Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most versatile actors in the world, with a diverse career that has spanned from his early days as a supporting cast member on Growing Pains(1985) and low-budget horror movies such as Critters 3 (1991), to becoming a major teenage heartthrob in the 1990s with films such as Romeo + Juliet(1996)  and Titanic(1997). He has since gone on to become a leading man in Hollywood blockbusters, working with internationally renowned directors like Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan.

Born on November 11, 1974, in Los Angeles, California, DiCaprio is the only child of Irmelin DiCaprio (née Indenbirken) and former comic book artist George DiCaprio. His father is of Italian and German descent, while his German-born mother is of German and Russian ancestry. DiCaprio's performance skills became evident at an early age, and he began appearing in television commercials and educational programs under the stage name "Lenny Williams" after signing with a talent agent.

DiCaprio's career took off in the early 1990s with small roles in television series like Roseanne (1988) and The New Lassie (1989), and his film debut in the low-budget horror movie Critters 3 (1991). However, it wasn't until his diverse roles in films like What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), The Quick and the Dead (1995), and The Basketball Diaries (1995) that DiCaprio's reputation as an actor began to solidify. His breakthrough role came in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996), which made him a household name and led to his starring role in the blockbuster hit Titanic (1997).

Despite his success, DiCaprio continued to take on diverse roles, including mentally challenged youth in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), a young gunslinger in The Quick and the Dead (1995), and drug addict Jim Carroll in The Basketball Diaries (1995). He also became involved in environmental causes and was part of the documentary film The 11th Hour, which focused on the natural environment.

In the early 2000s, DiCaprio collaborated with director Martin Scorsese for the first time, starring in films like Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Gangs of New York (2002). He has since become one of the biggest movie stars in the world, commanding a salary of $20 million per movie. Despite his fame and fortune, DiCaprio remains committed to environmental and humanitarian causes, donating millions of dollars to earthquake relief efforts and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

With his career continuing to defy conventions and his refusal to conform to any cliché about actors, DiCaprio has cemented his place as one of the most respected and versatile actors in the world. He has played roles ranging from a mustache-twirling villain in Django Unchained to tragic literary characters like Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby (2013) and Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).