Born in 1974, Leonardo's name came about because his mother Irmelin was
admiring a DaVinci painting in Italy when she felt him kick for the first time. He first started acting at the age of six, and came to the attention of Hollywood in the 1992 film
This Boy's Life opposite Robert De Niro.
Leo won critical acclaim the following year for his portrayal of Johnny Depp's disabled younger brother in the film
What's Eating Gilbert Grape, which would earn him his first Oscar nomination at the age of just 19. He went on to star in the 1996 classic
Romeo and Juliet, but it was 1997's
Titanic that shot Leo to worldwide stardom, with his face gracing posters on bedroom walls around the world.
In the following years, Leo starred in various films which failed to light up the box office, but in 2002 he returned to the spotlight for the right reasons, with nearly every film of his, including
Catch Me If You Can, Gangs of New York, Blood Diamond, The Departed, Revolutionary Road, Shutter Island, Inception, Django Unchained, and The Wolf of Wall Street gaining critical acclaim.
Leo has been nominated for five Academy Awards, and ten
Golden Globes, winning a globe in 2005 for
The Aviator and in 2014 for
The Wolf of Wall Street.HOLLYWOOD'S HOTTEST ON-SCREEN COUPLES A committed and passionate activist, Leo donates time and money to global warming, computer literacy for children, Haiti, and the Wildlife Conservation Charity. In 1998
he founded the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation which aims to promote environmental and humanitarian issues through fund-raising, campaigning, and media projects.
Leo's personal life has been a regular focus in the media, and he has had several high-profile partners, including
Gisele Bunchen and
Bar Refaeli.
In 2013 he began dating model Toni Garrn but recent rumours suggest the pair have split.
He has remained close friends with his
Titanic co-star
Kate Winslet over the years, and officiated her wedding to Ned Rocknroll in 2013.