Who is Leonardo DiCaprio?
Born in Hollywood on November 11, 1974, the young Leonardo, encouraged by his mother, began his career very early. He first appeared in a few series before landing a movie role in 1993 in Secret Wounds alongside Robert de Niro. But it’s the next movie, Gilbert Grapes with Johnny Depp that reveals it. His portrayal of a mentally handicapped youth cries out for the truth and has earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
His career is launched and he then connects roles in various registers. In 1995, he was a cowboy in Death or Alive, a young junkie in Basketball Diaries and cursed poet in Rimbaud Verlaine. In 1996, he played Romeo in Romeo + Juliette by Baz Luhrmann. This remastered version of Shakespeare’s work has met with great success, especially with young audiences. But the big turning point in his career came in 1997, when he starred – with Kate Winslet as a partner – in James Cameron’s blockbuster Titanic. The considerable success of the film propels Leo a planetary star.
He is now in demand by the greatest directors: Danny Boyle had him play in La Plage in 2000, Steven Spielberg hired him for Catch me if you can in 2003, Sam Mendes allowed him to meet Kate Winslet in Les Noces rebelles in 2008, Christopher Nolan claimed him for Inception in 2010, Clint Eastwood gave him the lead role in J. Edgar in 2011, and Quentin Tarantino turned him into a hideous slave in Django Unchained in 2012.
Gradually, he moved away from his image of romantic hero to take on more mature roles. A transition greatly facilitated by his fruitful collaboration with Martin Scorsese with whom he has toured five times: Gangs of New York in 2003, Aviator in 2004, The Departed in 2006, Shutter Island in 2010 and The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013. After several Oscar nominations, the actor was named Best Actor at the 88th Academy Awards on February 28, 2016.
Heart wise, Leonardo DiCaprio spent five years alongside Gisele Bündchen. With the model Bar Refaeli, he lives a long and stormy relationship. Separated for the first time in 2009, they reconciled in 2010, before separating the following year.
