Leonardo DiCaprio

WHY IS HE FAMOUS

Who says that James Cameron is the King of the World? He might have said that at the Oscars, but Leonardo DiCaprio said it first in the historic 1997 blockbuster, Titanic. The success of that film alone was enough to make Leonardo DiCaprio one of the most recognizable faces on the planet. Since then, he’s emerged as a true talent and Oscar-potent performer in other successful films like The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond, Shutter Island,and the upcoming, Inception. Both one of the most talented and bankable movie stars in his age group, Leonardo DiCaprio might be the most successful former teen actor of all time. Who else can say that they went from being a supporting actor on Growing Painsto becoming one of Martin Scorsese’s most-trusted on-screen collaborators? Case closed. 

Leonardo DiCaprio Quote

"You can either be a vain movie star, or you can try to shed some light on different aspects of the human condition."

96 MAGNETISM

It’s tough being Leonardo DiCaprio. Ever since he became the ultimate sex symbol in Titanic for romantically challenged young women around the world, he’s had his choice of dating models, models, and -- yeah -- more models. As he was a young guy at the time, he admitted that sex was often on his mind, making it safe to assume that he didn’t pass up many opportunities to indulge. After having settled down somewhat through long-term relationships with Gisele Bundchen, Kristen Zang, and current squeeze Bar Refaeli, Leonardo DiCaprio remains highly desirable to the female population, but instead of acting on it, he’ll occasionally pass along his wisdom to his protégé, Zac Efron.

Besides his good looks and easy on-screen charisma, Leonardo DiCaprio’s reputation as a top-notch environmental crusader means that he has the environmentalist chick market cornered to go along with the models and the sappy girls. A strong activist against global warming, he narrated the documentary The 11th Hour, which he also cowrote and coproduced. For ladies who sit quietly amongst lit candles and romantic poetry, wondering just what a date with Mr. DiCaprio would be like, we can say that they would likely enjoy a spin in his own hybrid vehicle and a nightcap at one of his various properties -- complete with in-home solar panels.   

92 SUCCESS

In his evolution from teen actor (Growing Pains) to matinee idol (Titanic) to internationally acclaimed movie star (The Departed), Leonardo DiCaprio has never wavered when many others in his situation easily could have. Many former teen actors don’t find solid, consistent work as adults -- just ask The Two Coreys. Most matinee idols have difficulty being taken seriously as genuine actors -- right, Zac Efron? A great deal of movie stars achieve fame and acclaim only to coast on their recognition value without paying much attention to the quality of their recent work -- that’s you, Al Pacino. As the exception to all of these rules, Leonardo DiCaprio’s talent seems to get better with age and so do his projects. Since teaming up with James Cameron, he’s had A-list directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese andChristopher Nolan knocking on his door offering breezy true stories like Catch Me If You Can, good old-fashioned mysteries like Shutter Island, or twisty futuristic thrillers like Inception.

With three Academy Award nominations to his credit but no wins, Oscar has eluded Leonardo DiCaprio, but the question is when, not if. The moviegoers who appreciate him for his projects and not his fame should actually be thankful that he hasn’t won it all just yet. The hunger to deliver what he feels is a first-rate performance and capture Oscar gold is one of the many muses that drive Leonardo DiCaprio toward often-interesting, high quality films. It no doubt steers him away from another Critters sequel or a Growing Pains reunion movie too.    

LEONARDO DICAPRIOBIOGRAPHY

Leonardo DiCaprio’s childhood appreciation for baseball cards and comics was quickly superseded by a new interest in acting, which came from his stepbrother, who was a budding young performer. Leonardo DiCaprio got his feet wet by going to various auditions, but found that agents weren't convinced that he had a marketable name. After turning down a request to adopt "Lenny Williams" as his new stage name, Leonardo DiCaprio got his first major role in the television spin-off of Ron Howard's 1989 box office smash, Parenthood. With the show proving to be a ratings dud, the actor would move to unfriendly pastures for his first movie role in the low-budget 1991 horror sequel, Critters 3.
 
After taking on a minor role in Drew Barrymore's 1992 guilty pleasure odyssey, Poison Ivy, Leonardo DiCaprio made a strong impression on prime-time television as Luke, the runaway who finds shelter and love in the Seaver household on Growing Pains. Understandably, being on the same series as Alan Thicke and Kirk Cameron didn't prove to be a major career launching pad for Leonardo DiCaprio, but his next role as the abused stepson ofRobert De Niro in This Boy's Life impressed critics with his range and marked the beginning of great things to come. One of those was his role as Arnie, the mentally challenged brother of Johnny Depp in 1993's What's Eating Gilbert Grape? Leonardo DiCaprio's note-perfect physical mannerisms and deliberate speech patterns showed his dedication to the role and he received his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.  

Leonardo Dicaprio Stars In Titanic And The Departed

For a short time after his Oscar exposure, Leonardo DiCaprio ventured into darker and edgier film roles. One of them came viaThe Basketball Diaries, in which he played real-life poet and drug addict, Jim Carroll. While he did get to hang with Mark Wahlbergand play naked games with Brittany Daniel (and her twin sister, Cynthia Daniel), it was a downbeat film that brought out a gritty side of Leonardo DiCaprio that hadn't previously been glimpsed. After trading bullets with Sharon Stone in The Quick and the Dead and joining Claire Danes for the slick modernization of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, Leonardo DiCaprio went pure mainstream to play Jack Dawson, the poor thief of the richKate Winslet's heart in Titanic. The film became the highest-grossing in movie history (until Avatar came along) and transformed Leonardo DiCaprio into a poster boy for romantic leads.

Not wanting to cater to the matinee idol crowd, Leonardo DiCaprio used his new star status to play directly against the type that his fan base was expecting to see from him. He also gained an ally in legendary director, Martin Scorsese, who first cast him for the lead in the historical drama, Gangs of New York. Their association proved to be a strong one and before long, the director had Leonardo DiCaprio playing the obsessive-compulsive genius Howard Hughes in The Aviator and the strong-willed undercover cop Billy Costigan in The Departed. For The Aviator and Blood Diamond, a film that made many audience members never want to buy diamonds again, Leonardo DiCaprio would earn a pair of Oscar nominations for Best Actor.  

Leonardo Dicaprio Stars In Shutter Island And Inception

After the release of his 2007 environmentally themed film, The 11th Hour, Leonardo DiCaprio returned to the big screen in a pair of high profile movies. The first was Body of Lies where he played a CIA operative in the Middle East who's taking orders back at home from Russell Crowe. Following this, Leonardo DiCaprio reunited with Kate Winslet for the heart-wrenching drama,Revolutionary Road, a film that pushed both actors to their own dramatic limits as an  unhappy husband and wife, but without any mega-budgets or sinking ships nearby.

In 2010, Leonardo DiCaprio made his return to the screen in a pair of high-profile efforts from two of the greatest living directors who are working today. Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island saw him play Teddy Daniels, a man investigating a disappearance at a creepy insane asylum. After that, Leonardo DiCaprio played Cobb, the protagonist of the futuristic Christopher Nolan film, Inception, a film so closely guarded that even its star isn't quite sure what to make of it yet. Details may be sparse, but what we do know is that the film will undoubtedly be one of the year's biggest hits and further cement Leonardo DiCaprio's status as one of the most popular and effective actors working today.

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