Biography
Child actor Leonardo DiCaprio was quite possibly one of the most successful to fully transition into a career as an adult. Born in Los Angeles, California in 1974, DiCaprio began acting as a small child, appearing in commercials. His first major TV role came in 1990 when he joined the cast of the sitcom "Growing Pains" (ABC, 1985-1992) as Luke, a homeless boy taken in by the Seaver family. The young actor's star power was immediately evident, and it was not long before Robert De Niro handpicked DiCaprio to co-star with him in the feature film "This Boy's Life" (1993). DiCaprio earned strong reviews for his performance, and he won even more acclaim for his portrayal of a young man living with a mental disability in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" (1993) that same year. DiCaprio's simultaneous status as both a prodigious actor and teen heartthrob climbed higher as he co-starred with Claire Danes in Baz Lurman's unusual adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo + Juliet" (1996), but it inarguably reached a zenith when he paired with Kate Winslet for the romantic blockbuster "Titanic" (1997) the following year. Now commanding the ability to work on virtually any project he wished, DiCaprio took the opportunity to make some smaller, more artistically minded films including Woody Allen's "Celebrity" (1998), and to begin using his fame and wealth to further environmental causes-a passion that would prove nearly equal to his drive as an actor. However, when it came time to choose his next major, big-budget project, DiCaprio's choice proved to be pivotal, as he teamed with famed director Martin Scorsese for the first time on the period drama "Gangs of New York" (2002). He also starred in Ron Howard's hit biopic of young con man Frank Abignale Jr. in "Catch Me if You Can" (2002) that same year, but DiCaprio's creative partnership with Scorsese would remain a vital force in his career for years to come. They worked together two years later on "The Aviator" (2004), which found DiCaprio portraying famed tycoon Howard Hughes, and again the following year on the highly acclaimed crime drama "The Departed" (2005). Just over a decade after "Titanic" and its epic success, DiCaprio joined co-star Kate Winslet again for a near thematic inversion of their previous film in the tortured marriage drama "Revolutionary Road" (2008). Quickly thereafter, DiCaprio returned to his partnership with Scorsese for the Hitchcock-esque "Shutter Island" (2010). His next major project was Christopher Nolan's hit mind-bending drama "Inception" (2010). Then in 2012, a last-minute conflict with another actor left an unexpected opening in Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" (2012). This happy accident led to DiCaprio portraying the villainous Calvin Candie in the film-a happenstance that would later prove fortuitous for both actor and director. However, DiCaprio first reteamed with Baz Lurman for the title role in the glittery "The Great Gatsby" (2013) and with Scorsese for the criminal biopic "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013), not to mention win worldwide acclaim for his role in the wilderness survival film "The Revenant" (2015), before his small but memorable appearance in "Django Unchained" bore dividends. This moment finally came in 2019, when Tarantino asked DiCaprio to star in his film about the '60s film industry and the infamous Manson murders, "Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood" (2019). Co-starring with Brad Pitt as a washed-up actor and his charming stuntman respectively, both the film and DiCaprio's performance in it proved to be a major cultural sensation.
