions of people at a UN Climate Summit and pledged to stop investing in fossil fuels in 2015.

DiCaprio met with Pope Francis in 2016 and discussed environmental issues. He also criticized the government in Indonesia for harming forests and donated $15.6 million to protect wildlife and Native American rights. He supported the Standing Rock tribe’s opposition to a pipeline in 2016. In 2017, he protested against President Trump’s lack of action on climate change. His foundation raised over $30 million in one night during a charity event. By 2018, the foundation had given $100 million to fight climate change. In 2021, he pledged $43 million to protect the Galápagos Islands.

DiCaprio supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and helped raise money for Joe Biden in 2020. He also made a documentary about voting rights and encouraged people to vote. In 2023, he spoke in a legal case about foreign influence. In 2024, he supported Kamala Harris for president because of her climate policies.

DiCaprio has donated money to various causes, including a library in Los Feliz, a nursing home for a Titanic survivor, and relief efforts in Haiti, Louisiana, and other places. He also supported gay rights and disaster relief in Australia and Ukraine.

In addition to his environmental work, DiCaprio has been involved with Formula E, an electric car racing series. He helped start a racing team and became a leader in the Formula E Sustainability Committee. He also made a documentary about Formula E.

Personal life

Leonardo DiCaprio does not follow a specific religion. His personal life receives a lot of attention from the media, but he rarely gives interviews and does not like to talk about his private matters. Since the 2000s, DiCaprio has been reported to have relationships with women who are 25 years old or younger, which has caused some criticism. In 1999, he met Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen, and they dated until 2005. He was in a romantic relationship with Israeli model Bar Refaeli from 2005 to 2011. Later, he dated German model Toni Garrn from 2013 to 2014 and again in 2017. DiCaprio briefly dated Barbadian singer Rihanna, and they attended an event together in 2016. He won a legal case against a French tabloid that claimed he had gotten Rihanna pregnant. DiCaprio was in a relationship with American model Camila Morrone from 2017 until 2022. He has been dating Italian model Vittoria Ceretti since August 2023.

DiCaprio owns homes in Los Angeles and apartments in New York City. In 2009, he bought an island called Blackadore Caye near Belize, where he plans to build an environmentally friendly resort. In 2014, he purchased a house in Palm Springs, California, that was originally designed by architect Donald Wexler.

In 2005, DiCaprio was seriously hurt when model Aretha Wilson hit him in the head with a broken bottle at a party. He needed 17 stitches on his face and neck. Wilson admitted guilt without a trial and was sentenced to two years in prison in 2010.

In 2017, DiCaprio supported a film called The Promise, which is about the Armenian genocide. He praised the team for bringing this important story to life. That same year, he returned gifts he had received from business associates at a production company involved in a scandal. These gifts included a Best Actor Oscar won by Marlon Brando, a $3.2 million painting by Pablo Picasso, and a $9 million artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat.

On December 30, 2019, while on vacation near St. Barts, DiCaprio changed the course of his boat to search for a man who had fallen overboard. His crew rescued the man, who had been swimming in the water for 11 hours, just before a storm arrived.

In June 2025, DiCaprio faced criticism for attending the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez. Amazon has been criticized for its environmental impact. People questioned his choice, given his work on environmental and humanitarian issues. A photo showed him wearing a baseball cap to hide his face at the event. In July 2025, DiCaprio faced backlash for helping fund a luxury hotel near Tel Aviv, Israel, during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. He has not publicly commented on this project.

Filmography and accolades

According to the online portal Box Office Mojo and the review website Rotten Tomatoes, Leonardo DiCaprio's most popular and well-received films include What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Romeo + Juliet (1996), Titanic (1997), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Blood Diamond (2006), Revolutionary Road (2008), Shutter Island (2010), Inception (2010), Django Unchained (2012), The Great Gatsby (2013), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), The Revenant (2015), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), Don't Look Up (2021), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), and One Battle After Another (2025). His films have made $7.2 billion in total worldwide.

DiCaprio has been recognized seven times by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with one win, for the following:

• 66th Academy Awards (1994): Best Supporting Actor, nominated for What's Eating Gilbert Grape
• 77th Academy Awards (2005): Best Actor, nominated for The Aviator
• 79th Academy Awards (2007): Best Actor, nominated for Blood Diamond
• 86th Academy Awards (2014): Best Picture and Best Actor, nominated for The Wolf of Wall Street
• 88th Academy Awards (2016): Best Actor, won for The Revenant
• 92nd Academy Awards (2020): Best Actor, nominated for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• 98th Academy Awards (2026): Best Actor, nominated for One Battle After Another

DiCaprio has won three Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Drama Movie for The Aviator and The Revenant, and Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Movie for The Wolf of Wall Street. He also won a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor for The Revenant.