Actor. Born Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio, on November 11, 1974, in Hollywood, California, to George, a comic book creator and distributor, and Irmelin (née Idenbirkin), a legal secretary. His parents separated when he was still an infant, and his father later remarried. Leonardo attended John Marshall High School in Los Feliz, California, although his education there was cut short after he began acting full time. He eventually received a high school diploma after being taught at home.
Banking on his babyface and wholesome, all-American good looks, DiCaprio’s mother began taking him to auditions for television commercials at the age of 13. He signed with an agent at the age of 14, and worked in various commercials and educational films, including Mickey’s Safety Club and How to Deal With a Parent Who Takes Drugs. He made several television appearances before being cast, in 1990, as Garry Buckman in the short-lived television version of Parenthood (which also featured the then-unknown actress Thora Birch). His big break came when he was cast (from 1991-92) as a homeless teen in the popular television series Growing Pains. During his appearance on the show, DiCaprio made his film debut in the forgettable Critters 3 (1991), then went on to appear in the Drew Barrymore vehicle Poison Ivy (1992). With his substantial earnings DiCaprio bought his mother a house, and he continued to live with her until he was 21, after which he moved into his own home. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)—directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Johnny Depp—featured DiCaprio as the autistic younger brother of the title character, and earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. In addition to these honors, DiCaprio won a Best Supporting Actor Award from the National Board of Review for his performance. His success in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? landed him a lead role opposite Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin in the 1993 drama This Boy’s Life, in which he played the delinquent teenage son of an alcoholic stepfather. The Basketball Diaries (1995) featured DiCaprio in his darkest role to date, playing a street-smart, drug-addicted high school basketball player. By 1996, when DiCaprio appeared opposite Claire Danes in the modernized and notably violent Shakespearean romance Romeo + Juliet, his on-screen persona as the boy on the wrong side of the tracks was firmly established.