About Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio is an American actor and producer known for building a film career around ambitious directors, demanding lead roles and projects designed for theatrical audiences. He moved from television and youth-oriented films to international fame with Titanic, then deliberately pursued varied work in crime, biography, science fiction, historical drama and dark comedy. His recurring collaborations with Martin Scorsese form an important part of modern American cinema. This profile follows that development and explains why his performances often combine movie-star presence with characters under intense psychological pressure.
Known for: Titanic, Inception, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Revenant
Biography
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio ( ; Italian: [diˈkaːprjo]; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, an Actor Award, a BAFTA Award, an Emmy Award, a Silver Bear and three Golden Globes. His films as a leading actor have grossed $7 billion worldwide, and he has been placed eight times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actors.
Born in Los Angeles, DiCaprio began his career in the late 1980s by appearing in television commercials. He had a recurring role in the sitcom Parenthood (1990–1991), and had his first major film part as author Tobias Wolff in This Boy's Life (1993). He received critical acclaim and his first Academy Award nomination for playing a developmentally disabled boy in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993). DiCaprio achieved international stardom with the star-crossed romances Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Titanic (1997). After the latter became the highest-grossing film in the world at the time, he reduced his workload for a few years. In an attempt to shed his image of a romantic hero, DiCaprio sought roles in other genres, including the 2002 crime dramas Catch Me If You Can and Gangs of New York; the latter marked the first of his many successful collaborations with director Martin Scorsese.
DiCaprio continued to gain acclaim for his performances in the biopic The Aviator (2004), the political thriller Blood Diamond (2006), the crime thriller The Departed (2006), and the romantic drama Revolutionary Road (2008).