The Name: Leonardo DiCaprio
The Basics: Born Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio in Hollywood, California.
Occupation: Actor
The Backstory: A carouser from the get-go, the future actor was reportedly named Leonardo because he gave an in-utero kick while his mom was gazing upon a Da Vinci in Florence's Uffizi gallery. Five years later, a wee Leo made his TV debut on Romper Room (although he was booted from the set for being unruly). Raised by hippie parents in L.A.'s funky Echo Park neighborhood, Leo made scads of TV commercials in his early teen years. He went on to do time on shows like Growing Pains, Parenthood and Roseanne.
The Big Break: In 1993, he played a young, mentally retarded boy in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. The role earned young Leo critical praise as well as Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
Career High Points: There were the critically acclaimed roles in Basketball Diaries (1995) and This Boy's Life (1993), and certainly all the hot buzz from Romeo + Juliet (1996) was nothing to complain about. But, of course, Leo really became king of the world with 1997's über-blockbuster Titanic. The film earned him his second Golden Globe nomination but, alas, he was snubbed by Oscar.
Family Ties:
Father: George DiCaprio, comic-book distributor; divorced from Leo's mother
Mother: Irmeline DiCaprio, former legal secretary; divorced
Stepmother: Professional body builder
Stepbrother: Adam Farrar, actor; born 1971
Famous Flings:
Gisele Bündchen, model
Vanessa Hayden, model; dated 1998
Kristen Zang, model; dated 1996-97
Notable Quotable: "I have a Lexus now but I like changing my cars around...I usually get so bored with the car, I give it to my parents after like a year," the multi-millionaire DiCaprio told Mr. Showbiz.
Leonardo's favorites:
Book: The Old Man by the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Food: pasta
Drink: lemonade
Colors: black and purple
Sports: basketball and baseball
Movie: all three Godfather films
Actors: Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, and Meg Ryan
Bands: Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin
Directors: Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola
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